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Post Info TOPIC: Itinerary advice


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Itinerary advice


I have planned a trip to Ireland this June with my husband and two adult children. We all went together 18 years ago and want to revisit some of our favorite areas. We only have 6 nights. We would love recommendations for sites and restaurants. My children are looking forward to the food and pubs. We want to see the countryside more than cities.  We are flying in to Shannon from Boston and land at 6 am. My husband will be doing the driving. We will be staying at the Trident in Kinsale the first two nights so we would love recommendations for the drive there and during our stay.  We will then be driving to Kenmare to stay at the Park Hotel for two nights and then driving to Cong to stay at Ashford Castle for two nights.  We will then drive back to Shannon for my children to fly home and my husband and I to fly to London to go to Bath and Wimbledon.  Any recommendations of places to visit or restaurants and pubs would be appreciated. 



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Nancy Sanborn


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Welcome to Michele's Forum!  I'm glad that you are able to be making a return to Ireland.  I'm a bit concerned about your Arrival Day plan, but with careful attention, it CAN done.

Shannon to Kinsale is an awfully long haul when fresh off an overnight flight.  Even though Google calls the 152-kilometer drive at just over two hours, the N20 is a notoriously slow road that has seen little significant improvement over the years. I suspect ACTUAL drive time will be closer to 3 1/2 hours, door-to-door.

Beyond that, the rest of your plan seems reasonable.

Have you booked a car yet?  Demand is WAY up and Supply is WAY down -- so prices are semi-astronomical!

You don't mention your interests, so advising sites is a bit problematical -- as what is interesting to ME might not hold much appeal to YOU.  It would also help to know what general routes you plan to follow.  For example:

On the drive from Kinsale to Kenmare, will you follow the SW coast, along the N71, head inland, via Bantry, or follow the most direct, N22 / R569? 

Departing Kenmare for Cong, do you plan a visit to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, or stops in Limerick and / or Bunratty?

 

 



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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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Thank you for the info. We definitely want to go to the Cliffs of Moher on our ride to Cong as we did on our first visit. We havent mapped out specific routes yet so I was hoping the points of interest along the way would dictate the route. We are interested in more of the small town feel and some historic sites. We are open to all ideas. Thank you. Nancy

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Nancy Sanborn


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Nancy,

Welcome to the forum. You will see a lot of changes in Ireland since your last visit 18 years ago.

Hopefully your husband will get some sleep on the plane and be fresh for the drive to Kinsale. If he is tired I suggest frequent stops to get coffee or stretch the legs and wake up. About halfway between Shannon & Kinsale is the small town of Kilmalock with ruins of two churches and a castle gate in town. There is a small museum beside the larger church ruin that is free. That would require a small detour from the main motorway but it is one of those out-of-the-way places that make Ireland special. Blarney Castle & Gardens is just a few miles from Cork, but perhaps that is on the agenda for day 2? Just across the harbor from Kinsale is Cobh, which is a charming town with The Queenstown Museum, St. Colman's Cathedral and colorful houses. It was Titanic's last port of call.

Many good restaurants in Kinsale. A few I can recommend: Jim Edwards, Dino's, Vista Wine Bar. You can drive across the bridge and turn left to visit The Dock Pub. It brings to mind the lyrics "sitting by the dock of the bay". Just up the hill from the pub in James Fort.

If you really want off-the-beaten-path try Gougane Barra (between Cork & Kenmare)

You are in for a treat staying at the Park Hotel. Kenmare is my favorite small town in Ireland. On your second day you should consider driving the Beara Peninsula. A couple of articles about it:

Gleninchaquin

Tea at Josies

Lots of good restaurants in Kenmare: No. 35, Limetree, Davitt's, Foleys, Park Hotel. 

I will finish with Cong on my next post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

Click links for Michele's Book or Custom Ireland Itinerary

Visit Michele's Irish Shop for unique Irish gifts and beautiful photos of Ireland.



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For your time in Cong I suggest you and the family sit down and watch the old movie "The Quiet Man" starring John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara. It is filmed in Cong and at Ashford Castle. There are walks around the castle grounds that take in some of the scenes such as "patty fingers" at the church and Danaher's farm. Here are a couple of my blog articles about Cong (with photos) that you might enjoy:

Cong Woods

Cong Abbey

They also do falconry at the castle which you should book in advance if interested.

BTW, How old are your kids?

 



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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

Click links for Michele's Book or Custom Ireland Itinerary

Visit Michele's Irish Shop for unique Irish gifts and beautiful photos of Ireland.



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Thank you so much for all the wonderful information. My children are 26 and 34.

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Nancy Sanborn


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I guess the "kids" won't be asking "when will we get there" then!



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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

Click links for Michele's Book or Custom Ireland Itinerary

Visit Michele's Irish Shop for unique Irish gifts and beautiful photos of Ireland.

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