older traveler

Where do you plan to go? A car (outside of Dublin) will be helpful. In Dublin, learn how to use public transportation. The Hop On/Hop Off bus will take you to the most popular tourist areas.

Last year I looked into taking my mom to Ireland. She had just had back surgery and has knee problems. she was using a rolling walker at the time. We thought about renting a house on the Dingle Peninsula or the Ring of Kerry. I looked at this site http://www.imagineireland.com/Kerry-cottages/default.asp There are several properties that are 'accesible'- with bedrooms and accesible baths on the ground floor. We had planned to rent a car in Dublin after spending a day or two there, then spend a week at the house ( most prefer to rent for that length of time), do some day trips, then return to Dublin, spend 1 night and fly home. I also looked at custom escorted tours (you get a car and driver/guide) with stops of 2-3 nights in length. It is possible to do either. Neither is cheap, but the first option seemed the most relaxing.
We didn't get to make our trip- too many other complications. I hope you get to take your mom. Ireland is beautiful (been there one time, myself and my cousin did his student teaching there last year).

Good for you, do it!!! There are some places not sure she can enjoy, I think Newgrange is a walk from the bus to the site, same with Rock of Cashel. However, you can work it out. With the Rock, I seem to remember there is car park there where she can at least see the site and you two can go into the area. With Newgrange, maybe she can stay at the reception area and have tea while you tour the site. Blarney don't think she would be able to climb what I remember is three or four winding flights of narrow stairs and a lot of waiting. It is the standing in line that is more tiring. I did trip with my dad to San Francisco and he could not walk far so he would walk a bit, stop a bit and catch his breath and then push on. He even made it all the way to Alcatraz (sp?) doing the same thing. So glad we did it as he died less than two years later. You really should do it, will be a trip you won't forget. With a car you will have no problems and most B&B's are definitely within walking of restaurant. As other poster said, hop on bus takes you to all sights in Dublin. Go for it!!

The key elements are 1) how far/much can your mother walk and 2) what do you want to do? If she can walk a fair amount, but slowly, plan fewer sights with extra time to rest. If she can't walk much, even with rest, it may be seeing things from transportation. I used the HOHO in Dublin and it certainly took us near some nice sights. The cathedrals are probably do-able even with someone who can't walk too far. Something like the goal or Dublin Castle would be hard if you can't walk very far. But just taking the ride will let you see a lot. Trinity College is probably doable for someone who can't walk far as the library and Book of Kells is not that far from the entrance. Even from other parts of the country, we took some day trips that gave us good views. For example, from Galway, we took a day tour to Clonmacnoise. The bus let us out fairly close to the site and I think someone could do it even if they had trouble walking. They probably couldn't spend as much time there as a more active person but it was a pleasant drive and good site with a small museum. I think planning will be the key as some places just take walking. We visited Kilkenny but the main sights (the cathedral and castle) are on opposite sides of the town and I didn't see a lot of taxis or buses. So plan ahead, reduce the number of sights you want to see and enjoy the trip.

Having traveled with my mother as she approached her 80s, I think I can assure you that you'll be glad ifyou can work this out. I believe you could really enjoy Ireland even skipping the cities and sites others have mentioned. Last year I took someone who was handicapped and we completely skipped the cities because I had concerns about his safety (since cars would be approaching from the "wrong" direction as he crossed streets). We had a great trip. Much of Ireland is the lovely scenery, and that can be appreciated from a car and easy roadside stops. There are some good books of short driving tours through various parts of Ireland. You might want to look at one of those books. I used one issued by Frommers and found great ideas in it.

I took my mom on trips as she approached her 80's. At 75, she was very frail, but rallied in Chicago's Magnificent Mile, exhausting my sporty teen daughter and me beyond belief! As she aged, she liked to sit more, let us explore a little more, and then we'd talk about it over tea. It can be expensive sitting, indeed, but the things she sees and the times you share are priceless. Then there was the time I had to carry her upstairs to a lousy motel after she insisted she knew the way! I was laughing so hard I could have dropped her! Hop on Hop off might be daunting, like escalators can be... It really depends on your mom.