Hi Melissa
You are making things much to difficult.
In Sept everything you need is in Clare and Kerry.
For your husband definately a trip to the Burren. This is a unique limestone area in North Clare with the only other comparable area on the planet in the former yugoslavia.
Matchmaking festival in lisdoonvarna, music in Doolin. Literary culture in listowel, do meet Billy Keane in Keanes pub in Listowel, the son of John B kEANE LEGENDARY iRISH Writer OF The Field, Sive, Many young men of Twenty and many,many more.
There are ancient Oak Woods in Killarney as well as just about everything a tourist needs and while you are there you can call to millstreet for a cup of Tea as well.
Dont make it too complicated and dont be driving for more than 1 hour per day if you can help it
Michael

Melissa,

I remember your planning for last time! I think you hold the all time record for planning and questions on the forum.  

I've looked at your trip reports and came up with a brief overview of your last trip:

After your trip you posted that you would like to do this on the next trip to Ireland:

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Fly into Dublin

DUBLIN OR MALAHIDE: 2 nights

CONNEMARA: 3 nights

DONEGAL OR where?: 3 nights Someplace wild and with some nature for hubby, someplace like in Westport where I might actually hear a woman say to me, "You're American? I haven't met anybody from America here for a while!" Yes, this actually happened to me in Westport in a chocolate shop!

ROCK OF CASHEL: 3 nights (MICHELE, is there enough to do nearby the Rock to warrant a 3-night stay? Perhaps a day-trip?

SOMEPLACE REALLY COOL: 3 nights (This could be a new place or a return visit to the Belfast area where my grandmother lived...)

B&B near Dublin airport: 1 night

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Now you have to decide where to go on this trip.

Since you have already been to Achill Island, I would say skip it this time and choose some of the others on your list. Did you get to Connemara at all on your last visit? Or did you go directly to Westport by another route?

You will get the wide-open lonely places in both Connemara and Donegal, depending on where you stay and go. I also like the Sligo area a lot. It is a place most tourists miss. You drove through on your last trip but I believe you only had a brief stop at Drumcliff.

Derreen Gardens on the Beara Peninsula popped into my mind first thing when you asked about ancient forests. Great minds think alike Stewart!  Some others would be around the Killarney area, Gougane Barra (can do from Kenmare), Cong Woods, Glenveagh, Coole Park (nr. Gort), Kylemore Abbey area, Glendalough area, Kilfane (Kilkenny), Woodstock (Inistioge).  Keeping in mind that a lot of the really old forests were cut down centuries ago.

http://www.woodlandsofireland.com/docs/NWCAbstracts(final-Aug05).pdf

http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/

Since you will probably arrive and depart from Dublin, you can get a jump-start on your trip by going to Kilkenny on your first day and saving your time in Dublin for the end of the trip.

Now you have to sit down with your map and calendar to see where you need to slot things into to accomplish your schedule including the festival in Clifden. Without knowing your exact dates only you can know how to accomplish that.

Michele

Tony,

Thanks for your suggestions for Melissa. Having helped with her last trip to Ireland, I know her style. She will definitely spend 3 or 4 nights in each chosen place. She doesn't like to move on a lot but rather concentrate on each area. Ennis is a good suggestion because of the music pubs there. It might be a substitution if she decided not to stay in Connemara.

Melissa,

You probably need to give your brain a break. Take a week and let everything soak in. Sometimes not thinking about it will make the plan gel.

Michele

stewh: You gave me a chuckle...Yes I was exhausting myself too! I feel a bit better balanced now. Everybody on IrelandYes has been so helpful in a positive way. Thanks for reminding me to enjoy the planning process. When I'm on the fence about something, I like to hear people's opinions. You and Michele have nudged me in the direction of choosing to spend 3 nights in County Donegal (and giving up Achill island), and that's what I'm going to do. Anyway we did see Achill island as a day-trip from Westport, County mayo on the first trip. But have never been to County Donegal.

You had a week in Ardara, County Donegal! How wonderful! The older I get and the more trips I take, our "ideal minimum stay" is getting longer. The more nights you stay someplace special...the more you fall in love with it. It gives you time to get off the beaten path as well. If you had to name 1 favorite experience while you were staying in Ardara, County Donegal, what would you choose?

Since both you and Michele have suggested Derreen gardens on the Beara peninsula for my biologist husband and I, that's a good sign! We loved the Dingle peninsula on our first trip. I think we will enjoy both the Inveragh peninsula and the Beara peninsula. I am puzzled as to why the Beara peninsula seems to have been omitted from Fodors Ireland 2011 guidebook, actually. I'm glad I have Michele's guidebook to Ireland! I wouldn't consider going to Ireland without IrelandYes and Michele Erdvig. 

Thanks for sharing some of your favorite TRAD sessions...which were in unexpected places. I too have heard that some TRAD purists don't consider Bodhran drums acceptable. I agree with you...while I enjoy learning more about Irish traditional music...I do love hearing the bodhran! So far my favorite Irish CDs are by the famous The Chieftains. And they have some great bodhran sounds too! I like to put it on and go bouncing around my kitchen, when I'm cleaning up and cooking!

I confess I have listened to The Chieftains over and over, but don't know a lot of the other Irish music groups. I don't know the Pogues! Now I'm going to have to have a listen to them, since you suggested it.

What I love about the Chieftains is their unfailing sense of timing and rhythym. They always play just right...never too fast, never too slow...it just sounds so exciting, so wonderful, so Irish to me!

Thanks for listening to me. I have enjoyed reading your advice.

 

Michele! Thanks for untangling my brain! You always seem to know when to make a definite suggestion, and when to leave things up to me. Among your list of qualifications, you should add "Travel Therapist". And thanks for the excellent travel links on the web which you post in your replies.

Do I really hold the all-time record for planning & travel questions on the forum?   In that case, I don't think I'm going to be able to break my own record this time.... You helped me to realize that I think I had about 2 years (or at least 1 year) to plan my first trip to Ireland. Now there are 6 months remaining til our second trip to Ireland in September 2011, and I need to just relax and enjoy it, and not try to "cram". Sometimes I need a reminder...vacations are fun, after all!

Thank you for being so kind as to look up my first trip report, which I'm sure was very long-winded! Yes your summary of my first trip sounds familiar. I was fascinated to see what you posted about how I ended my first trip report with a plan for my future second trip to Ireland! I had forgotten all about that! And lo and behold, my preliminary plans for our September 2011 trip are very similar to what I proposed after our first trip!

So basically, the first time around, I didn't just plan 1 trip to Ireland...I planned at least the first 2 trips, maybe even the first 3 trips!

I think your advice is right-on...I will skip Achill island this time, since we did see it as a day-trip from Westport on the first trip.

Yes it's true we never really saw Sligo, just a brief stop to see Yeat's grave, that's all. Also we never got to stop and see Connemara at all...we caught a glimpse of Connemara from the road as we made the long drive enroute to Westport I believe, although I don't recall exactly what route we took...

Thanks very much for the suggestions of places that have a bit of "ancient forest" remaining, or native flora/fauna or old gardens... I know the truly ancient forests have been cut down long ago, but whatever is left to see, my biologist husband will appreciate.

You are right, I do prefer to stay put in each "base" for at least 3 nights. For me, a series of 1- or 2-night stays is just frustrating and stressful. Stays of at least 3 nights are more rewarding for both my husband and I. I might consider having a 4-night stay, followed by a 2-night stay, in some cases. But really 3-night stays are a good minimum for us, when possible.

Thanks, Michele, for putting up with me, understanding me, and giving me such right-on advice!

 

 

Melissa,

I, too, would cast a vote for Ardara. I fell in love with it. It has a very small town feel. They have had some economic issues with the recession, losing two of their major employers there in the past few months. The people are pushing through though and being creative about digging out of the hole.

It will never matter how many times you return, you will feel as if you still have so much more to see. I think the Faeries have mixed in something with the Irish air so that when you take that first breathe, you absorb Ireland into every molecule of your being.

Here are a few photos from around the Ardara area and Sliabh Liag.

Slan Beo,

Bit

 

-- Edited by CowboyCraic on Wednesday 30th of March 2011 04:21:14 PM

That is a familiar road! My B&B was off that road...Asaranca Falls would be across the inlet off the left side. 

-- Edited by CowboyCraic on Wednesday 30th of March 2011 06:53:15 PM

Melissa

I'm hesitant to pick '1 favorite experience' from our time in Ardara. You might want to take a look at my Trip Report "May 2008 in the Northwest". The drives are spectacular - Michele's picks are great. The journey past Mt Errigal to Glenveagh is also breathtaking. There was quite a lot of good music around the pubs while we were there (BTW I think you might check out the Co Donegal band 'Altan' - much more accessible than the Pogues). Someone we met in Boyle talked about the light in Donegal - much favoured by painters and photographers. Great oysters at Nancy's.

Stewart

-- Edited by stewh on Wednesday 30th of March 2011 07:47:06 PM

-- Edited by stewh on Wednesday 30th of March 2011 07:48:34 PM

CowboyCraic: Thanks for sharing the photos of the wildly scenic area near Ardara! My husband and I both agree Ardara & County Donegal have made it into our itinerary... It's not easy to plan a leasurely paced trip for 2 weeks in Ireland when you are trying to get way down south to Kenmare and also way up north to Ardara!

Thanks for all your help and inspiration.  

Melissa,

Glad to hear things are shaping up and coming together for your trip. The B&B in Ardara is a straight shot from town, up a hill. You won't get lost at night! But wait...depends on how many pints you have!

Michele