soooo much information in the website and forum....please help

guinness · Veteran Member

soooo much information in the website and forum....please help

Irisheyes · Senior Member

The best place I've heard to buy the Aran sweaters is on the Aran islands. Here is a web site to help you:

http://www.clanarans.com/ca/catalog/

Date: 2:01 PM, 01/16/06

irisheyes,

thanks so much! what a great website....i was just looking around on the web and couldn't find anything that seemed good. great timing :)

guinness

Michele Erdvig · Host

guinness,

What sort of a pace do you want to maintain on your trip? Slow, moderate or fast? If moderate I would think that something would have to be cut from your proposed itinerary, unless you can add a couple of days. In Ireland you average 35 mph. Add in time for sightseeing and I think you realize that it is slow going in Ireland.

This is how I always suggest doing an itinerary:

Map

Calendar

Arrival & departure cities

List of "must sees" in order of importance

Highlighter

Connect the dots

Try for multiple-night stays where possible and do day trips from your base. If you would like to post a proposed itinerary, I will be happy to comment on it and offer suggestions. Also take a look at this page to see if it is something of interest to you: http://www.irelandyes.com/itinerary.html If not, everyone here is always ready to help.

Two days in Dublin at the start of your trip is ideal. Are you departing from Shannon?

I just took a look at irelandhotels.com to see if they had changed from 2005 and some prices are listed per person, while others are per room. I suggest going to the website of each property you are interested in to read their rates. Also, if you are spending 2 days or more look for their special offers. As for your budget of $150 per night per room, it depends entirely on the hotel. You could look into guesthouses also.

I hope that cut through the "info overload" and sets you on the right path for starting your planning.

Michele

Mark · Veteran Member

"i assume that staying 2 days in dublin to rest from the flight and see the city is a good choice"

I think that is a good choice. If you do this you don't need to rent a car the first two days. Just take a cab into the city and then on the day you leave Dublin take a cab to the car rental place at the airport and go from there. This will save you money on rental and the aggravation of having to drive into Dublin (believe me you don't want to drive into Dublin!

"pubs will also be on the agenda. we like casual dining, would love to hear great music and meet the locals."

While in Dublin check out O'Donaghue's Bar on Baggot Street and Gogarty's in the Temple Bar part of town.

I haven't spent much time in Kilkenny so can't help you there.

If you decide to stay in Killarney check out Buckley's Bar at the Arbutus hotel for a good music session particularly if you are there on a Sunday afternoon. Personally I think the town of Dingle is better for pubs in music than Killarney by far so you might consider staying there instead of Killarney while in the Southwest. My favorite pubs in Dingle are An Drocead Beag (The Small Bridge), O'Flaherty's, and Murphy's Pub. All three within walking distance of each other.

I'd suggest skipping Limerick and perhaps stay somewhere in County Clare instead after the Southwest. Ennis is a great town for pubs and music. However if you want a smaller, less bustling town/village I'd suggest Kinvara or Ballyvaughn. Kinvara would be better for live traditional music although sessions happen on Wednesday night in Ballyvaughn at Greene's last time I was there (May 2005). In Kinvara just walk down main street and if you hear music coming out of a pub then go on in. There are like 13 pubs there last I counted and that's a lot considering the size of the village. (FYI Kinvara is not actually part of County Clare but its close enough)

Galway is not a bad idea for a final stop. It is withing range of Shannon provided you have an afternoon flight home otherwise your last stop should be closer to the airport like Ennis or Bunratty. If you do stay in Galway you'll find great pubs a plenty. It is my favorite city in Ireland and with good reason. Next to Ennis it is one of the top locations for traditional music pubs. The Crane Bar on Sea Rd. would top my list but there are many others.

Once you narrow down you're itinerary a little more we can get into more detail.

Mark

Date: 3:02 AM, 01/17/06

My two cents worth: Dublin, Galway, and Killarney are all places where you should spend more than two nights to do them justice. With just ten days I would stay three in Dublin, four in three in Galway, and three in Killarney. Save the last one for Limerick. There is so much to see in and around these towns that you will not regret parking yourself in each place and exploring. You will not leave Ireland feeling like you haven't seen enough, either, but if you spread yourself too thin over ten days you will end up with what Michele calls a 'green blur' tour. Think about it. You will probably even get a better deal on hotels or B&Bs if you stay more than one or two days.

Anita.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Thanks Mark & Anita for your input!

Michele

guinness · Veteran Member

mark, anita, and michelle, you have all given me a lot to think about at work yesterday (i teach tennis and during ball pickups i have been asking all my students who have been to ireland for advice and yesterday it was all about your advice i was talking about/when i had an hr. off i re-read all your responses). can't wait until i can sit down on thurs am for a good amount of time to try to come up w/ some kind of plan that you might think is reasonable. thanks so much for taking your time to help me :)

just taking a quick moment to edit my first response.....looking at the towns mark and anita like (but we also want to take in consideration getting in the a lot of historicals sites, but not the tourist traps, ones really worth the time.....colleen is a huge history buff and is now in her last year in school for preservation carpentry (2nd career),so a lot of the sites she would love w/ the things she learning about.....soooooo....the pubs and meeting the locals are only part of the experience that we want, but still very important). there are also many towns that people in the forum love....i need to go back and really sit down and re-read and rediscover more in the forum and hit the books to really understand the sites. but.......here is a possible and off the cuff idea:

stay in dublin (# of nights are all unknown in each place....). on the way to killarney stop in kilkenny. stay in kilkenny. take day trips (not sure how far they are from there) to west cork (everyone seems to really like in the forums),shannangary (so i can go to stephan pearce) and kinsale (is this town so nice we should stay?). i've been hearing not to just do a day trip to the dingle peninsula, so maybe a night (or is that not right), then off to galway to stay and day trips from there (one of them being the aran islands), and then the last night in ennis or shannon?

this is all off the cuff as i'm getting ready to go to work. i have no idea how far a drive these place are and don't want to be really tired, we'd like to enjoy what we see. maybe there are trains that would allow us to stop in different towns for day trips as well, but the car would allow us much more flexibility to stop when we want....confused about what to do there, don't want to miss anything (which would make me think ALL car). i don't know if this helps, to say our ages, to what we might like but i'm 38 and colleen is 40 (today actually). i did notice in the forum talking about pubs, it really does matter....i assume certain attactions would be age appropriate as well.

thanks ahead of time for any advice you can offer.

debbie

-- Edited by guinness at 07:22, 2006-01-18

-- Edited by guinness at 07:27, 2006-01-18

Michele Erdvig · Host

Debbie,

When you stay in Dublin you won't need a car in the city center. Get one upon leaving. There are many day trips within 15 miles of Kilkenny. Depends on what you want to do. For instance Cashel is a bit less than an hour from there. Waterford about an hour. There are some lovely scenic drives, castles, cathedrals, abbeys, picturesque towns, etc. You could easily spend a few days in Kilkenny.

Kinsale is a very cute harbor town and worth an overnight stay if it fits into your itinerary. West Cork is scenic.

Dingle: if it takes you all day to get to Dingle you might consider 2 nights there. If you can get their within 1 1/2 to 2 hours then you can do Slea Head Drive, etc. on that day. It just depends.

Ennis or Shannon: depends on what time your flight is.

Add that to your musings.

Michele

guinness · Veteran Member

Thanks for everyone's input thus far. It has helped provide some focus around this adventure.

Here's what I've distilled things to what follows below. I think it hits some of the high points and breaks things up fairly well. There's driving, but doesn't seem much way around that. Any input, suggestions, alternates would be appreciated. I've got some "dead space" that begs for some advice.

Day 1: Arrive Dublin (sleepy but excited). Spend the day wandering the west side (Guinness Storehouse, St. Patricks, Dublin Castle, etc.) STAY IN DUBLIN DOING THE WESTSIDE

Day 2: Wander about the south side (Trinity College, Merrion Square, etc.) Somewhere between Day 1 and 2, we'll swing through Temple Bar area as well. STAY IN DUBLIN DOING THE SOUTHSIDE

Planning to stay in the Christ Church area (Jurys) or just over the Liffey (Arlington Hotel www.arlington.ie) so the above should be doable. why would one be better than the other....any other suggestions? I GUESS HOW WE WROTE ALL THIS WASN'T CLEAR, BUT THE ABOVE WAS ALL DUBLIN AND THIS WAS A QUESTION FOR THOSE NIGHTS. SORRY GUYS :(

Day 3: Not sure the best way to rent a car at this juncture....do you know of a place that is reliable with their cars? THANKS MICHELE, WILL CHECKOUT THE WEBSITES AND COMPARE. Once rented, we'll head to Kilkenny stopping in Kildare (Castletown) along the way. Arriving in Kilkenny we'll probably run down to Jer Point Abbey before settling into Kilkenny. STAYING IN KILKENNY

Day 4: Based in Kilkenny, take a daytrip down to Wexford (Ballyhack) and Rosslare (Kilmore Quay). STAY IN KILKENNY

Day 5: From Kilkenny, head down to Shanagarry for my Stephen Pearce fix. Planning on hitting Cashel Castle and the Rock of Cahir along the way. From Shanagarry it will be on to Kinsale for the night. This is probably going to be a Saturday. Looks like the route goes through Cork so hopefully that won't be too traumatic - TRAFFIC WISE. ONE NIGHT IN KINSALE - TO BREAK UP OUR TRIP DRIVING-WISE, SHANAGARRY TO DINGLE WOULD BE A REALLY LONG DRIVE AFTER OUR DRIVE THAT DAY WHICH WAS LONG ENOUGH.

Day 6: From Kinsale, head up to Killarney stopping at Muckross House and Ross Castle. Then out to Dingle to settle in for a couple of nights. DAY ONE DINGLE

Day 7: It's Dingle Day. Heading to Slea Head and then exploring and resting for the big drive the next day. DAY TWO DINGLE

Day 8: Drive from Dingle to Kinvara. This is a blank spot. Any highlights to catch along the way and break up the driving? STAYING IN KINVARA TO DO DAYTRIPS FROM THERE.

Day 9: Drive from Kinvara to Doolin and hop a ferry to InishMore at 9am. Seems to be the quickest route out to the islands but can't miss the 4pm, the last ferry! Spend the night back in Kinvara.

Day 10: Make our way from Kinvara to Ennis by way of The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. Spend the night in Ennis.

Day 11: Time to head back to Boston so Ennis to Shannon airport. I suppose I'd drop the rental car at the airport as that would probably be easiest, right? IS THIS A GOOD PLAN?

after input from the wonderful people in this forum then i can find places to stay in the other areas after dublin....don't want to do that until the itinerary is a good one and then go from there.

has anyone purchased a "heritage card", the card that saves money on heritage properties? do i need it if i get the coupon book.....GREAT THAT THIS HELPS, THANKS ANITA.

thanks again for everyones help :)

debbie

-- Edited by guinness at 17:48, 2006-01-22

-- Edited by guinness at 19:34, 2006-01-22

-- Edited by guinness at 08:57, 2006-01-23

Date: 12:00 AM, 01/23/06

Looks like you are doing a lot of one night stands. You should really try to avoid this as much as possible. All that checking out, checking in takes time away from your day, and all that driving may leave you too tired to enjoy the night life! As for the heritage card, I used one and it saved me a bundle, but check out the website once you have finalized your plans and see what places you will be visiting and what will work best for you. You can purchase your heritage card at the first sight you visit once you get there if you decide you want one.

Anita.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Debbie,

Good advice from Anita. I think that with the time you have in Ireland you really need to cut something out of your trip. Decide what is most important to see and cut whatever is lowest on your list. You will have a much nicer time if you slow the pace down a bit.

Both Dublin hotels are pretty well situated for sightseeing, etc.

Once you get your itinerary firmed up and know what attractions you will be visiting you can make a decision on the Heritage Card or the coupons.

As for car companies in Ireland, I have found over the years that most are reliable. Check out as many different websites as you have time for, compare the same type car and options at each place, read the fine print and take your best rate. Do look at my "Car Rental & Driving" page for good tips to help with the process. Shannon Airport will be your drop-off point.

Michele

guinness · Veteran Member

anita,

EDITED MY FIRST POST AS WELL, TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT ON THE "NEW POST THING." THIS PRETTY MUCH SHOWS WHAT WE TRIED TO POST BEFORE, BUT MUST HAVE BEEN UNCLEAR....SO I REWROTE IT A DIFFERENT WAY.

thanks for the advice. my post did include more than one night:

2 nights in Dublin - day 1 - WESTSIDE. DAY 2 - SOUTHSIDE AND TRINITY CHURCH.

2 nights in Kilkenny - DAY 3 CASTLETOWN IN KILDARE/THOMASTOWN JERPOINT ABBEY (ONLY 9 MILES AWAY FROM KILKENNY) AND A COREY'S TOUR IN KILKENNY - IF TIME, IF NOT JUST WALK AROUND IN KILKENNY. day 4 BALLYHACK CASTLE/KILMORE QUAY.

day 5 - FROM KILKENNY OFF TO ROCK OF CASHEL/CAHIR CASTLE/SHANAGARRY (ONLY FOR STEPHEN PEARCE POTTERY) THEN TO KINSALE FOR NIGHT TO BREAK UP DRIVING. 1 night in Kinsale

2 nights in Dingle - day 6 & 7 FIRST DAY THERE - MUCKROSS HOUSE AND ROSS CASTLE. 2ND DAY - SLEA HEAD AND STAY IN DINGLE AGAIN.

2 nights in Kinvara - DAY 8 DRIVING FROM DINGLE TO KINVARA (ANYTHING WE SHOULD HIT ALONG THE WAY? WASN'T PLANNING ON STOPPING.) OUR PLANS WERE TO JUST HANGOUT WHEN WE GET THERE, RESTING FROM DRIVE....PUBS AT NIGHT.

DAY 9 - FROM KINVARA TO DOOLIN TO TAKE FERRY TO ARAN ISALNDS FOR THE DAY. STAY AGAIN IN KINVARA.

DAY 10 KINVARA TO SEE CLIFFS OF MOHER AND THE BURREN ON THE WAY TO STAYING OUR LAST NIGHT IN ENNIS (PUBS AT NIGHT).

WAKE UP AND GO BACK TO BOSTON FROM SHANNON.

IS THIS BETTER?

debbie

-- Edited by guinness at 09:23, 2006-01-23

-- Edited by guinness at 09:26, 2006-01-23

Mark · Veteran Member

"2 nights in Kinvara - DAY 8 DRIVING FROM DINGLE TO KINVARA (ANYTHING WE SHOULD HIT ALONG THE WAY? WASN'T PLANNING ON STOPPING.) OUR PLANS WERE TO JUST HANGOUT WHEN WE GET THERE, RESTING FROM DRIVE....PUBS AT NIGHT."

Glad to see you're staying in Kinvara. One of my favorite towns in Ireland. I'd suggest just getting to Kinvara the most expedient way and enjoy the town the rest of the day. It looks like you going to be exploring the Burren and the Cliffs on day 10 anyhow. Dunguaire Castle is walking distance from town. Hopefully you have a really nice day because the scene overlooking Kinvara Bay and town from around the backside of Dunguaire is a beauty.

I'm sure you'll really like the pubs in Kinvara too.

Mark

guinness · Veteran Member

mark,

thanks so much for your help...we are staying in kinvara and ennis because of your help, making us aware of them. we love to stay in smaller and "local people (the local regulars), places." we live outside of boston, we visit the city, but like the suburbs better.....and they were also located in a central places that would bring us to the sites we wanted to see. unfortunately we won't be able to hit galway, we think it would be too much. any other advice you can give for other parts of the trip would be great!

hey do you know anything about the gaelic games (gaelic football or hurling), or even "football," our soccer? have you seen any there or know if there are any during the time we are there? if so, we'd give up something to see one. i did email the "gaa.ie" but not sure if i'll get a response.

debbie

-- Edited by guinness at 10:16, 2006-01-23

Date: 1:22 PM, 01/23/06

Yes, this makes much more sense, but I'm sure Michele will still have more advice. When in Kinsale take a look at Charles Fort. It has an interesting history, and a guided walking tour that takes about 45 minutes. It is also one that you can get into with a Heritage card. There is also old James Fort opposite it that was a nice place to visit because it has been allowed to 'die in peace'. I took a picnic lunch out there and had the whole place to myself.

Anita.

guinness · Veteran Member

hey anita!

thanks for checking in again :) glad that i rewrote what we were doing and that you guys can now understand. didn't think we were way off, happy that you think we are on the right course. took lots of advice from lots of the forum entries throughout the site.

the two forts in kinsale sound interesting, thanks for the information, i'll have to check into them. not sure if we'll have enough time, but if we do, and as you said....it's part of the heritage card that would be great :)

hope to find hotels and restaurants along the way....any advice?

thanks for all your help,

debbie

Mark · Veteran Member

"we love to stay in smaller and "local people (the local regulars), places."

I'm the same way. By the way I don't know if I posted this link or not but Kinvara has it's own website with lots of good info and links on it. Worth a look if you haven't seen it already.

www.kinvara.com

"hey do you know anything about the gaelic games (gaelic football or hurling)"

I don't know much about the game itself other than having watched a few games on TV and talking to a pub owner that plays on a hurling team in County Offaly. It is a very popular sport in Ireland and I believe they will be playing in early June. At least they were playing in mid May the last time I was there. The best way to find out if there is a match on locally is go to a pub and ask. From what I saw on TV it is a fast, exciting, and fairly brutal game.

Mark

guinness · Veteran Member

hey mark :)

"hey do you know anything about the gaelic games (gaelic football or hurling)"

i did find w/ further understanding of the gaa.ie website that (they don't say schedules...so hit most everything i could hit to find them), that there seems to be all sorts of playoffs at that time, now i just need to research where these stadiums acutally are, unfortunately they don't say).

when in bermuda i saw cricket for the first time, good thing we ran into a photographer for a paper who was nice enough to help us understand. so i thought it would be fun to see something new in ireland if possible.

going to kinvara.com right now, thanks!

thanks for all your responses they really help :)

talk soon,

debbie

Michele Erdvig · Host

Debbie,

This might be the section you are looking for: http://www.gaa.ie/page/2006_football__hurling_provincial_draws.html

Michele

Merle · Senior Member

Regarding the Heritage Card.....when I planned our trip for Sep 2004, I calculated the cost of the sites we wanted to visit and the cost/savings of the heritage card. I did determine that the card would be a savings, but by that time I thought it was too late & I didn't have time to order the cards via the mail. We planned on purchasing them when we got there. The problem was that the first 3 sites all took the heritage card, but they didn't sell them!!! As it turned out, we still saved money by the time we purchased the cards, but we could have saved more if I had gotten my act together sooner. Don't count on every site selling the cards. Obviously this didn't discourage me too much as we are going back again!!

Merle

Date: 7:58 PM, 01/23/06

As far as restaurants I can't help you much as I was staying in hostels and often just bought something from the grocery store. But, while in Kinsale you should check out some places as it's known as the gourmet capital of Ireland. I do know that while watching a Rick Steves show one night he highly recommended the Fishy Fishy resaurant in Kinsale. I'm allergic to shellfish, though, so I steered clear of the place. I did have fish and chips (which I can eat) at a place down on the harbour. I think it was a sampler kind of meal because the it came with 5 different kinds of fish. It was very good, but I can't remember the name of the place. Kinsale is a small town, though, and I think it was one of only a couple of places right on the harbour.

Anita.

guinness · Veteran Member

hey michele,

thanks, yes that's what i found when "clicking around."

what do you think of the itinerary? does it sound feasible to you?

thanks for your help,

debbie

guinness · Veteran Member

Merle,

thanks so much for that knowledge, would've been as surprised as you when they didn't sell them. we'll order it all within the month.

would love any other tips you have to spare :)

thanks again,

debbie

guinness · Veteran Member

hey again anita,

sounds like we going to be happy that we chose to stay in kinsale, even though it will only be a night.

i'm starting to hit irelandhotels.com for each town we'll stay in and then i'll have to "do the math" on the pubs and restaurants after that (with a note to check out fishy fishy in kinsale).

great to hear from you again,

debbie

guinness · Veteran Member

merle,

did you find that any other cards (seems like each area has their own), like the heritage card or any coupons book were worth buying? i do see on this website michele has a coupon book, that i will order, but beyond that i thought you might know the added value of other options as well. we are waiting for ireland tourism's free package to come, i did that a couple of weeks ago.

thanks again for your time,

debbie

Michele Erdvig · Host

Debbie,

The general discounts in Ireland are

1. Heritage Card: http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/HeritageCard/

2. Ireland Discount Coupon Pack (the 2006 coupons will be ready in Feb). You should wait till a few weeks before your trip to order since the later in the year, the more coupons I will have. (Do note that it is not a book but individual coupons.) I will be updating my website shortly with the 2006 offers: http://www.irelandyes.com/discounts.html

3. Ireland at a Glimpse: http://www.take-a-glimpse.com/

Now on to your itinerary:

2 nights in Dublin - day 1 - WESTSIDE. DAY 2 - SOUTHSIDE AND TRINITY CHURCH. * Fine.

2 nights in Kilkenny - DAY 3 CASTLETOWN IN KILDARE/THOMASTOWN JERPOINT ABBEY (ONLY 9 MILES AWAY FROM KILKENNY) AND A COREY'S TOUR IN KILKENNY - IF TIME, IF NOT JUST WALK AROUND IN KILKENNY. day 4 BALLYHACK CASTLE/KILMORE QUAY. * Fine.

day 5 - FROM KILKENNY OFF TO ROCK OF CASHEL/CAHIR CASTLE/SHANAGARRY (ONLY FOR STEPHEN PEARCE POTTERY) THEN TO KINSALE FOR NIGHT TO BREAK UP DRIVING. 1 night in Kinsale. * This is an awful lot to do in one day. I would check opening times of Stephen Pearce Pottery if that is very important to you. To fit this all in you must get an early start. Drive time to Cashel is about 1 hour. You need 1-2 hours at Rock of Cashel. Cahir Castle 2 hours. Another 1 1/2 hours to Shanagarry. Also time for lunch. You can see how it all adds up! BTW, there is a ferry from Cobh across the river that will avoid Cork City: http://www.scottcobh.ie/ferry.php

2 nights in Dingle - day 6 & 7 FIRST DAY THERE - MUCKROSS HOUSE AND ROSS CASTLE. 2ND DAY - SLEA HEAD AND STAY IN DINGLE AGAIN. * Fine.

2 nights in Kinvara - DAY 8 DRIVING FROM DINGLE TO KINVARA (ANYTHING WE SHOULD HIT ALONG THE WAY? WASN'T PLANNING ON STOPPING.) OUR PLANS WERE TO JUST HANGOUT WHEN WE GET THERE, RESTING FROM DRIVE....PUBS AT NIGHT. * You could ferry across the Shannon and see the Cliffs of Moher on the way. Or if you want to take the main road through Limerick instead, you could stop in Adare to see the thatched cottages. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park is also interesting.

DAY 9 - FROM KINVARA TO DOOLIN TO TAKE FERRY TO ARAN ISALNDS FOR THE DAY. STAY AGAIN IN KINVARA. * Keep in mind that if the weather or seas are not favorable the Doolin Ferry will not make the crossing. Have alternate plans in that event. Are you planning on the banquet at Dunguaire Castle?

DAY 10 KINVARA TO SEE CLIFFS OF MOHER AND THE BURREN ON THE WAY TO STAYING OUR LAST NIGHT IN ENNIS (PUBS AT NIGHT). * Fine.

Thanks for posting it differently.

Michele

guinness · Veteran Member

michele,

thanks so much for the reply.

* This is an awful lot to do in one day. I would check opening times of Stephen Pearce Pottery if that is very important to you. To fit this all in you must get an early start. Drive time to Cashel is about 1 hour. You need 1-2 hours at Rock of Cashel. Cahir Castle 2 hours. Another 1 1/2 hours to Shanagarry. Also time for lunch. You can see how it all adds up! BTW, there is a ferry from Cobh across the river that will avoid Cork City:

i knew you'd pick up on the time thing, should've included it in the revised post.....

we did figure out the time thing we thought, what do you think? if you think something is just touristy and not worth it, we'd love to know. our good plates are stephen pearce pottery and would like to see it in person in ireland.

cashel castle is open 9:30-5:30 (early start to there)

rock of cashel 9:30-5:30

stephen pearce is open 10-6

since we'd be driving a lot that's why we were staying in kinsale before heading to dingle.

http://www.scottcobh.ie/ferry.php will traffic be that horrible and time consuming thru cock that we SHOULD DO THIS or is it just a nice ride? i looked at the website and you can bring a car on it, so interesting and great idea if it will save time.

* You could ferry across the Shannon and see the Cliffs of Moher on the way. Or if you want to take the main road through Limerick instead, you could stop in Adare to see the thatched cottages. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park is also interesting. instead of when we planned to do cliffs/burren? our plan was:

DAY 10 KINVARA TO SEE CLIFFS OF MOHER AND THE BURREN ON THE WAY TO STAYING OUR LAST NIGHT IN ENNIS.

if you think that that would be better then do you have suggestions for day 10?

* Keep in mind that if the weather or seas are not favorable the Doolin Ferry will not make the crossing. Have alternate plans in that event. Are you planning on the banquet at Dunguaire Castle? they did mention that any ferry from doolin or galway might not go if inclement weather. but good point, no we didn't have a contingency plan......errrrrrr.

any ideas? do we have enough time to make a day trip to galway? we didn't have enough time w/ going to the islands, would we in this case? what would you do there?

was wondering how the hotels that you have been to are w/ leaving the bags when you can't check in yet, so you can go off w/ out lugging them around for hrs. esp. interested in dublin, since we will arrive in the am from boston and will be tired and most hotels check in at 2pm.

do you think it's a good idea to get trip insurance? since we won't be going thru a travel agent, potentially a large loss of money could happen if an emergency comes up. i did see a post about that and looked at the site that gives you many options. what do you think about all that?

looking forward to your help,

debbie :)

-- Edited by guinness at 07:13, 2006-01-24

-- Edited by guinness at 12:59, 2006-01-24

Michele Erdvig · Host

Debbie,

The Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle are some of the best sites in Ireland to see. I suggest you leave your Kilkenny lodgings at 8:30 and get on your way. If you hit Cork City rush-hour traffic you could be stuck in it for hours. It just depends on when you are approaching the city. You have the car ferry as a back-up idea.

As far as when to do the Cliffs of Moher, Burren, etc. let the weather determine it. You will enjoy the cliffs more in good weather. These two days are reversible.

You could easily do Galway City from Kinvara.

Hotels and B&Bs in Ireland will generally allow you to drop your luggage off in the morning and hold it till you check in. Make individual inquiries with your reservations.

Any time you could possibly lose a lot of money when traveling, it is a good idea to get insurance. The small percentage charged makes up with peace of mind.

Michele

guinness · Veteran Member

michele,

you're the best! all very snazzy advice :) i couldn't have done this w/o your and other forum members advice. i can't say that enough!

now going to find all hotels, now that you think the itinerary is fine. i guess the next step would be air and then figure out the insurance thing. i'm going to price all this out and then also price it w/ a travel agent (where insurance would be built in already) and see the best way to go. my only fear is that w/ a travel agent, i'm scared that i'd get a voucher for a room that's decided on a few days ahead, i'd like to know what i'm getting for a room (bed size, view, etc.....). maybe it's just that in the past for vacations i have put hotel and air together as a package and that's why i got a voucher. maybe if they are done seperately for a more personalized trip, then we can pick and choose a bit more.

hopefully you won't mind answering some questions about the hotels i pick before i actually book them, just want to make sure if you'd heard good things about them (don't want to run into a bad situation).

thanks once again,

debbie