Westport, County Mayo Accomodations

Michele Erdvig · Host

RE: Westport, County Mayo Accomodations

Melissa5 · Guru

I still like Erdvites, but Michele-ites is good too. We just can't be Michele-ians because it sounds too much like tires.

Michele, you have really got my wheels turning...I am thinking of giving up Dublin, which gives me 2 extra nights to put somewhere in my itinerary.

(Still need 1 night near airport since we fly home out of dublin so can't take all 3 nights away from Dubin!)

The reason I have been considering giving up Dublin is this...I have researched Dublin so thoroughly I feel like I have already been there, on a busy weekend in July, and it was very crowded. I saw some interesting sites but I'm not sure it was worth braving the Dublin summer weekend crowds. Also I did lose some sleep because even our b&b located on a relatively quiet Dublin street got some street noise from merrymakers traveling between night clubs on nearby streets. Also I found Dublin very expensive, shops were over-priced, and even beer cost more. (No, this didn't happen, I haven't been to dublin yet, but I have a big imagination and usually manage to put together a pretty accurate vision of a place before I arrive, just from researching it and reading trip reports!!!)

My conclusion is that Dublin would be nicer in off-season, maybe in September someday hubby and I can return to Ireland, and if we do, we will probably still fly into Shannon and out of Dublin, so we will have another opportunity to see dublin. If hubby doesn't want to return, I will go with one of my daughters or someone else!

So I have to answer this question: If I gain 2 nights by skipping Dublin, which of the following places do I add to my itinerary:

Rock of Cashel;

Antrim Coast & Giant's Causeway & Dunluce Castle

Galway/Connemara (We will already be seeing some of this area since we are staying in Ballyvaughan and Westport, but we could add more nights to the West

Trim Castle and Newgrange

Stopover between Westport and Belfast (County Fermanagh??)

Well those would be the choices, would only be able to choose one, as I only have 2 nights to work with if I don't see Dublin at all.

That's really a separate question but thank you for letting me air it out here!

By the way haven't heard back yet by e-mail from Cillcoman Lodge. Have also realized that if I do manage to switch my itinerary around enough to enable us to be in Westport on weekdays instead of on a weekend, maybe I could manage to sleep in Wesport at the Wyatt, because there won't be weddings in the middle of the week, it is probably more likely to be quiet in the city. But if Westport remains a weekend stop, I would definitely be better off at Cillcoman. Either way Cillcoman would be nice and quiet.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

Your imaginings of Dublin are mostly reality. It is more expensive, very busy and has lots of construction going on. It is going through a building boom now with the Irish prosperity.

If you were to skip Dublin, the Antrim coast is really spectacular. That would be my first choice.

Keep in mind that at this time of year many Irish B&B owners take a vacation to sunny climes. If you don't hear back right away from Cillcoman Lodge, that is probably why. Be patient and send another email in a week or two.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, you are probably right, the folks from Cillcoman are in sunny southern california with me! Or maybe Hawaii...Caribbean...Who knows...

Thanks for your vote on what you would add to my itinerary! I was trying to add the Rock of Cashel but it doesn't fit without totally wrecking my careful plan of being in Dingle town and in County Clare on weekdays instead of weekends. We don't want to be stuck with the weekend crowds at the Cliffs of Moher for example. Tourist places are the same everywhere, always more crowded on the weekend. I live in southern california and we get lots of summer tourists in san diego. Can't go anywhere on the weekend in summer!

I think my daughters would be pleased if I could fit in either the Rock, Dunluce Castle, or Trim Castle. So if we see the Coast of Antrim and the Giant's causeway, maybe Dunluce castle would fit in too...Long drive from Giant's causeway to Dublin though. (Plane leaves from Dublin to fly home.) Well I'll play with the itinerary some more.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

Dunluce Castle is just a few miles from the Giant's Causeway so you can see both. If you take the inland route south through Cookstown & Armagh down to Dublin, it will be faster than the coastal route. You might even fit in Trim Castle or Malahide Castle on that day. Looks like some tinkering is in order.

Michele

P.S. Unless your flight from Dublin leaves very late you will need to overnight nearby.

-- Edited by Michele Erdvig at 23:57, 2005-12-12

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, wow, I just discovered something neat. According to AARoadwatch, the driving time from Westport to Bushmills is about the same as the driving time from Westport to Belfast! Didn't even check the route yet, just the driving time. So I can actually go from Westport up to Bushmills. Visit Dunluce Castle and Giant's Causeway the next day. Spend a 2nd night in Bushmills. Then drive from Bushmills down along the Coast of Antrim to Belfast or Newtownards, spend 2 nights. Then drive down to Dublin airport area from Belfast/Newtownards, it's not such a long drive. We should have time to fit in Trim Castle or Malahide. (We do have 1 night near the Dublin airport before flying home.)

If we want to see Trim Castle, I guess it's better to stay in Trim before flying home, though it's a bit further from the airport than Malahide is. Our flight the next day leaves around 11:30 am. I guess the closer we stay to the airport, the better chance we have to fit in early breakfast at our b&b, if they will feed us early. I suppose Trim Castle is more important than breakfast though... (Well...

on second thought...

)

Let's see, if we're driving south down the coast of Antrim... Do you see any advantage to going down this way as opposed to coming up from the other direction? (On some coasts, one side of the road is definitely better as far as seeing views to best advantage.)

Thanks for all your advice and for listening!

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 04:00, 2005-12-13

oopsy · Senior Member

Hi Melissa,

Perhaps I shouldn't throw another option out to you at this point in your planning, but...

If you have a couple of days to play with, and because you'll be in "the area" (relatively speaking), you might consider parts of County Donegal. The coast is incredibly striking. We stayed a couple of nights in Ardara and one night in Donegal. We had great chats with locals in our evenings in Ardara, saw positively stunning scenery (the best of the trip)...I could go on and on. I'd love to spend a couple of weeks in the area some time!

Happy planning!--oopsy

Melissa5 · Guru

Oopsy, Ah, Ireland calls us here and there and everywhere... I thought I replied to this post, maybe I am just imagining things...

Thanks for your suggestion. So many people have suggested Donegal, I must really add it to my list of places for our second trip, even if it doesn't fit in our first trip!

Melissa5 · Guru

Hi everybody. I took a family vote and was surprised that both daughters AND hubby voted to stay right in Westport town centre, even with the risk of noise and sleepless nights! Hubby thought it would be fun to be convenient to step right out and walk around the town.

I decided to let them win this one, because so far all my other b&bs are nice and quiet. So I think I'll choose either the Wyatt, which is on the Octagon (what is that Michele?), and does have some rooms overlooking the park; or else the Olde Railway, which is old and creaky but has an excellent location and I read that they have a few newer rooms which cost a bit more and are called "superior" and are bigger. So I might go for the superior rooms at the Olde Railway and write ghost stories all night...

Cillcoman hasn't answered yet, so I have no reservations there. I think Michele is probably right, this might be their vacation time.

So, considering I'm staying in Westport town centre, I am also consdering a slight re-arrrangement of nights. What do you all think. Right now I have 3 nights planned for Westport, then 2 nights in Bushmills, Norther Ireland; then 2 nights in Belfast/Newtownards area; then 1 night near Dublin airport. But if we stay only 2 nights in WEstport, I can add 1 more night to the dublin airport area, which gives us enough time to see something there. Then the plan would look like this:

fly into shannon.
1 night Bunratty or Ennis
3 nights: Heatons, dingle Peninsula
3 nights: Drumcreehy, Ballyvaughan, County Clare
2 nights: Wesport, County Mayo
2 nights: Bushmills, Northern Ireland
2 nights: BELFAST/Newtownards area
2 nights: Malahide or Dublin city centre
Fly home from Dublin

Do you all think we should give up 1 night in County Mayo and add it to Dublin area, which is what I've done in the plan above? or should I keep it the way it was, with 3 nights in County Mayo, and only 1 at the end near Dublin airport?

In County Mayo, our interests were visiting Matt malloys pub and other pubs in Westport; a little WEstport shopping; and visiting one or 2 of these sites: Killary Harbor; Achill Island; Clare Island; Kylemore Abbey.

Thank you for any opinions offered, and for listening to me going on and on about Ireland!

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 15:29, 2005-12-17

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

I see that more tweaking is in progress. The Octagon is the center of Westport. There is a photo of it on this site: http://www.westporttourism.com/ In fact you should take a look at this map for your planning: http://www.westporttourism.com/pages/maps_large.html

As far as changing your itinerary, it is doable. But it is really up to you and your family. take another poll and see what they think. You could see Connemara on the drive from Ballyvaughan to Westport including Killary Harbor and Kylemore Abbey. I would drop Clare Island as it is too complicated to get there and will take up a whole day. If you only have two nights in Westport one day will be going from Ballyvaughan to Westport. The next will probably be taken up with just Westport. If you have three you could do perhaps Achill Island. It just depends on what is most important to you and your family -- a scenic drive or time in Dublin.

I hope that helps to put things in perspective.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, thank you kindly for taking the time to give me your advice on Westport and Dublin. Sounds like the Wyatt is very central.

Christmas is coming and I'm not ready! You must be very busy as well. I hope your holidays are wonderful with time spent with family and friends.

I have e-mailed the Wyatt, the Olde Railway, and Knockranny Lodge, asking them if they could provide me with a room that is quiet at night. Just thought I'd see what they said, sometimes hotels will advise you on where they think their quietest rooms are. Sometimes they don't reply at all! So far I have received a nice reply from the Wyatt stating they would try to give me a quiet room but cannot always guarantee it (a most honest and fair reply.) The others haven't reponded yet.

I think the Wyatt and the Olde Railway are more central than the Knockranny Lodge though.

I'm going to see if Santa will bring me a white noise machine for christmas! Where did you find yours? Thanks for the suggestion.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

You are correct that the Old Railway Hotel and Wyatt are much more central than Knockranny Lodge. Knockranny is a bit out of town.

Actually the white noise machine that I have was one of those free credit card offers. You know the kind that are on the back of the envelope for your cc payment? Of course you have to pay $3.95 shipping. I figured I would give it a try and if it didn't work all I would be out was a few dollars. It actually worked great and because it has earbuds no one else is bothered by the sound. It is a very tiny thing, perhaps 3 x 4 inches. I haven't seen one like it since.

Ceck Ebay. I found these small ones there: http://cgi.ebay.com/TRAVEL-NATURE-SOUND-THERMOMETER-CLOCK-SLEEP-MACHINE_W0QQitemZ5648232056QQcategoryZ40101QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem & http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUND-SLEEP-Machine-Portable-ALARM-CLOCK-NEW_W0QQitemZ5844165098QQcategoryZ79847QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Not the same as mine but might do the job.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Westport

Melissa5 · Guru

RE: Westport, County Mayo Accomodations

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

Sorry to hear about the Olde Railway Hotel. But good thing you learned of it now and have a chance to make other plans. Have you emailed them for confirmation of this rumor?

I'm afraid I haven't had an opportunity to inspect the Boulevard Guesthouse yet. It looks very nice on the website. You will want to find out if they have private off-street parking. That is always an important consideration right in the city. It looks like the blue room with French doors accesses onto the garden. If so, it may be your least noisy option. The front rooms will look right onto the street.

Michele

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

Just found this online: http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:XZKkbLjlGS0J:www.mayonews.ie/current/county.tmpl%24showpage%3Fvalue1%3D33495091711170289+olde+railway+hotel+westport&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9&ie=UTF-8

Evidently it will be auctioned on April 6, 2006.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, I did e-mail the Olde Railway to see if they would confirm the rumor about the auction, but haven't received an answer yet. (However I believed the rumor since it was mentioned by more than one creditable source. But since I didn't have any proof, I wanted to identify it as a rumor.)

Anyway it looks like you have come up with a news article about it...although for some reason your link doesn't work for me.

Thanks for the suggestion about checking to see if the Boulevard has their own private off-street parking or not. I really should get moving and e-mail both the Boulevard and the Wyatt.

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, I received a reply from Helen at the Olde Railway hotel today. She confirms "the hotel is indeed up for sale for public auction on 6th April - who knows what will happen then, but we reckon as it is being sold as a going concern it will be up and running for the season - but unfortunately, we can't guarantee it."

Helen has been very cordial and helpful all along. Now I really must get on with my new Westport reservations...

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, eeny, meeny, miny moe. Boulevard Guesthouse or the Wyatt? I know it's not fair to ask you which one I should choose, as you would choose Cilcoman, which looks like a nice friendly b&b, but as I mentioned I took a family vote on this one and they want to stay right in town within easy walking distance of Matt Malloys and the shops and restaurants.

But it still helps me to lay out my choices here. Anybody want to vote? We will need to book 2 rooms for 3 nights.

The Boulevard Guesthouse, Westport:
Price: $80 per night for twin room; $75 for double room. (euros or dollars? I forgot to check.)
Location: South Mall, Westport; not far from Mill Street bus stop.
Neighborhood described as "a quiet residential street very close to the town centre, overlooking the Carrowbeg River".
Parking: "there is plenty of parking outside the house on this quiet side road". (web-site says)

The Wyatt:
Price: $170 for a double room ($85 per person per night sharing.)
Location: on the busy "octagon" (central square)
Parking: I assume this hotel has enough parking for its numerous guests plus its conference center; I hope so!

Okay, those are my choices in town. We want to be walking distance to Matt Malloys. I would like to be able to get some sleep but am resigned to the possibility of a noisy stay, for the sake of my family. (All my other b&bs are in quieter locations.)

As you may notice, the Wyatt is twice as expensive as the Boulevard! The Wyatt is a hotel with good ratings on tripadvisor; the Boulevard is a small b&b with only 5 rooms; it also has good ratings on tripadvisor.

The Wyatt sounds like it would be a fun hotel where the Irish like to stay; we would probably meet some interesting folks in their pub. It's certainly the most central of the two. But I'm not sure if it's worth the price difference, being twice as much money as the smaller guesthouse. The rooms at the Wyatt have bigger TVs; again I don't know if this sort of amenity is worth the price difference.

Michele, you mentioned checking about off-street parking. Do you mean I should be concerned about the safety of parking on the street, or do you mean if I have to park on the street I might find all the spots full? At the Boulevard guesthouse we would be parking on a side street; it's not a private lot. Apparently there is plenty of parking, according to the web-site and the e-mail I received.

Anybody who has been to Westport, what do you think of the location of the Boulevard Guesthouse, on the South Mall...on the map it's not that far from the bus stop. Is this an okay part of town? Relatively quiet (for Westport) and safe?

Thanks for any comments!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

The location of the Boulevard is fine but could be noisy. It just depends on what's on in Westport. It is always possible to ask for a quiet room overlooking the back instead of the street. But you are already aware of the problems with being in town.

The reason I said to inquire about off-street parking is that it is possible that all the parking could be taken. Also, parking on the street could mean more hazzards from passing traffic (as in accidents or bumps) than if you are in a private B&B parking lot. If you do park on the street fold your mirrors in against the side of the car.

Never assume that any hotel in Ireland has plenty of private parking. It depends entirely on the hotel.

Sorry, I have no first-hand info on the Boulevard. But you never know, I might have that before your trip.

Michele

-- Edited by Michele Erdvig at 18:42, 2006-03-15

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, after wrestling in agonizing indecision with the question of where to stay in Westport

and spending a sleepless night with my brain endlessly churning up details even after I have shut it down for the night

I feel like I'm coming out into the lovely sunlight of commitment...I've made another decision! (I can't believe I had to make the Westport decision twice, because of the Olde Railway going up for auction.)

I have decided to risk parking on an actual mirror-wacking street in order to secure the privilege of staying at the Boulevard Guesthouse, which I have a strong hunch is cozy and friendly. It is also less than half the price of the Wyatt hotel...why are Ireland city hotels always so expensive? I just could not see justifying the price of the Wyatt to hubby...it's a 3-star hotel, and when you need 2 rooms, it sure adds up...it's around 85 euros per person sharing there and we have 4 people so that's getting close to $200 per room, and just for a 3-star hotel. I think it's a friendly and well-run 3-star hotel, but I'm sticking with the Boulevard Guesthouse, which is less than half that price, and I think we will enjoy it.

Yes, I've resigned myself to the fact that I might have trouble sleeping in Westport. I know I can't stick my 2 young adult daughters out in the countryside every night of our trip to Ireland and still expect them to be content to come along on family trips. I think we've now got a nice balance on this trip. Westport is the only time we're actually staying right in a town. (Since we're skipping Dublin, staying just outside of Dingle town, and saying in the countryside of Hillsborough instead of in Belfast.)

I am going to spend some serious time looking into some kind of battery-operated noise machine...or a noise machine that can be used with Ireland electric current. Haven't done that yet.

On the other hand I think the Boulevard Guesthouse is "quiet" by Westport standards, though not as quiet as being in the countryside.

If you do get to see it before I do, let me know, many thanks for your advice and for listening! Love your web-site.

One thing that continues to plague me is the feeling I am dissatisfied with the way our final 5 nights in Ireland break down like this...2 nights near Bushmills; 2 nights in Hillsborough; and 1 night in Malahide. We would see the Antrim coast on the drive down from Bushmills area to Hillsborough. I am very happy with the accomodations, but this seems a bit rushed for us...it won't allow us any time apart; we will spend most of these last 5 days together, because of the fast pace. Sometimes that's too much togetherness!

The first half of the trip has 3-night stays, which means 1 full day to spend together and 1 full day to get some time to pursue individual interests...such as hubby may go on a hike by himself; I may get to relax and write in my journal or perhaps one of my daughters might want to shop with me, or my daughters might want to go off and shop together.

But the only way to slow things down in those last 5 nights of the trip is to skip something. What would we skip? I thought about spending only 1 night near Bushmills, and adding 1 extra night to Hillsborough. Or skipping Bushmills/Giant's Causeway/Dunluce Castle all-together...

Well as long as I have gone this far in filling your poor eyeballs with my schedule, here is the whole thing. We will have a car.
fly into Shannon; arrive afternoon.
1 night: Bunratty Lodge
3 nights: Heaton's, Dingle
3 nights: Drumcreehy house, Ballyvaughan
3 nights: Westport, County Clare
2 nights: Craig Park, Bushmills (see Giant's Causeway etc.)
2 nights: Hillsborough (Fortwiliam country house)
1 night: Malahide (Beechwood)

There's a lot I hope we can see while staying in Hillsborough...including Belfast (where my grandmother grew up) and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra. If we had more time in the area we could add on a visit to Mt. Stewart...We won't see anything in Malahide or dublin unless I can add a second night in Malahide. Under the current plan we won't arrive at our lodgings in Malahide til evening.

Michele, thanks so much for all your advice and support, for your great book and your fantastic web-site!

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 03:59, 2006-03-17

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 04:01, 2006-03-17

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you celebrating?

Can you cast your vote? I must choose between 2 rooms at the Boulevard Guesthouse for my husband and I. One room has a King bed and a river view; it is on the floor above the ground level, what we would call the second floor.

The other choice is the attic room, which has a double bed and a twin bed. The attic room would probably be quietest as we would have no one beside us, and no one above us. The disadvantage of the attic room would be having the 2 separate beds instead of one big King bed. Also I have no idea if July weather in Westport is likely to make the attic room hot...I am remembering how attic rooms in my childhood back east were hot in the summer. Perhaps Ireland is a lot cooler? Also, clearly there would be more stairs to climb up to the attic room. Oh, also, the "view" from the attic room is of sky only, you cannot see the river, apparently, is what they tell me.

Which room would you choose? The attic room is the purple room on the web-site www.boulevard-guesthouse.com; labeled as "attic room". There are 4 photos of it, including the bathroom.

The guesthouse member who is answering my e-mail has been very helpful with the details of choosing our rooms.

Thanks for considering my question!
Melissa

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 14:23, 2006-03-17

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

I can see you are second guessing yourself over your itinerary. Perhaps because of the change that has to be made for your Westport accommodations? Personally, I would leave it as it is.

You can certainly have "alone time" at the various sightseeing venues you will be visiting on your days in Northern Ireland. You could agree to meet back a the visitor's center at the Giant's Causeway in a couple of hours (make a set time) and go off on your own. You can either hike or take the bus down to the causeway and then explore the rock formations. There are also hiking trails going along the coast. Maybe some of you might want to take the steam train to Bushmills for the tour, while others might spend more time at the causeway. As you see there is way to fit in personal time even when spending only two days in a place. Also, everyone will know in advance about these days and you will have a "no whining" rule in place (like Bill did with his group).

That is a tough choice at the Boulevard. It can get warm in the summer in Ireland (if you are fortunate). Generally though you don't need a/c unless you get an unusual heat wave. Is the king room picture on the site? Generally, I am leery when I hear king mentioned in Ireland. It can mean anything from a double to a queen to a genuine king. I would ask for measurements! What we call king is mostly called super king in Ireland. Otherwise it could just be a double. If the room is overlooking the river then it will also be looking at the street. What about the Blue & Yellow room? To me it looks like it has a balcony and a garden view. Maybe even two double beds?

Maybe you could get one room for your daughters and one for yourselves and make a decision once you arrive?

It is tough to decide with only photos.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, thanks for giving thoughts to my itinerary decisions. I appreciate having an experienced mind pondering the decisions! Two brains are better than one?

Yes, I think being forced to change my Westport accomodations has "tricked" my methodical planner's mind into thinking we are back in the pre-decision stage, when anything goes, and I can still change everything. Normally, you see, once I book the b&bs/hotels, so much research has gone into that decision, I never make changes to the itinerary after that. So this is unusual for me, having the Olde Railway go up for auction, and having to make that one change has tempted me to re-consider the rest...

My obsessive mind has to have a sign, "It is done!" That is usually when there are no more lodgings to book. But oopsie...along comes the Olde Railway going up for auction and forcing one more decision. Throws me off track!

I guess you are right, even with 2 nights in one lodging, we could still find a way to have some time apart from each other, we will just have to plan it out. You have pointed out if hubby takes the car in Northern Ireland, some of us could take the bus to the Giant's Causeway. You mentioned a steam train to Bushmills...what route does that steam train take? I haven't heard of that option. We're staying 2 nights at Craig Park. Thanks for the ideas. I think with our 1 full day in the area, we will see the Giant's Causeway and the Dunluce castle together, and then split up for the remainder of the day, for some time apart, except for dinner...

I really regret not having enough time to actually "see" Malahide or Dublin at end of trip. But notice all planners on-line regret something they have left out! I wonder if you have no regrets because you KNOW you'll be back to Ireland?

Hey, I like your thought...book 2 rooms and I'll tell my daughters I get first choice...they do know about my sleeping problems if there's noise. Besides, we're paying so we get first choice!

I do know about how in Europe one never knows what they mean by a double or a king...in fact there is a bed in Europe which is wider than a queen but not as wide as a King. Anyway I did explain to them that in the USA a King bed is meant for 2 people but actually can almost fit 3 people in it. A queen is meant for 2 people and actually fits 2 people and a small child. A double bed is a bed for 2 people where they must sleep snugly together in order to fit in the bed. How's that for bed "measurements"! I actually did have a fellow in Italy measure the bed for me, but he gave the measurements in meters!!! Anyway following this bed explanation, the Boulevard Guesthouse told me the room with the river view has a king bed and the attic room has a double bed and a twin bed.

I don't know what size beds that pretty blue and yellow room has.

Well it's useful to know that it actually can get hot in Ireland, so there is always the chance the attic room could be hot and stuffy, depending on the weather.

By now you should be quite tired of talking about beds! I appreciate your time, Michele.

In honor of St. Patrick's day, I hope to make that decision today! Attic room? King bed with river view room? Ask about the blue and yellow room?

Since you think the pace of my itinerary is fine, it probably is! I notice you do tell people when you think they have paced things too fast (the green blur warning.) That is reassuring.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

I want to clarify that the bus takes you from the visitor's center at the Giant's Causeway down to the rock formations. You don't have to take the bus since it is walkable. Or you can take it one way (which is what I do) since going back to the center is all uphill.

This is info on the train:

http://www.northantrim.com/TheCausewayTram.htm

http://www.causewaycoastandglens.com/Details/tabid/211/ProductID/8215/Default.aspx

http://www.ballycastle.free-online.co.uk/places/causeway/causewaytrain.htm

Michele

murphybridget · Veteran Member

Now, about playing the bodhran versus being a drummer in a rock band the bodhran has its distinct style and technique. Unlike a drum kit in a rock band, the bodhran is a frame drum played with a beater, typically held in one hand, while the other hand controls the tension of the drumhead. The player uses various hand positions and techniques to produce different tones and rhythms.

murphybridget · Veteran Member

Your anticipation of experiencing Irish trad and folk music in Ireland sounds wonderful. It's a rich musical landscape that I, as an amateur bodhran player, can attest brings joy and a unique energy. It's great that your husband has a background in playing the drums; I'm sure he'll appreciate the rhythm and dynamics of the traditional Irish tunes.

murphybridget · Veteran Member

Purchasing a bodhran in Ireland is a thoughtful and unique gift. Your husband, with his background in drumming, will likely appreciate the cultural and musical significance of a well-chosen bodhran.

murphybridget · Veteran Member

No worries about the "musical tour" commentI appreciate your keen eye! It sounds like you've had some interesting experiences with music in your family. From your daughter's enthusiastic but short-lived piano lessons to your husband's transition from musician to biologist, it's clear that music has played a significant role in your lives.

murphybridget · Veteran Member

Look for accommodations in city outskirts or the ones with adequate sound proofing.