Registered User
Posts: 1
(1/22/04 2:23 pm)

May Itinerary

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Hi!
I find your discussion board and am so happy to find a place to help with planning!
We are traveling to Ireland May 20-31. There are two couples, our friends from NJ are meeting us in Baltimore (we can leave our cars at my brother's house...save on parking). My husband and I live in NC, so we had to choose between flying with lots of connections, or just driving to a central location.
Anyway, I digress. We will be flying in to Dublin, where we have reservations for two nights at Central Hotel. Then we'll pick up our car rental and head south. We'd like to get to Waterford, maybe via Cashel and tour the crystal factory. Then head to Cork/Kinsale for a night, possbly two. From there we'd like to spend a couple of days in Kerry, stop a night in Dingle (where my grandma is from)then finally head to the Galway area. We plan on being back down to Bunratty the night before we leave from Shannon.
Does all this sound too rushed? It's our first trip, so much to see, so little time!
Of course I only found this board AFTER I had already made reservations. But I'm actually okay with that. The package through Aer Lingus was reasonable, I think on our next trip I will feel more confident to book everything separately.
Looking forward to your replys...there is a wealth in infromation here!

Loretta

wojazz3
Registered User
Posts: 350
(1/22/04 4:40 pm)

Re: May Itinerary

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Hi Loretta:

Your schedule doesn't sound too rushed though going to Waterford via Cashel is a bit out of the way. If you are a huge fan of Waterford Crystal, then you should go to the factory. The tour is interesting, but in my mind not something I would go out of my way for. Ireland has a number of fine crystals and connoisseurs will tell you the Waterford is not the best. There is fine crystal to be had from Kinsale, Dingle and Galway crystal. I liked what I saw of Tipperary Crystal also. Waterford can be bought all over Ireland for no more than you would pay at the factory. The town itself is not much to write home about, so my suggestion is usually to head elsewhere unless you are on a Waterford pilgrimage.

What I am trying to say in that lengthy diatribe is that I would prefer to go to the Cashel/Cahir area, see the Rock and Cahir Castle and spend the night there. From there, head to Kinsale. Cork is a large city, but isn't a favorite of tourists. It's confusing to drive in and Kinsale, though crowded at times, will provide every comfort a traveler would need. It is loaded with fine restaurants and great places to stay.

Everything else from here is a matter of personal taste. From what I can tell from the math, this is your draft itinerary:
May 20: Fly
May 21: Dublin
May 22: Dublin
May 23: Waterford (already went into that)
May 24: Kinsale
May 25: Kerry (I like Kenmare as a place to stay)
May 26: Kerry
May 27: Dingle
May 28: Galway
May 29: Galway
May 30: Bunratty
May 31: Fly

That is doable, and would give you the option of seeing some of the Connemara, but represents a lot of time in the car. The drive from Dingle to Galway is substantial. I prefer countryside to cities, so I might do things differently than that. I’d probably add a day to Dingle and remove Galway. But that’s me. If you’re looking for a buzzing small city, Galway is great.

Bill

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2066
(1/23/04 2:24 am)
 
Re: May Itinerary

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Hi Loretta,

Welcome to my forum. I, too, am glad you found it and look forward to helping you plan your trip. Great advice so far from Bill (as usual). I also agree with his assessment of Waterford vs Cashel/Cahir. If Waterford is on your "must see" list it might be best to skip Cahir and Cashel, perhaps spending the night in Tramore or Dungarvan along the south coast. If you decide to skip Waterford you can visit Galway Crystal Factory to see the glass-making process.

On the whole, your itinerary looks pretty good. You will love May in Ireland!

Michele

nicurnc
Registered User
Posts: 2
(1/23/04 4:10 pm)

Re: May Itinerary

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Thank you for the quick replies!
Factory visiting seems to be a must-see for my girlfriend who collects Waterford and Beleek. She just wants to "buzz over" to the Beleek factory from Galway
I actually have several pieces of crystal my mom got ( I think in Tipperary) that are gorgeous. My husband and I would just enjoy seeing the glass-blowing process. I don't want to fell toured-out...we've done tours in lots of American cities, and sometimes the "witty banter" of the guides starts to all sound the same.
I think we are just going to have to have another trip to see more of the country.

I have our first and last nights planned. How far in advance do we need to worry about the nights in between?


Loretta
Loretta

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2070
(1/23/04 11:35 pm)

Re: May Itinerary

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Hi Loretta,

Buzz over to Belleek from Galway? It will be at least three hours or more each way (probably more). Also, if Bill's rundown of your itinerary is correct that means going to Belleek on a Saturday. Right? Tours of the factory are not available in May on Saturdays. See this web site for info: www.belleek.ie You can, of course, visit the showroom and buy Belleek on Saturday but the prices are in pounds sterling and it might actually cost less in the Republic of Ireland using euros. Belleek China is available all over Ireland not just the factory. Definitely re-think this one. Tell your girlfriend that you will just do Waterford and Belleek is too far to go. That is a good compromise. She can shop for Belleek at Blarney Woolen Mills.

As for reservations, make Dublin reservations ASAP. You will also be staying in some popular areas such as Kinsale, Dingle and Galway. If you plan on winging it you can probably find something. But who wants to spend time doing that when you could be sightseeing instead? Who wants the left over B&Bs once the good ones are booked up? Besides, you need two rooms which might be harder to come by than just one. Once you get your itinerary made, make your reservations. It will save your sanity.

Michele

nicurnc
Registered User
Posts: 2
(1/24/04 4:25 pm)

Re: May Itinerary

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Hi Michelle,
I am the compulsive planner, so arranging where to stay in advance is in my nature...but the other couple doesn't want to be tied to a schedule. They want to be able to spend more time in an area if we really like it. I feel like to even see what we've already sketched out we're spead pretty thin. And I hate thinking we'll be phoning place after place trying to rest our weary heads

Loretta

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2073
(1/24/04 6:33 pm)

Different Travel Styles

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Hi Loretta,

The end of May is very popular in Ireland. Since you are going to be in Galway over a weekend, definite reservations should be made there. Also for Dublin, which I mentioned before. I agree completely that with what you have planned having reservations for lodgings is important. However, it seems that you and the other couple have completely different traveling styles. Why not toss a coin to see which way you will travel?

Michele

nicurnc
Registered User
Posts: 2
(2/1/04 10:10 pm)

Re: Different Travel Styles

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Not sure we'll need to toss a coin, I think I will just tell them what you've told me. Not having a place to stay after a day of driving won't be fun for anyone

Loretta

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2098
(2/2/04 9:36 pm)

Re: Different Travel Styles

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Hi Loretta,

Print this page and give it to your friends. Having reservations will make your trip much, much easier. Let us know how it goes when you get back.

Michele