Misc. questions regarding our trip

tony2phones · Guru

Misc. questions regarding our trip

Irishfun13 · Newbie

Hello all, I just have a few questions regarding our upcoming trip 03/15 to 03/27. We will be in Dublin for 5 days and then on to County Kerry for 7 days. There will be 7 in our group total w/ two rental cars. Here are the questions:

1. Two people in our group are smokers. I understand that you can not smoke in bars or restaurants but is it acceptable to smoke on the street?

2. My mother has acquired a taste for "Black and Tans" but I have read on other blogs that ordering this drink can be very offensive in certain parts of ireland. Can you give me any information on this as I do not want to offend anyone while there.

3. When traveling from Dublin to our house in Mill Town County Kerry, we would like to stop at the Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle. This means all of our belongings / luggage will be in the cars while we visit the sites. Do you think this will be a problem with thieves?

4. We are staying in Mill Town near Killarney. Once we check out, I would like to drive to the Cliffs of Moher and then on to our hotel in Bunratty. My question is will we have time to drive and check out the Cliffs of Moher and then make it to Bunratty for the Medieval Banquet at 5:30 p.m.? (The later one is already booked up that night.)

5. Does anyone have any information on "Skimmers" at ATM machines especially in Dublin? I have heard this has been a problem and we are only taking a small amount of Euro with us and are going to depend on taking money out of ATM's on a daily basis.

Thanks for any info you might be able to provide.

Michele Erdvig · Host

IrishFun,

Welcome. Hope you have a good St. Patrick's Day in Dublin. Do you have your hotel reservations yet? (I hope!)

1. Yes, the smokers can join all the other smokers outside on the street. However, many pubs and restaurants now have dedicated outdoor areas just for smokers. A lot of the areas are covered and some even have outdoor heaters. Just ask when in any establishment where the outside smoking area is.

2. You will not give offense. The pubs will be happy to serve your mother whatever she wants.

3. I have often left my luggage in the car when stopping at the Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle. Try to put it all in the trunk (boot). There is good parking at both. I've not heard of any problems.

4. I suggest taking the ferry across the Shannon and up the coast of Clare to the cliffs. Then you can circle back to Bunratty via Ennis. Provided you depart by about 10 am I think you will have plenty of time.

5. "Skimmers" are a problem throughout the world not just Ireland. I have never encountered one in Ireland. I believe the thing to do is inspect the ATM and if something does not look right walk away and find another. They are plentiful in Ireland.

Michele