Jeff and Deb
Unregistered User
(2/8/04 12:51 pm)

trip to Ireland..

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We are planning a trip to Ireland in May. We are doing a self-guided tour and would like to know if the itinerary is feasible.

Day One. Arrive in Dublin. (Stay in a Hotel in Dublin) Tour Dublin.
Day Two. Leave Dublin after breakfast and visit Newgrange. Drive to Donegal.
Day Three. Tour Donegal. Belleek Factory.
Day Four. Leave Donegal. Drive to Galway. Tour Galway.
Day Five. Leave Galway. Tour Cliffs of Mohar, the Burren, etc. Continue on to Kilarney.
Day Six. Tour Kilarney.
Day Seven. Leave Kilarney. Ring of Kerry. Drive to Cork.
Day Eight and Nine. Tour Cork. Blarney Castle. Pub Crawl and visit Waterford.
Day Ten. Leave for Home. (Shannon or Dublin?)


If you have suggestions on B&B's and Car Rentals, please advise. We are interested in staying at a castle or doing a Medieval Banquet at Bunratty or any other place similar along our route. Please advise on this.
Thank you for reviewing our itinerary.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2123
(2/8/04 11:42 pm)

Ireland Trip

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Hi Jeff and Deb,

Your itinerary has lots and lots of driving with little time to actually see things. Given the amount of time you will be there, I would suggest cutting out some of the things that are at the bottom of your "must see" list. Unless you want a trip where you are rushing from one place to another.

See my "Car Rental" page for that. For great B&Bs see my "Lodgings" page or take a look to see if my book might be just what you need: www.irelandyes.com/book.html

Michele

jeff and deb
Unregistered User
(2/9/04 12:18 am)

trip to ireland

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Michele, We have never been to Ireland before. This is a birthday present for my Mom. She is 72 and always said the only way she would make it to Ireland is when she dies and her castle would be over Ireland.
We have researched and worked and re-worked itineraries for this vacation. I am excited but feeling frustrated. Thank you for your response. I will work on cutting down on the travel time.
Have a great nite! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Deb

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2126
(2/9/04 12:46 am)

Consider Your Mother

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Hi Deb,

Since your mother is 72 you will definitely want to slow things down. Jet-lag on the first day will be her worst problem. She may just be too tired to even see Dublin. I know because I took my active mother (in her 70s) to Ireland a few years ago. The first two days she did nothing but sleep.

Try for 2 & 3 night stays wherever possible.

Michele

Anita
Unregistered User
(2/9/04 1:27 am)

My suggestion

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When I arrived in Dublin I did almost no sightseeing on the first day. I was too tired. Instead I just tried to get my bearings and find food. I also wanted to see things like the Beleek factory and Waterford Crystal, but I ended up not seeing either because they were really off the beaten track of most of the other things I wanted to see. What you will end up doing if you want to go to Beleek is you will miss a lot of other sights because you will spend a day getting to and from the Beleek factory. You can find Beleek and Waterford Crystal all over the country. My suggestion to you is the same as Michele: try and spend two or three nights in each town. I would suggest you spend the first two nights in Dublin if you want to see some of the city. You won't see much on the first day, and on the second day you could do a hop-on hop-off bus tour. Then head to Galway and spend a couple of nights, from there you can see the Connemara region, or Aran Islands. From Galway head south, stop at the cliffs on the way to Killarney and spend two or three nights in Killarney. Lots to see from there including the park, Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula. From Killarney go back and spend your last night in Limerick or nearby in order to do the banquet. The day you fly out you probably won't do much, if any, touring as you will be too worried about when your flight leaves, packing etc. It's smart to fly in to one city, and out of another as you don't waste time back-tracking to catch your flight home. I did not miss touring the factories in the end, but I plan to go back. There is a crystal factory in Galway you could tour if it is really important to you.

DarrenA
Registered User
Posts: 52
(2/9/04 7:20 am)

Point

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The problem isn't that the Belleek factory is off the beaten path from Donegal (bearing in mind it's almost *in* Donegal), but that Donegal is off the beaten track from Dublin.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2129
(2/9/04 11:33 pm)
 
Re: Point

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Hi Deb,

Anita has given you some good advice. Darren also has a point. Cutting Donegal from the trip will give you much more time elsewhere. Think about it.

Michele


jeff and deb
Unregistered User
(2/10/04 12:02 am)

trip to ireland

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Cutting Donegal is going to be difficult. That is one place my Mom really wants to go. But there is so much to see and do elsewhere. We are considering enlisting your professional guidance as I am going blind from reading a computer screen.
It is wonderful to have so many people provide feedback. It has helped us a lot! We want to have a great trip and LIVE to tell about it.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2135
(2/10/04 12:09 am)

Re: trip to ireland

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Hi Jeff & Deb,

Well, if Donegal is on your mother's "must see" list the thing to do is cut out something else instead. I agree that planning an itinerary can be a challenge but it can definitely be done to please everyone. It is just a matter of a delicate balancing act and putting the puzzle together in the right way.

Michele

Anita
Unregistered User
(2/10/04 12:33 pm)
 
Stay north?

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If you really must go to the Beleek factory then I suggest you make this trip a tour of mostly northern points. Again, spend a couple nights in Dublin and then head to Galway. You can use Galway as a base to see the cliffs, tour Galway crystal, and maybe do the banquet at Dunghaire castle, then head to Donegal, touring the Connemara region on the way. From Donegal stay north and maybe go to Derry then continue on to the Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle. You could end up in Belfast for a couple nights and fly out of Belfast. The Glens of Antrim and the drive along the coast are beautiful, and There is a lot to see and do in and around Belfast. The thing is that the tour of the Beleek factory is probably not much more than an hour long (my cousin said it was 'neat', but enjoyed other places much more) and you may not be able to coordinate its open hours with your arrival. You don't want to end up planning your whole trip around this one sight.

jeff and deb
Unregistered User
(2/10/04 7:25 pm)

trip to ireland

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Okay. We have revamped our itinerary.
Here we go.
May 18th Day 1. Arrive in Dublin at 6:30am. (1st nite in Dublin)
Day 2. Tour Dublin. Spend nite in Dublin
Day 3. Drive to Donegal. Stop at Newgrange and any other sites that catch our attention. (138 miles) Any idea how long this will take to drive?
Day 4. Tour Donegal. Spend nite in Donegal.
Day 5 - Day 10. Here is the rough part. The drive from Donegal to Co. Limerick.(184 miles) (hoping to stay in Adare for remainder of trip and do day trips to: Cliffs of Moher, Burrens, Blarney Castle, Bunratty Castle for the banquet, etc.
May 28th - Leave from Shannon.

So? What do you think? We realize the ride from Donegal to Adare is going to be a long one. How long do you think this will take? We are figuring a day trip on the road.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2139
(2/12/04 12:01 am)
 
Re: trip to ireland

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Hi Jeff & Deb,

It is looking better. However, I would take one of your days from Adare and add it in between so that you don't have such a long drive from Donegal to Adare. Drive time from Donegal town to Adare (without stops and approximate) is probably 5-6 hours.

Michele

wojazz3
Registered User
Posts: 362
(2/12/04 5:39 pm)

Re: trip to Ireland..

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Here is a shot in the dark at a plan that may make driving better. Adare is a cute town but takes some shots for being too touristy. I would pick some places a little more convenient to where you want to tour.

1.Dublin – You need to make reservations right away. Dublin can fill up fast.
2.Dublin
3.Donegal – The drive to here will be long. Get a very early start. The stop at Newgrange could be a long one depending on the number of people waiting to take the tour.
4.Donegal – Lots to see in the area.
5.Westport – Nice town, beautiful area and some very scenic drive options to the next night
6.Galway – You don’t have to stay in the city, though you could. There is a Jury’s that is very conveniently located. The next day you could drive south pass the Cliffs of Moher, take the ferry at Killimer and overnight between the two peninsulas
7.Somewhere like Kilorglin. This puts you right between Dingle and Ring of Kerry and gives you some options. As for Blarney Castle, you might consider other options. I’ve never wandered up to the stone, but I understand the climb up the stairs is a bit treacherous and of all the things not to do in Ireland, this would probably be at the top of my list.
8.Kilorglin
9.Kilorglin
10.Bunratty – Do the Castle banquet on your last night. Again, make reservations now.

Bill