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Post Info TOPIC: September in Mayo and Donegal
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September in Mayo and Donegal
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Hello

I happened on your website recently and have spent hours reading posts and trip reports.  What a great source of information and tips!  I am planning a trip in September with two friends and my 89 year old mom.  Three of us have been there several times and it will be a first visit for one of my friends.  We all have family roots in Mayo and I have always wanted to spend time in Donegal so we have decided to limit the bulk of our trip to those two counties.   I am hoping to fly in and out of Shannon as I find it easier in so many ways - especially getting used to the driving with less traffic.  Based on past trips and some other sources I have come up with an itinerary.  I would appreciate any comments, suggestions, etc. especially in Donegal as that is a new area for me.

Day 1

Arrive in Shannon and drive to Galway area.  Restful afternoon. Stay in Salthill

 

Day 2 thru 4

Drive to Westport via the Connemara Peninsula taking our time and enjoying the sights.  While in Mayo we plan on visiting Swinford, Kiltimagh (our family homes), Achil Island and any other stops that look interesting.  Would Westport be a good place to base ourselves for three nights?

 

Day 5 thru 7

Drive to Donegal.  When we leave and what we have seen in County Mayo will tell us if we take the short route or the more scenic route. We plan on touring Donegal Peninsula including Sleive League and the other lovely drives.  Stay in or near Donegal Town for three nights

 

Day 8

Drive to Cliffs of Moher.  I know it is a long one but I think we will be ok.  A website I checked tells me the drive should be about 4 hours.  Does that sound right? My friend would love to see them and I do find that to be a very peaceful sight.  Stay in Doolin??

 

Day 9

Make our way back to the Shannon area to stay near the airport.  I was thinking of staying in one of the B&Bs near Bunratty Castle.

 

Day 10

Back to Chicago

 

My mom is fairly mobile but cant walk long distances.  We are bringing a wheelchair for her and plan on filling our day with beautiful drives and long visits with new friends in pubs and B&Bs.  Speaking of B&Bs I am hoping to find places with rooms on the first floor to make it easier for Mom. 

 

Thanks for providing such a great site.  I look forward to your comments.

 

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Michele Erdvig


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Pic,

Welcome to my forum. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying it and picking up some tips too.

Note: In Ireland the "first floor" is what we call second floor. You will want a room for your mother on the ground floor.

Your itinerary looks very nice. It is a long drive from Donegal to Doolin. I think it will take longer than 4 hours.

You have chosen some good bases. Galway, Westport and Donegal will work well for your trip. 

Here are some B&Bs with ground floor rooms:

Westport: Glenderan

Bunratty: Bunratty Lodge

Hotel with elevator:

Galway: Park House Hotel 

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Michele



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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

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Hi Michele - thank you for your prompt reply.  I appreciate your thoughts and tips. 

We have changed some things on our trip which leads me to a new question.  We are going to fly in and out of Dublin as we think a non- stop flight might be easiset for my mom.  Based on that I think we will reverse our trip and go to Donegal for three nights followed by Westport for three nights.  After Westport we plan on driving thru the Connemara Peninsula and end up in Galway for two nights.  After Galway we will drive to Dublin for our last night and stay near the airport.  Does that sound do-able? 

My question is where to stay the first night.  We should land about 8:30 am and will ehad towards Donegal.  Ideally we would like to drive for about 2 hours or so before stopping for a restful afternoon.  Any suggestions?

Thanks again for all the ideas

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tony2phones


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I would leave things as you have them with the exception of dropping to Dublin from Donegal with an overnight between, possibly around Cavan. You can see the Cliffs on your way from Shannon to Salthill.

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Michele Erdvig


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Cavan is about halfway between Dublin & Donegal.

Sounds fine.

Michele

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