Second trip to Ireland.

zcindy · Newbie

Second trip to Ireland.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Cindy,

Welcome to my forum. How nice that you will be visiting Ireland again. Athlone is in the dead center of Ireland. The town is okay and has the infrastructure you want, but I don't consider it Ireland's most attractive town. More of a workaday place.

In the center of Ireland "views" would probably be of rivers or lakes.

Are you going to do a self-catering rental?

Michele

zcindy · Newbie

Thanks for your reply. This maybe me my first question but I spent hour and hours last year reading your information, and it helped with my first trip.
I guess I am leaning toward B&Bs again but I am open. I have been thinking County Offaly because we would like to see Leap Castle since our name is Carroll. I am not sure if we can get permission, I had trouble getting a address to write to them. Anyway, I guessed if I could find ideas this would be the place.

tony2phones · Guru

With a couple of weeks and an interest in a particular area I would be tempted to spend one week self catering and the rest wandering. As to Leap Castle, the owner is notoriously difficult to contact but these sites give contact details for Leap and other points of interest in the Midlands region.

http://www.discoverireland.com/us/ireland-things-to-see-and-do/listings/product/?fid=fi_49116

http://www.midlands.ie/Index.php?Id=464&Page=3

Michele Erdvig · Host

Cindy,

Birr is a nice town.

Michele

stewh · Guru

As Michele says, Birr is a nice small town. Birr Castle Demesne is very nice if you like gardens. The town has everything you need including some great pubs (Craughwells and the Chestnut are both very welcoming). We went by Leap castle about 7 years ago while the owner Sean Ryan was in the midst of major renovations; there was nobody home except a friendly dog. Ryan is a famous musician (whistle player) and a very busy man; I believe he plays often in Galway and you can run into him in a Birr pub. The castle does have a website. Good Luck!!

http://leapcastle.net/

Stewart

P.S. I don't seem to be able to post links since the update. Maybe Firefox browser is not fully supported, no more 'advanced mode'

-- Edited by stewh on Sunday 19th of June 2011 07:17:56 PM

-- Edited by stewh on Sunday 19th of June 2011 07:29:00 PM

-- Edited by stewh on Monday 20th of June 2011 10:19:48 AM

zcindy · Newbie

Thanks for the information!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Stewart,

I'm using Firefox right now. I just clicked the "Advanced Editor" button and am now in the new box. Here is the link: http://leapcastle.net/ Seems you are right that Firefox won't automatically hyperlink.

Now let's try this: http://leapcastle.net/ Okay, that worked. I had to highlight what I wanted hyperlinked, click on the little chain-link icon at the top of the box. Another box pops up and you put the link into the proper place. Click okay and you have the hyperlink.

hmm More cumbersome but it does work.

Michele

stewh · Guru

thanks Michele

Michele Erdvig · Host

Any time Stewart.

tony2phones · Guru

Firefox 4 is a backwards step and I am having to use Google Chrome for some of my online applications. I think it is probably a security thing but would put me off were I a 1st time user. I have though had to use the highlight and link method since my first links on this forum (have used Firefox for the past 10+yrs)

Michele Erdvig · Host

Tony,

I have to use Google Chrome for a lot of websites online. For instance uploading photos to my Zazzle shop only seems to work with Chrome. I still use Internet Explorer a lot since I have all my favorites well-organized in it and they are a mess in the other browsers. Explorer automatically adds the links in the advanced editor box on this forum.

I will send an inquiry to Activeboard (who hosts this forum) and ask them about Firefox and if they have a fix for it. They have always been very responsive to such requests.

Michele