Finally able to come up for air after our whirlwind trip to Ireland March 29-April 5, 2006.  My wife, my child and I (see "Ireland with a 10 year old" posts in the forum) had a tremendous time.  The nonstop Aer Lingus flights to/from Dublin were perfect, and after a little initial rain, the skies were blue for the rest of our visit.

This was my wife & I's 2nd trip to Ireland, but our 1st to the east coast.  In Dublin we stayed at the Jurys Inn Parnell Square, which was fine - the rooms were comfortable & the people at reception were helpful (the Christchurch location does seem more convenient, but it didn't take long to walk to where we wanted to go). 

From Thursday to Saturday, we took the Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour, stopping at Trinity, Dublin Castle, St. Stephens Green, Guinness (the view from the top is amazing!), Kilmainham Gaol (very powerful, especially the history it has with the uprising) and Dublin Writer's Museum.  The Joyce Centre was closed for renovation (dang).  The tour drivers were perfectly Irish, very funny & informative.  We found it interesting that most of the restaurant food servers were not Irish - we encountered Japanese, German, Polish.  We enjoyed having dinner Friday night at the colorful Brazen Head Pub, but were disappointed that they don't allow anyone under 18 after 9 pm in any pub in Ireland (I had read something contradictory on the web before the trip).  I also learned that on weekend nights, all the venues featuring traditional music in Temple Bar (and elsewhere) are packed to the rafters.  So, aside from hearing a solo guitarist at Sullivan's on O'Connell (at Fleet), I was unable to enjoy some traditional music.  Couldn't find it the entire trip!  We'll have to go back in summer one year, when traditional is easier to find.  (Just read an article in the LA Times travel section - the writer had the night of her life in a pub in Skibbereen - in summer).  FYI - CANNOT recommend dinner at Flanagans on O'Connell St. just south of Parnell Square.

On Sunday we rented a car and headed for Killkenny, leaving the rain & big city hustle behind us.  We hit many of the sites on the walking tour, & the guided tour at the castle was terrific.  We stumbled onto a B&B on Freshford Road in Bishops Meadows: Pinecrest.  Very nice house - Helen and Liam there were great & helpful.  Pretty good dinner at the Langford Hotel bar area.  The next morning, at Helen & Liam's suggestion, we climbed the tower at St. Canice's Cathedral & enjoyed the amazing view (don't tell the funny guy at the base... my son wasn't the required 12 years old - he's an agile 10!).

We took a self-guided tour at the Rock of Cashel (the LA Times article indicated colorful guided tours - in summer as well), then saw the castle at Cahir.  My son enjoyed this location the most.  Heading toward Waterford, we went thru the Knockmealdown mountains - the view of the valley below was unbelievable, something we'll never forget (especially given the photos).  Quintessentially Irish and breathtaking.  Traffic was crazy through Waterford & New Ross - so we called ahead to a B&B named Port-a-Chalaigh in the Ferrybank section of Arklow, run by Irene Sweeney.  It would've been nice to have made it up to Avoca or some other quiet town with a selection of farmlike B&Bs, but it was late.

On Tuesday we observed the handweavers at Avoca (very interesting), then relaxed at the upper lake at Glendalough, and finished the day off with a visit to Powerscourt Gardens (brilliant blue skies all day).  We braved Dublin traffic to get to a B&B in Port Marnock called Great Keppel run by Alvis Crawford.  The shoreline over there is very... California!  We drove into Malahide for dinner at Giovanni's, which I can recommend - good food & atmosphere.

Overall, it was interesting to see the changes in Ireland since we'd last visited for our honeymoon in 1994.  It seems like everyone is making a concerted effort to modernize, which is a blessing and a curse.  The southeast is quite green and beautiful, but I remember the west being more rugged and the people there more colorful.  And the traditional music more plentiful, even in spring.  It's also distressing walking through small towns & having large tanker trucks rumble past.  But when you find a place and a moment of serenity, you forget all about that.

I see my wife and I taking one more trip to Ireland when we're older, for a longer period of time, in summer, combining the best of the west and the south - & having a perfect pub night in Skibbereen.

Thanks again for all your help - I plan to keep tabs on where this site's members are visiting!

Chris Joyce