tony2phones:  Well Tony that's a very unique offer...it might just be far too memorable, even in my wildest imagination!  

Yes I'm still considering Ennis. I've always wanted to experience Ennis...it sounds like a "real" Irish town that isn't entirely dependent on the tourist dollar, which is part of its appeal. I'd especially fall in love with Ennis if we heard good Trad music there. The Old Ground hotel actually sounds appealing and Michele says they have King beds. Hotels can go one way or the other...you can get lucky and it can be quiet...or you can get unlucky and there can be a noisy event or just some noisy guests having their own party.

This is only a 1-night stay so if we can't get a King bed we might settle for 2 beds. 

Melissa,

If you are considering venturing as far as Salthill, might I suggest traveling a wee bit further and staying a Tuar Beg? The Feeney family has been hosting guests for over thirty years. Siobhan is a doll and Eammon is quite the charmer.  The house has been built up and add onto from the existing structue which was a stone built thatchie.

Slan Beo,

Bit

CowboyCraic: Thanks very much for recommending the atmospheric Tuar Beag, a home with lots of history. I came across it along with many others on tripadvisor, but I always prefer to have a personal recommendation from someone that I "know" on the forums. When was your stay there, and do you recall which room you had? If we decide to stay there, do you think a light sleeper like me would find it quietest upstairs?

Ever since we decided to visit Connemara, I have been trying to figure out the best way to have an encounter with the "heart" of the Gaeltacht. This desire is difficult to translate into a question on the forums. It is also difficult to learn too much from the tripadvisor reviews in this case, because I think some of those travelers didn't have an accurate idea of what type of accommodation they were booking, and therefore they had unrealistic expectations.

We are spending several nights in Clifden, in order to be able to walk to the musical pubs and various events of Clifden Arts Week. But Clifden isn't quite close enough to the Gaeltacht areas near Spiddal...and I was hoping we would get lucky and hear some good Irish Trad music in some of the little pubs in the smaller villages. I don't speak a word of Irish Gaelic but I love to hear it spoken and sung.  

Melissa,

We stayed there in 2005. As I recall, we had a room upstairs and to the back of the house and it is was quiet and comfortable. The house itself exudes a quite calm and lots of good energies. If memory also serves, both Siobhan and Eamonn are native speakers. They will be able to point you to a good Gaeltacht pub, to be sure.

If, when, we go back next May, Tuar Beg is one of our stays, as it is close to the Ferry port for Inis Mor. 

tony2phones: The interesting thing about Ennis is that since it's bigger, there are probably pubs with trad music every night...and also there is the concert hall Glor, Custy's music shop, and possibly something at coisnahabhna.ie, maybe performing arts in the local Hall in Ennis. A bigger town like Ennis has lots of exciting possibilities when it comes to music and entertainment. On the other hand Frommers guidebook complains about exhaust fumes and traffic, reminding me it's a big city.

You and CowboyCraic have both stayed in Tuar Beag in Spiddal and recommend it, which says a lot to me, as I value your opinions.  It looks like just the sort of place my husband and I enjoy. I am curious about why another place gets more publicity in the guidebooks...that would be Cloch na Scith in Kellough, Spiddal, with owners Nancy Hopkins-Naughton and Tomas Naughton. It also looks interesting as well. www.thatchcottage.com . They both look like the kind of places we like.

I find myself hungry to explore the west of Ireland...I can't get enough of it. I want to see even more of the west of IReland when we take future trips! I mean the whole west...NW, mid-West, SW, etc.

Killaloe is looking interesting as well as I am learning a little more about it. But I'm not sure what accommodations are there. It sounds like a scenic area, and does have some pubs with music...and a bit off the typical tourist trail.

thanks for the advice and for listening to my slightly obsessive ramblings about every possible place to stay in IReland!

Melissa,

You provide the bonfire. I will provide the marshmallows, graham crackers and hershey bars! We can have an irregulars sing-along and trade travel stories! Now that sounds like mighty craic!

I do agree with Tony on Ennis. It gets some bad press. I am not sure why that is, as I think there are many other towns that would rate hire in the car pollution and congestion category. I am not a big town enthusiast but I love Ennis. It has a lotto offer and is very walkable.

I still stand by Tuar Beg though. Unlike Tony, I hear more native language than I do English when I am in the area. One night will just whet your appetite and bring you back again. I am slowly getting better at my pronunciations. I am shy to speak with native speakers. When I do, they are very encouraging. One said that it was good that "outsiders" are learning the language that way it won't die. Rosetta Stone has a great Irish language program. I have also used Pimsluer's Irish and found it to be very useful. It isn't impossible to learn from a CD, IF you have someone to practice with in real time. I am lucky there in that I have FLANO and his son with whom I practice. FLANO is a language guy, as well. It was his speciality in the military. We have talked about doing an immersion week on Inis Mor. I think that would be a blast, exhausting yes but still fun!

As to why Tuar Beg isn't as well touted in guide books, I can only hazard to guess that they have enough business via satisfied former guests and word of mouth. As Tony said, they have been in business a long time without need of Guide book promotion. Nancy's place is lovely, as well. I stayed there in 2006 with my crew, in the cottage. As you have noticed, I like to stay in unique lodgings whenever possible. What I noticed at Nancy's Thatchie was the other guests were European. Nancy said that she gets a larger volume of European guests over American or Canadian guests.

CowboyCraic, Michele, and tony2phones:  Yay I've lit the bonfire...party time! Everybody is welcome to throw any frustrating guidebooks on the pile! Looks like I'm on a beach in the wilds of Connemara...toasting marshmellows with the irregulars... Uh-oh...Ouch...I'm burning my fingers because Michele said she was going to throw her guidebook onto the pile so I had to rescue it...Michele, we have to save at least one guidebook! Yours is a joy to read. You are only 20 more vacations away from adding glorious new discoveries to your already fat and juicy guidebook!

Michele: Thanks for including the list of towns in both Irish and English in your book! That will come in very handy.

CowboyCraic: OH thanks for the tip about the Rosetta Stone having a good Irish language program, and Pimsluers Irish. I will check those out. Whichever CD I had bought, it was really unintelligible. I soon gave up. I couldn't even understand what was being said.  I'm delighted that you like to stay in unique lodgings. I always like to toss at least 1 or 2 unique lodging into each trip...a homey local place with character. 

Michele: As you know my recipe for a successful trip always includes some pampering as well...I like to add some of your recommended guesthouses which offer a bit of pampering and luxuries as well.  Part of the reason that I chose Ireland for this year's international vacation destination is that I was too over-stressed to plan a vacation and yet compelled to do my usual style of obsessive planning. Then I realized that you and your guidebook and your web-site were just the travel therapy that I needed! Thanks for being there, Michele, for all of us zealous over--planners. I am GLORIOUSLY looking forward to being spoiled at breakfast-time every single day on vacation! I LOVE guesthouses and b&bs with a tasty breakfast.

As for my original question posted here...hmmm...I'm leaning towards the extra night in Spiddal. But Ennis is tempting...let's look into that bonfire and see if the Frommers guidebook is toasty yet. Tuar Beag is beckoning...

Michele: At least I am enjoying learning so much about different areas of Ireland! Armchair travel, ah, that's the life. 

It turns out that Tuar Beag in Spiddal is full for the night that I wanted. Might have to save that one for a future trip. 

I also emailed Petra House B&B in Galway but they were full as well. They are currently #1 on tripadvisor which isn't always accurate...but in this case, I do trust many of their reviewers as they are experienced travelers. However they are full too. I thought Galway would be good for music.

Just to throw in another perspective...my husband says that if I make him stop somewhere just for 1 night, he wants it to be somewhere scenic where he can enjoy some outdoor nature walks. (Assuming it's not raining!)

Of course since this stopover is meant to rest my hip we will want to park the car and do a lot of walking, NOT more driving. So...Ennis is still on the table but I don't think they have nature walks from town...but they do have music.

What about DOOLIN? It seems to me that the music in Doolin could easily be too touristy for us. But...isn't Doolin near some scenic coastal walks? We have seen the Cliffs of Moher, but have never walked to the Cliffs of Moher from Doolin...we drove to the Cliffs of Moher last time.

There's COROFIN in the Burren...but I'm wondering if there is anything growing on the Burren in September? (Last time we saw the Burren in June/July. There were flowers.)

LISDOONVARNA has the matchmaker festival through most of September. Seems there is music and dancing every day. That could be fun...sometimes we like lively events...but maybe it's too touristy and noisy? Also the accommodations might possibly be booked up already.

I may be at the point where it's time to email many places at once, and take the one that has a room available!

Kenmare to Ennis, Ennis to Clifden. you will get into town for 6pm and leave @ 9am so there is a park in town to wander around, there is hardly time to do a route march eat a meal and have a full night of music. Ennis is a safe place to wander around town down the streets, by the river and 5 minutes out from town in the car gets you into the county anyway. You have less than 8 weeks before you arrive, asking the same questions on multiple sites is far too stressful. I mean this in the nicest possible way... Get it sorted and then you can RELAX.

http://www.ennistowncouncil.ie/sportsleisure/leesroad.html

http://www.enniswalkingtours.com/index.htm

My favorite Ennis lodgings is still NewPark House , close enough to Ennis to enjoy the pubs and such and yet out enough to be quiet.  bernie is an awesome host and the breakfasts are delicious.

CowboyCraic: Cool! Thanks for sharing that you enjoyed your stay at Newpark House. I saw the reviews on tripadvisor but it is always important to me to get a recommendation from a "known" source...someone like you whom I know is a real traveller and I know something about your travel style.

I find it interesting that a lot of you experienced Ireland travelers seem to have enjoyed staying in Ennis.

We are staying at the cozy Fergus View in Kilnaboy, Corofin, County Clare! www.fergusview.com  My biologist husband is looking forward to a walk on the Burren. Hopefully the weather will allow for a walk! 

I have had my eye on Fergus View as a unique and authentically Irish place to stay since 2004 when I planned our first trip to Ireland. But I think they were booked at that time.

There are helpful reviews on tripadvisor.com if anybody is curious about Fergus View. Some of the reviews are quite descriptive and detailed which is helpful. Yes, I read them all! I believe they also have a self-catering cottage which sleeps up to 5 people...I think I saw one on their web-site. But we are in the main house.

Maybe we will stop in Ennis enroute from Kenmare to Fergus View in Kilnaboy, Corofin. On the other hand, my husband will probably want to hurry over to The Burren so he has time for a good walk. 

Michele, thanks for all those links as we have learned that even though there are more flowers in May, there is still some flora blooming on the burren in September.

THANK YOU EVERYONE for the armchair tour of all the unique accommodations in Ireland between Kenmare and Clifden! I have enjoyed every minute of it and you all have given me ideas for the NEXT trip!