You may find Shannon cost-prohibitive, as the airlines seem determined to force everone to fly via Dublin. 

 

I usually begin my search on Kayak:  http://www.kayak.com/ and then book through the actual airline.  Others here have also had success using  ITA:  http://matrix.itasoftware.com/   Rick Steves plugs Skyscanner: http://www.skyscanner.com/

Michele has a recommended place in Bunratty - Headley Court (which I really like, as well).  She also lists Dromoland Castle and Cahergal Farms , in Newmarket-on-Fergus.  These would be good choices for a Shannon departure. 

Your listing in Newmarket wouldn't be very convenient to Cork Airport, if you had a morning flight as it would be 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive to the Cork airport.  Kerry airport would be closer, but has limited flights.  Mind you, I know and love the area around Newmarket VERY much.  If you wanted to stay in that vicinity, I have several personal recs ...

From my experience, you can't go wrong using Michele's picks!  She's even pickier than my wife!  

Bob

 

Thanks Bob!

I checked out the matrix site, it's pretty easy to read and navigate. Thanks for the info about Newmarket. It seemed pretty remote and I was not sure about going there.
I'll await Michele's book for more planning.

Tony, there are several B&B's by that name. The one I know of lists 27 euro pp sharing. At least that is what their website says. Thanks for the info about DUB. I did not know.

Off to check out the airfares now.

Karen

Hi Michelle,

Thank you for chiming in. I'm very excited to get my hands on the new book. We have the 2009 book but never made it over since then. Must have the latest info!
I'll be sure to print a sample itinerary once I get further down the planning phase. I feel like I'm getting a late start but hopefully not too late.
best,
Karen

Hi Michelle,

I heard about The Gathering but don't know much about it. Is there a site with more info as well as info regarding where to avoid crowds. In your opinion, would another time this year be better or wait until next year? I can't go before July but October might be an option. The downside is that my friends will be back in the states by then.
Hmmm. I've put this off so many years, waiting one more doesn't seem to be that bad if it means less tourists.
Karen

The Gathering is a marketing tool apart from a few small localised events there is Little if anything that was not on last year the year before and next years calendar. There is no harm visiting any time which suits you, Yes July and August are the busiest months but there are lots of options well off the tourist path..just being 5 miles away in the next town can be the difference between packed solid and just normal. If you keep putting it off you will get to 2016 when the Gathering will look like candle in the floodlights.

You too Roy! 

Business class on United is great. Plenty of leg room.

Air France Code Shares with Delta.  There are numerous other arraingments, as well.  Jet Blue (who don't have Cross-Atlantic flights) partners with Aer Lingus, but I think that they also connect with United.  There are LOTS and LOTS of permutations, depending upon your departure airport.

Be sure to examine the Flight Details -- That will tell you the Plane Type and Model, layover times and connection details.  Where connections apply, it's best to book a complete ticket.  That way, missed connections are the responsibility of the airline.  If you book the segments seperately -- a round-trip, SFO to NYC and a round-trip, JFK to SNN, for example, the SNN flight operator has NO culpability, if the SFO flight arrives late, or vice-versa.

Once you have a 'Ball Park' idea of price, it might not hurt to see if a TA (or the Travel Reps from AAA or Amex) can score you a better deal -- But, be sure you are comparing apples to apples, vis-a-vis schedules, lay-overs, over-all travel times, routing AND price.

An example, of my own considerations:

My wife is an 'Anxious' flyer and we live in a small city, served by Shuttle lines that connect to hubs in Atlanta, Charlotte and Miami.  Our other alternatives are to drive 1.5-2 hours to larger airports and pay for long-term parking.  Even then, direct flights to Ireland are rarely available.  We usually fly from our home-town airport, paying extra -- though NOT much more than what parking would cost.  We also select 'One-Stop' flights, even though that also costs more.  We fly coach (my wife is about 5'5 and I measure in at 5'7 - on a 'Good' day, if my hip isn't acting up!  ) -- BUT we prefer to sit mid-plane (before, or over the wing).  For the International 'Leg', I look for wide-body planes ( A320, A330 or 767 ) in an aisle with only two seats, so that we don't spend 6-8 hours sitting with a 'New, Best Friend' -- as on a 3 and 3 seat configured 757.   

Since you are flying Business Class (for the space), MOST of my issues are not the same as yours.  You COULD, however chose coach and STILL secure adequate leg-room (but NOT the other ammenities)-- IF you secured seats in the FIRST row of coach, where there is a wide, 'Walk Aisle', for example -- depending upon the plane.  THOSE seats usually book early, though.  Given Business Class, though, you should be more concerned about routing and lay-over times.  Will they fly you into Chicago or JFK with only a one-hour lay-over?  That can be pretty stressful.  Will they fly you into Paris and then into SNN or DUB?  That can add HOURS to your travel time.  The time of year can also impact routing choices -- In the Spring and Fall, I try to avoid connections via cities that are highly likely to experience bad weather -- like Chicago, Boston and JFK.  That's not as big an issue during the summer months.

A good info site for seating details is: http://www.seatguru.com/   

Hope this helps, rather than confuses --

Bob

Last time I flew business on United they had seats that go completely flat and make up into beds. Plenty of leg room. Maybe they should give out PJs?