I'm planning a trip to Ireland sometime this year, probably in late April/early May, with my mother and my brother. After doing some reading and browsing the forum here, I'm thinking of wandering around the southwest region, mostly County Kerry and County Cork. We'll be renting a car for the trip.
Mostly what I'm looking for are smaller towns, beautiful scenery, and plenty of time to relax, have some pints, and explore the countryside a bit. Not really looking for big cities or extremely touristy stuff.
The rather vague plan I had in mind was something like:
- Fly into Cork, stay one night in or near the city to sleep off the jet lag.
- Drive to Dingle, stay 3-4 nights there and explore the peninsula.
- Drive to Killarney or Kenmare, stay a few nights.
- Drive the Beara Peninsula and maybe stay somewhere along it for two or three nights (maybe somewhere by Castletownbere; any good B&Bs around there?)
- Drive to Castletownshend and stay a couple of nights at Castle Townshend (probably have to reserve this ahead of time since they only have a handful of rooms).
- Drive back to Cork and fly home.
Other than Castletownshend and maybe Dingle it's probably going to be a more spontaneous sort of trip; I was planning to reserve lodging and such as I went (that should still be doable in late April/early May, right?). Definitely doing small B&Bs as opposed to big hotels, and staying at least a couple of nights in each place we stop.
Any suggestions for sights to see (museums and historic sites are always cool, and I'd love to see a castle or two), places to stay, good pubs and restaurants, or other destinations would be welcome. Dingle and Castle Townshend are the only must-dos on my list (assuming I can book the latter at all, of course). I'd prefer to keep the long-distance driving to a minimum, so stuff around the southwest area would be best. I also ordered a copy of Michele's book, so I'm sure that will point me towards some good stuff once I get it.
Thanks, and hopefully I'll have lots of nice pictures for y'all in a few months!
Welcome to my forum. A couple of things to consider this year for late April and early May are some important dates. Easter is very late this year - on April 24. It is a popular time for Irish families to travel and popular places can be booked from Good Friday right through to Easter Monday. The first Monday in May is a Bank Holiday. April 29, 30 & May 1 will be heavily booked in many places. Other than that, you should be okay with "winging it".
Your plans are a bit scattered right now but my book and the forum will help you consolidate your thoughts and prepare a good plan. Plus my book will fill in all the details you asked about such as museums, castles, restaurants, pubs, etc.
Where are you flying into Cork from? Since you are interested in Kenmare and Beara, I suggest spending a few days in Kenmare itself and doing day trips around the area including the Beara Peninsula. It is a great base for that and my favorite small town in Ireland.
As for Castletownshend, it is a very tiny village. I have visited Castle Townshend before and had a look around. It is not a place I would stay or recommend. But if you don't have high expectations it might suit you. You can read some reviews here. If you are looking for a castle accommodation in the SW you might look at Ballyseede or Waterford Castles instead.
We've got our trip all planned out now. Since I'll be traveling with my mom and my brother and we want separate rooms, I decided to go ahead and book lodging ahead of time. We'll be going for the middle two weeks in May. Here's our itenerary:
May 9th: Fly into Shannon around 9AM, pick up rental car, drive to Dingle.
Nights of May 9th, 10th, 11th: Staying in Dingle at Harbour Nights: https://www.dinglebandb.com
Nights of May 12th-May 15th: Staying in Kinsale at Friar's Lodge: http://www.friars-lodge.com
Nights of May 16th-May 17th: Staying in Waterford at Waterford Castle: http://www.waterfordcastle.com
Night of May 22nd: Staying at the Oak Wood Arms Hotel in Shannon (not very exciting, but close to the airport for our morning flight home): http://www.oakwoodarms.com/
My brother is only coming for the first week and wanted to see a few things in Cork City, so that's why we're doing Kinsale instead of Kenmare.
For sightseeing, we're definitely going to do the Slea Head drive by Dingle and see the sights along there, see the Saint Fin Barre's and the St. Mary's and St Anne's cathedrals in Cork, and go to the Rock of Cashel and the town and castle in Cahir while in Kilkenny. I was also thinking of taking the boat to Great Blasket Island; it'd probably just be my brother and I if we do, though, since my mom doesn't do so well with boats. And of course we'll have plenty of time to explore and see all the in-town sights in Dingle, Kinsale, and Kilkenny. Haven't looked real hard at what there is to do in Waterford yet, but we'll have a day there to explore.
Any other suggestions for stuff to see around those towns, or in between (all our drives will be a few hours or less so there would be time for a detour or two)?
Oh, and we're most emphatically not going to kiss the Blarney stone! :)
Dingle: Before going to the Blasket Islands I suggest a visit to the Blasket Island Center. It will give you a well-rounded view of the lost way of life on the islands. You might want to pick up some books written by the islanders before hand.
Dingle to Kinsale: You could spend a good portion of the day sightseeing in Killarney. Muckross House & Gardens, Muckross Abbey, Torc Waterfall, Ross Castle, Killarney National Park.
Kinsale: See the two forts - Charles Fort & James Fort (across the bridge). Walking tour, boat tour, Old Head, Queenstown Immigration Museum in Cobh (ferry), coast of West Cork. The grounds at Blarney Castle are lovely so keep it in mind even if you aren't in a stone-kissing mood. Cork City Gaol is worth a look.
Kinsale to Waterford: Copper Coast Drive, beaches & coves along the way, Barryscourt Castle, Fota Gardens.
Waterford: Waterford Treasures Museum, House of Waterford Crystal, Reginald's Tower, Dunmore East (cute town with thatched houses), Hook Head Lighthouse, Kilmore Quay (cute town with thatched houses), Tintern Abbey.
Kilkenny: Walking tour of the city, Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice's Cathedral, Black Abbey, R700 scenic drive, Kells Priory, Jerpoint Abbey, Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle, Swiss Cottage.
There is plenty to keep you busy in your home bases. Hope you have a great trip. Will you let us know how it goes when you get back? We would love to hear about it.
Hi there ,I am planning a trip to Ireland for the first time with my wife and my mother. This is a very special trip for us because my mother's granfather was originally from Ireland , the 3 of us are from Uruguay (South America) but my wife and i live in the Netherlands , next april is my mother coming from Uruguay for Holydays and we are going to be in Ireland and Isle of Man between the 2 of april and the 10. The reason why i am writing you is becouse in order to really enjoy this trip we would like to rent a car(in Ireland). The problem that we are facing is that i do have a driver's lincense but i dont have a credit card , we do have my mother's credit card or otherwise cash. So basically i was wondering if you or anyone knows from a car rental company that does not care about the fact of who's the credit card holder as long as there is a credit card to show , you know what i mean? We are really really really looking forward for this trip ,and i am just dying to see the irish countryside and visit villages in the middle of nowhere and of course ancient Celtic ruins. We thank you so much for your time and we are all looking forwaard for an answer Greetings, Federico , Virginia(Wife)and Virginia (mother)
Welcome to my forum. A car in Ireland must be rented in the name of the credit card holder. Cash is not accepted. Your mother can rent the car in her name and you can be added as a driver. It will cost more to add another driver. You may add as many drivers as you want. That is your way around the problem.
I would check the car hire conditions regarding use of your Mothers credit card, I would imagine as Michele has said that your mother would have to be listed as the main driver with you as the additional driver. Contact your chosen hire company by email and take a hard copy of their response with you just to prevent problems at the collection desk. http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/motoring/renting_a_car.html
-- Edited by tony2phones on Friday 25th of February 2011 09:31:45 AM
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Two rules for Ireland, Take your time & bring a sense of humour
No problem posting here. All that matters is that you got the answers you needed. As Tony says it is always a good idea to check all the details. All the car rental companies I know of in Ireland will simply make your mother the main driver with you added on.
Sounds like you've planned a really lovely first trip to Ireland! May is one of our favorite times to visit (May/June), because the days are getting longer, and there is a decent chance that it won't be raining day... ;
As Michele said, even if you don't care for the Blarney Stone itself (and I, personally, have not participated in the ritual, because I think it's fodder for tourists) , the grounds at Blarney Castle are fascinating and really fun to spend a couple of hours puttering around. Some of the more interesting tidbits - IMO - on the grounds: the Badger Cave, the Dungeon, the Rock Close, the Witch Stone, the Wishing Steps, and the Lake (see http://www.blarneycastle.com/attractions). There is also Blarney House a few hundred yards from the castle - a structure which I find more interesting than the shell of a tower where the Stone is. There are tours of the house, but I think they're only available in June, July, and August. But there's so much else to see in the gardens and grounds!
And, if you're in the mood to do some souvenir shopping, the big Blarney Woolen Mills complex is right across the road... :)