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mywarren


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My daughter and I are wondering if it's a good idea to fly into Dublin and immediately get our car and head toward Kilkenny instead of spending our first night in Dublin?  Is there anything we are not aware of that would make this a poor choice?  We are planning seven or eight nights and doing the loop around the southern half of the country, ending with one or two nights in Dublin.

Our (Uneducated) thought is that if we fly into Shannon, we would waste too much time backtracking to head up to Galway/Connemara and then back down to Killarney.  Is there a reason this would be a better way to start our adventure?

Any opinions or suggestions are welcome.



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Mitzi Warren
tony2phones


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Hi, welcome.

giving 3 places on an itinerary makes the best advice difficult .. What is the full story, places, rough dates?

There is no right or wrong way but with only 7 or 8 nights seeing half of the island could be a little ambitious if not carefully thought out,,


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Michele Erdvig


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Assuming you arrive in Dublin early I see no problem with getting a rental car and driving to Kilkenny the first day. The drive will take about 2 hours. That is the max I generally recommend when people arrive with jet-lag in Ireland.

If you have no desire to see Dublin then Shannon makes a great gateway to Ireland. It is much more rural and learning to drive on the left seems easier than traffic in and around Dublin Airport.

As Tony suggested, if you tell us your interests and places that appeal to you we can better answer your questions with specific instead of general info.



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mywarren


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Current thought is to fly into Dublin with overnights in Kilkenny, Cork, Killarney, Limerick, two nights in Galway and then last two nights in Dublin.

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Mitzi Warren
mywarren


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Oh, we would be traveling during the last 2 weeks of May.

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Mitzi Warren
Michele Erdvig


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You can do that in 8 nights but you will really be on the move all around Ireland. I think the mistake most people make is looking at a map of Ireland and thinking it is a very tiny place. In reality it takes time to drive around. Think 35 mph. Then there is more time visiting different sightseeing venues. Finding your accommodations, checking in, packing up every morning, checking out and moving on all takes time.

So it really depends on what type of travel you are interested in. Do you want a whirlwind trip so you can check things off your "must see" list or to see a little less and cover less territory? Everyone must make their own choices. You can use this tool: http://www.theaa.ie/routes/ Get mileage (not kilometers) and divide by 35 to get pretty accurate drive times. 

Check the section "Choose a Travel Style" under my blog article: http://irelandyes.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/plan-your-trip-to-ireland-in-ten-easy-steps-2/ It may help you make a decision.

Generally, Cork and Limerick are not tourist destinations. But perhaps you have connections there? 



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mywarren


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Our styles are a little different - my daughter wanted to see "Everything" and I'm more interested in spending a little more time to explore few areas. I like the idea of more than one night in a room and not having to pack up each day.

We have decided to delete the nights in Cork and Limerick, staying two nights in Killarney and three in the Galway area. We will keep the Rock of Cashel, Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Kylemore Abbey on the list. I want to spend a lot of time in Galway and Connemara. We will either begin or end with two nights in Dublin. We have been using your website and tourism books to plan - thanks for your comments and please let me know if there is something we should definitely NOT miss.



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Mitzi Warren
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It's impossible to see Everything in eight days, but it IS possible to see Everything that 8 days Allows!  biggrin  biggrin

Good idea to 'break your trip into manageable bites -- Dublin, Kilkenny, Killarney and Galway offer LOTS -- without the ONUS of EXTREME 'Windshield' time.  biggrin biggrin biggrin

Your daughter will doubles find those cities/towns to her liking, with many tourism and youth-oriented activities.



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tony2phones


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End of May, definitely not miss? Ennis http://www.fleadhnua.com/  great base for all county Clare http://www.visitennis.com/  And only 40 minutes from Ireland's most user friendlily airport, Shannon. 



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mywarren


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Ok, we have booked our flights - into Shannon on May 9th and out of Dublin on the 17th. We plan to stay in the Galway area 3 nights, 2 in Killarney, one in Kilkenny and 2 in Dublin. So, any suggestions for those areas are appreciated. Looks like we will be too early for Ennis festival, though.

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Mitzi Warren
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Good for you!  Now, it becomes REALLY real.  biggrin  biggrin

Check Michele's LODGINGS page for her recs -- we've NEVER been disappointed by any that we've stayed at.

http://www.irelandyes.com/lodgings.html



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Bob

Help Us to Help You.  The more you tell us about your plans (dates, interests, budget), the better we can tailor our advice to suit!
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