Hi, I'm taking a summer trip to Ireland, and am trying to decide how to best spend the time. We will be coming from Galway and ending in Kinsale, and debating about the days in between. Should we go to Dingle on the way, or Kilkenny? We're taking public transportation. Kilkenny seems possibly to be easier regarding bus routes, but Dingle more highly recommended.
Also, if we go to Kilkenny on the way to Kinsale, will it be too much to squeeze in the Rock of Cashel as well?
Thanks.
My two cents on this, if you are looking for off the beaten path, Dingle is the way to go. If you could find time to take in Bunratty Castle as you make your way from Galway over to Kinsale, it might be worthy of taking a look at. We have always rented a car, so I am uncertain about the public transportation (bus) and the scheduling thereof. We have occasionally used the bus to travel into Dublin from our rental outside the city and found it to be very efficient and cost effective. Have not spent much time in Kilkenny (big cityish for us). One thing I feel certain of is that wherever you ramble round Ireland you will indeed have a grand time. Are you planning three nights stopping along the way from Galway to Kinsale? or looking for a straight-shot from Galway to Kilkenny and then on to Kinsale? Should you have three nights to make this journey you can find some lovely little towns to pop into for a night along the way. Hope this helps and that I have not made things murkier. Bill
Dingle is more difficult to get to by public transit as the train doesn’t go there. You could take a long bus trip from Galway to get there, or you could take the train to a certain point, then take the bus, but this will also consume a lot of time. This is why I did not attempt to get to Dingle by bus or train as I didn’t want to spend so much time getting there when I could be doing other things. I chose, instead to go to Killarney, and did some guided day trips from there, including one to Dingle. The Rock of Cashel was a bit of a logistical problem by train/bus. I was coming from Killarney, by train to Cork, caught a bus to Cashel, walked to the castle (chained my backpack to a post near the entrance as there are no storage lockers), then caught another bus to a train station to get to Kilkenny. This was about 15 years ago so maybe it’s a bit easier now.
