Carolyn
Unregistered User
(1/30/04 12:58 pm)

Planning Our Trip in June

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Hi, Michelle!

First, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to spend hours of your time giving people detailed answers to their Ireland questions! I've been browsing your archives and studying your book, and I've come up with an itinerary. I'd like to get your comments and answers to miscellaneous questions.

Sat 5 June. Arrive in Dublin from France (not sure what time; we plan to fly Ryan Air via London). Maybe musical pub crawl.

Sun 6 June. Dublin. Trinity College, Book of Kells, National Museum in afternoon, check out O'Connell Street.

Mon 7 June. Railtours Ireland day trip to Ballycastle, Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-rede, Bushmills. (Will this go on a Bank Holiday? How far in advance should I reserve?)

Tues 8 June. Dublin. Historical walking tour, No. 29 Georgian House, Kilmainham Jail.

Wed 9 June. May Gibbons tour to Newgrange and Tara.

Thurs 10 June. Pick up rental car. (I'd thought of picking up the car in Dun Laoghaire, but it looks like they don't have many cars there and it will have to be the airport. I'm assuming we shouldn't try to drive through Dublin, right?) Drive to Powerscourt, then Glendalough and on to Kilkenny. Can you tell me how long the driving might take (estimate, of course)? I'm not sure how much time to allow at our stops.

Fri 11 June. Day in Kilkenny.

Sat 12 June. Drive to Cashel, spend some time there, then drive to Kinsale. Will the Kinsale glass works be open on Sat? If so, about how long should we stay in Cashel to allow time to get there--how long is the drive? If it's not open, we may try to fit in Cahir Castle.

Sun 13 June. Most of the day in Kinsale, then drive to Killarney. Might fit in Muckross House.

Mon 14 June. Gap of Dunloe, back to Killarney.

Tues 15 June. Ring of Kerry. If we drive counterclockwise (so we don't have to pass on the drop side), how early should we leave to get ahead of the tour buses? Dinner in Kenmare, back to Killarney.

Wed 16 June. Muckross House if we missed it Sun, then drive to Dingle--maybe over Connor Pass (to put cliff on the left) if I'm feeling brave.

Thurs 17 June. Dingle. Daughter wants to swim with Fungi. Boat tour to Blaskets. We'd like to take a Scruid tour.

Fri 18 June. Dingle. Maybe second Scruid tour. Drive to Slea Head and visit Blasket Center.

Sat 19 June. Take Kilmer-Tarbert ferry, drive to Cliffs of Moher, drive around Burren (Kilfenora to Ballyvaughan). Any idea how long this would take? Would it make sense to reserve for 5:30 medieval dinner at Dunguaire? Then drive on to Galway (we don't want to arrive after dark.)

Sun 20 June. Explore Galway. (Is Sun an OK day for this? We could insert a Connemara drive here instead, but I figure after a long drive yesterday I'd rather be out of the car.)

Mon 21 June. Drive through Connemara (Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, Ballinaboy, Gurteen beach, Roundstone, Ballynahinch Castle, Lough Inagh. I'm thinking Sky Road is a bit too scary for me.) Back to Galway.

Tues 22 June. Another drive through Connemara (Cong, Lough Nafooey, Leenane, Doo Lough, Westport, back to Galway. (I thought there was so much to see in Connemara I should allow 2 days, but you may have some suggestions.)

Wed 23 June. Drive to Shannon. (About how long would this take?) Bunratty Castle and folk park, medieval banquet. Night in Shannon.

Thurs 24 June. Fly home.

Any thoughts? I'd like to see as much as possible without green blurring, and except for Kinsale and our last night, we have more than one night in each place. Thanks so much for your time!

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2090
(1/31/04 1:21 am)

Re: Planning Our Trip in June

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Hi Carolyn,

I am delighted to hear that you are enjoying my book and forum. It is my pleasure to help those planning their trips to Ireland. If it makes their trips better and people enjoy themselves it makes all my efforts worthwhile. Thanks so much for letting me know that you appreciate the time I spend doing so.

I can tell that you have definitely been doing your homework. Your itinerary looks great. No green blur! I will comment on each day below.

Sat 5 June. Arrive in Dublin from France (not sure what time; we plan to fly Ryan Air via London). Maybe musical pub crawl. Michele's Answer: Good.

Sun 6 June. Dublin. Trinity College, Book of Kells, National Museum in afternoon, check out O'Connell Street. Michele's Answer: Fine. You might want to do the hop-on hop-off bus tour too.

Mon 7 June. Railtours Ireland day trip to Ballycastle, Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-rede, Bushmills. (Will this go on a Bank Holiday? How far in advance should I reserve?)  Michele's Answer: It should go on a Bank Holiday. Send them an email to clarify anything. Since it is a holiday you should probably reserve it a few weeks in advance. When you send the email you can ask them if they are filling up fast and if you need to book sooner. It will be a long but enjoyable day.

Tues 8 June. Dublin. Historical walking tour, No. 29 Georgian House, Kilmainham Jail. Michele's Answer: Good.

Wed 9 June. May Gibbons tour to Newgrange and Tara. Michele's Answer: Excellent.

Thurs 10 June. Pick up rental car. (I'd thought of picking up the car in Dun Laoghaire, but it looks like they don't have many cars there and it will have to be the airport. I'm assuming we shouldn't try to drive through Dublin, right?) Drive to Powerscourt, then Glendalough and on to Kilkenny. Can you tell me how long the driving might take (estimate, of course)? I'm not sure how much time to allow at our stops. Michele's Answer: Don't drive through Dublin. From the airport take the M50 (toll road - have a few euro handy) till it ends. I then suggest asking for directions to Enniskerry because signs are nonexistant. Depending on traffic, etc. it might take you 1 to 1 1/2 hours to Powerscourt, 45 minutes to Glendalough. From Glendalough to Kilkenny via Arklow, Enniscourthy and R700 about 3 1/2 hours. You could easily spend a couple of hours at both Powerscourt and Glendalough.

Fri 11 June. Day in Kilkenny. Michele's Answer: Good.

Sat 12 June. Drive to Cashel, spend some time there, then drive to Kinsale. Will the Kinsale glass works be open on Sat? If so, about how long should we stay in Cashel to allow time to get there--how long is the drive? If it's not open, we may try to fit in Cahir Castle. Michele's Answer: I would think that Kinsale Crystal would be open on a Saturday. You can contact them at: sales@kinsalecrystal.ie The drive from Kilkenny to Kinsale is very dependent on Cork City traffic. It can easily add another hour to your trip if you encounter rush hour. Approximate drive time 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

Sun 13 June. Most of the day in Kinsale, then drive to Killarney. Might fit in Muckross House. Michele's Answer: Okay. If you plan on arriving after 6pm let your accommodations know.

Mon 14 June. Gap of Dunloe, back to Killarney. Michele's Answer: Fun day.

Tues 15 June. Ring of Kerry. If we drive counterclockwise (so we don't have to pass on the drop side), how early should we leave to get ahead of the tour buses? Dinner in Kenmare, back to Killarney. Michele's Answer: If you drive counterclockwise you will be traveling on the inside lane, however, if you want to pass traffic you will then be on the outside of the road. If you leave by around 8:45am you should be fine. Dining in Kenmare is very popular. I would encourage reservations in June. Also many of the restaurants are very small and fill up fast.

Wed 16 June. Muckross House if we missed it Sun, then drive to Dingle--maybe over Connor Pass (to put cliff on the left) if I'm feeling brave. Michele's Answer: If the weather is nice you will be brave enough!

Thurs 17 June. Dingle. Daughter wants to swim with Fungi. Boat tour to Blaskets. We'd like to take a Scruid tour. Michele's Answer: The swim and Blasket tour is enough for the day.

Fri 18 June. Dingle. Maybe second Scruid tour. Drive to Slea Head and visit Blasket Center. Michele's Answer: Maybe reverse the days? If you visit the Blasket Island Center first and then take a boat to the islands the next day you will know all about them and enjoy them more.

Sat 19 June. Take Kilmer-Tarbert ferry, drive to Cliffs of Moher, drive around Burren (Kilfenora to Ballyvaughan). Any idea how long this would take? Would it make sense to reserve for 5:30 medieval dinner at Dunguaire? Then drive on to Galway (we don't want to arrive after dark.) Michele's Answer: Daylight lasts till after 10pm at this date. You can accomplish this day and the banquet by getting an early start. Drive time from Dingle to Cliffs around 3 1/2 to 4 hours depending if you have to wait for the ferry.

Sun 20 June. Explore Galway. (Is Sun an OK day for this? We could insert a Connemara drive here instead, but I figure after a long drive yesterday I'd rather be out of the car.) Michele's Answer: Some shops will be closed on a Sunday but many will be open.

Mon 21 June. Drive through Connemara (Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, Ballinaboy, Gurteen beach, Roundstone, Ballynahinch Castle, Lough Inagh. I'm thinking Sky Road is a bit too scary for me.) Back to Galway. Michele's Answer: Sky Road is really not scary, it is lovely. A long but nice day.

Tues 22 June. Another drive through Connemara (Cong, Lough Nafooey, Leenane, Doo Lough, Westport, back to Galway. (I thought there was so much to see in Connemara I should allow 2 days, but you may have some suggestions.)  Michele's Answer: Galway is a good base. But staying in Connemara is a special experience. You could spend two days in Clifden or Roundstone instead.

Wed 23 June. Drive to Shannon. (About how long would this take?) Bunratty Castle and folk park, medieval banquet. Night in Shannon. Michele's Answer: From Galway to Shannon is about 1 1/2 hours. An easy drive and a fun way to end your trip.

Thurs 24 June. Fly home.

You have designed a very nice trip. Since you are staying in Dublin over a Bank Holiday, you will want to make reservations ASAP. And now that your itinerary is set, you might as well reserve your other accommodations too.

We would love to hear how it all goes when you return. Enjoy your trip!

Michele



Carolyn
Unregistered User
(1/31/04 10:49 pm)

Re: Planning Our Trip in June

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Thanks so much for your advice, Michelle! I especially appreciated your suggestion to go to the Blasket Center before the boat trip. I guess I underestimated how long the boat trip might take--do you know how long I should plan on? I will probably be back to you with more questions.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2095
(2/1/04 2:05 am)
 
Re: Planning Our Trip in June

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Hi Carolyn,

Try these links for your trip to the Blasket Islands. They are dependent on weather. How much time you spend on the island is up to you. But I'm sure you will be there for a couple of hours. There are also boat trips that just circle the islands but if you are going out there why not see Great Blasket?

www.greatblasketisland.com/
www.kerryweb.ie/destinati...asket.html

Michele