2 Weeks

Rachel · Member

2 Weeks

Michele Erdvig · Host

Rachel,

Welcome! There is so much to see and do in Ireland that I don't doubt you are having difficulty whittling the list down. What time of year will you be there? That will make a difference in the advice I give.

Northern Ireland is hot this year because of all the hoopla over the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking and the new Titanic exhibit in Belfast. I expect it will be hopping with tourists. Best to plan well ahead for that portion of the trip.

Michele

Rachel · Member

Hello thanks for the reply. We are going to be travelling the last two weeks of September. Was doing a lot of reading yesterday and the SE sounds so nice. Well it all sounds so nice but a some of the places in the SE really stood out. It would be nice to go Killarney or Kenmare and do a bit around there & from there do the Ring of Kerry stopping a night in Portmagee area so would could take in a boat trip to Skelligs. Then maybe hit Dingle, Adare, Cliffs of Moher and then up North. Although I'm not sure if we are missing some interesting places in not stopping in the SE. Ahh... we need a month :) It would also be neat to find some places that have crafts done by locals (pottery etc.) I'm sure there are some villages that are known for their crafts...?

tony2phones · Guru

Last year one of the contributors on the fourm came over the end of September. The north was not on her itinerary and she flew open Jaw into Shannon and out from Dublin. You could work round a similar route Dublin to Dublin and tag the north on to one end,

The map I did for her

http://g.co/maps/uv96m

Melissa's report

http://ireland.activeboard.com/t45794784/our-musical-journey-through-ireland-cifden-arts-week-session/

once again I will god willing be in Clifden at some point during Arts week this September

http://www.clifdenartsweek.ie/

Michele Erdvig · Host

Rachel,

You won't be able to fit in quite as much the last two weeks of September simply because days start getting shorter in the autumn. I suggest you take a look at my article How to Plan Your Trip to Ireland in 10 Easy Steps.

The SW of Ireland is very scenic and is tops on most people's "must see" list. Besides the Ring of Kerry and Dingle we like the Beara Peninsula and West Cork.

The Antrim Coast can't be beat for scenery. So plan on a few days in No. Ireland.

Michele

Rachel · Member

Thanks for all the tips from you both, much appreciated!
I do have one question we hope to plan on staying in Portamage for a night and then take the tour out to the Skelligs the next day. From one site it looks like the trip is a total of about 4.5 hours. I'm thinking of leaving afterwards (around 4:00pm) (Sept) to go to Kenmare. It states this drive is about 2 hours. Is this going to be enough time to do this portion of the route in daylight and stop along the way? I'm not sure if there are lots of places we will want to stop at or not?

Michele Erdvig · Host

Rachel,

I assume you are going counter-clockwise on the ROK? If that is so, some things you would stop for would be Derrynane House, Gardens & Beach and Staigue Fort. Assuming you start at 4 pm you will probably not be stopping at Derrynane because it will be closing up. The fort is always open. You will be pressed for time.

Note that the boats to Skellig Michael are very dependent on seas and weather. Many times they are canceled. Have other plans in place if that happens.

Michele