We’ve had 2 trips, so far. If you drew a line between Dublin and Galway, the first trip was south of there, and the second was to the north. First trip, we were on touring bicycles, so moving slower than if we’d had a car, and didn’t get to Cork. Both trips were for 3 weeks.
Are you flying into Dublin? Any chance of doing an “open jaw,” using Shannon Airport, flying in one and out of the other, cutting some travel time and distance?
We’ve primarily used B&B’s, staying usually 2-3 nights and moving on. The trip that included Dingle, we had a Homeaway/VRBO stay for several nights, but it was a cozy thatched-roof cottage, not big enough for 7, so I won’t give you more specific details about it.
The northern trip, September 2019, we were based in Clifden for several nights, and day trips included the Hawk Walk at Ashford Castle. Do the extended program, so you can fly their Eagle Owl, too, in addition to Harris Hawks. Then we stayed up on Achill Island, reachable by bridge. A beautiful, isolated beach, and a somber, deserted Famine Village are among the sights. We then stayed outside of Sligo town, base for fabulous scenic drives, then made our way up to Northern Ireland. We visited Derry for an afternoon, although Rick Steves lists it as a favorite place to stay awhile. For the Giant’s Causeway, we stayed just outside Bushmills. There’s a major whiskey distillery in Bushmills, too, but their tours are limited to a small number of people at a time. We showed up, unannounced, but a bus had arrived just ahead of us, with 16 or so people, taking up that very next tour slot, and we were told we’d have to wait an hour for the next one. We said, “thanks, but we’ll pass.”
Just northeast of Belfast, on the coast, is the revitalized The Gobbins, a worthwhile experience. A hundred years ago, enterprising locals installed steel and iron walkways, ramps, and stairs into the rough cliffs, allowing visitors to visit what would otherwise be an inaccessible, but amazing coastline. It fell into disuse and disrepair over the decades, but has now been repaired and restored, up to modern safety standards, and a guided tour lasts an hour or so. A seal kept following us as we proceeded along the walkways, popping its head out of the water to look at us, as we looked out at him. They have a minimum age for participants, as I recall, so I think the 2-year-old and an attending adult would have to skip the experience.
We finished in Dublin for our flight home, after some nights based in Trim, for seeing the Neolithic Valley of the Boyne sights. You don’t mention them, but older than The Pyramids in Egypt, they are mysterious and worth a visit.
