Draw a line Galway to Dublin, what's your favorite sight north of that line?

I was in Ireland in 1995. The one day we could have gone to the North to see the Giant's Causeway was July 12, an Orangemen's marching day. In those days, it wasn't considered safe to go, so we didn't. 23 years later, I went. I wish I had see the Slieve League instead. I just hope I don't have to wait another 23 years to get back.

Hi Brad,
I looked going to Belfast, Giants Causeway, and the Rope Bridge that is up north.

I do want to go north of Galway and try the seaweed baths.

I’d recommend Kylemore Abbey and gardens. We loved our visit there.

The most memorable place we visited north of Dublin was definitely Bru na Boinne (Newgrange and Knowth). The Titanic Museum in Belfast and Giant's Causeway were also great spots to visit, but Bru na Boinne is a definite must-see.

There is so much to see and do in the north, it's difficult to pick the best thing.
Yes Giants Causeway is very nice.

We really enjoyed going to Ashford Castle for the Hawk Walk and then on to Cong for lunch and all of the "Quiet Man" settings-it was filmed there and at Ashford Castle.
Donegal and Slieve League have exceptional scenery,
We really liked Derry and the wall around the old city.
We toured the Belleek factory and did some shopping.
There is the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh-open air museum, excellent.

I really enjoyed the Titanic Belfast Experience. I'm not all that big of a "Titanic" fan, but this museum is so well done that one can't help but really have a good time there. The HMS Caroline is moored nearby if you are interested in touring a WWI destroyer.

Dunluce Castle, Giant's Causeway, etc are a lot of fun. We stayed at Bayview Hotel in Port Balintrae and I can heartily recommend it. Lovely town with the hotel overlooking the little harbor. We walked to Giants Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Bushmills, and Port Rush from the hotel, but you could drive as well. We spent three nights and that seemed about right for enjoying the area if on foot. With a car, perhaps two would be enough.

Another highlight for us was the Ireland School of Falconry at Ashford Castle near Cong. Not that far north of Galway, but a very pleasant experience. Westport is an interesting town if you enjoy bike riding at all.

Just returned a week ago from our North trip (having done a trip to the South the first time), but we went clockwise, having taken the bus from the Dublin airport directly to Galway to start the trip. Finishing in Dublin worked better for us. But going clockwise, our memorable stops would've included the Stone-Age tomb sights at Bru na Boinne, including Dowth and the Knocknarea Cairns, not just Newgrange and Howth), and we hired local author and guide Anthony Murphy (see his Mythical Ireland Website), who was invaluable with his insight as to their astronomical alignments, links with Irish folklore, and bits that many people would otherwise miss.

In Northern Ireland, we did the unique, reestablished Gobbins Path walk, where a grey seal followed us around the cliff path much of the way,. We also visited the Giant's Causeway, worthwhile despite busloads of people in late September. May shouldn't be too, too crowded, but I hate to imagine July and August crowds. We actually arrived there after a 5-mile hike from the east, which provided lots of stunning views, along with scarily fierce winds. Locals on the hiking path said that day was relatively calm, though!

In northern Donegal, we stayed and ate at The Mill just outside Dunfanaghey. The Dunfanaghey Workhouse, just down the road and described in Rick Steves' book, was quaint but not necessarily worth a 2-hour trip just to see it, but a top restaurant and comfortable B&B made the trip very wirthwhile. Farther South, the Slieve League cliffs and bay were scenic but didn't appear to live up to the "2,000 foot high, highest cliffs in Europe" billing. The low clouds and rain may have blocked some of the views, and maybe we missed a lt of tall cliffs, but they didn't, really make the more-visited, supposedly less-tall Cliffs of Moher, south of Galway, seem that puny.

More Stone-age sights at Ceide Fields, Carrowmore, and Carrowkeel (drive the road up the hill up as far as you can before it's blocked, then start walking), if you're as in to that sort of thing, as are we. And don't miss taking the boat tour of Killary Fjord, and get some mussells on board at the surprisingly good little bar/cafe on the boat, as you glide past the beds where they were raised.

And we did the extended Falconry experience - worth the extra time and cost. After sharing Beckett the hawk between the two of us (everyone can have their own hawk if they prefer, but sharing frees up one person to take photos until you trade off), we also got to fly their cool owl.

Spring for the smallest rental car that will accommodate you and your luggage -- dealing with narrow roads, unforgiving stone walls, and some tight parking spots will reward your choice.

Thanks for your responses. On my first trip I did visit Newgrange from Dublin. I plan to go back to see the other passage tomb option this time. If it's still available, I'll probably take a bus Eire tour to Glendalough too. I was with my mom last time and didn't plan any pub crawls in Dublin. I'm hoping to do at least a couple, probably literature or traditional music themed.

I'm flying into Dublin because I don't like to have a car in a big city. It works well to pick it up when I leave Dublin, then drop it when I get back. If I chose Shanon to Shanon, I'd have a car while staying in Dublin or have two rentals. I'll stay in Dublin a several nights on arrival then rent a car and start driving. It really doesn't matter if I go clockwise or counter-clockwise but I thought north from Dublin starts me counter-clockwise so I'll go with that.

Generally I don't reserve lodging ahead of time because I want to have maximum flexibility on the ground. I'll probably book Dublin for my initial stay and at least one night again before flying home. Depending on how my trip goes, I may stay only one night at the end of my trip or several more nights. I won't really know until I have a better idea of my pace. Other than that I'll use Tripadvisor and Airbnb to book same or near same day. Unless someone tags along, it will be just me.

I certainly want to see the big, widely known, sites but I'm also looking for things that stood out as really memorable to people here - a great view, an experience and/or anything related to history. My mom's family goes back to the "flight of the wild geese" period from Derry circa 1750. According to family lore, they were some of the first settlers in NW Georgia.

I also missed any island ferries on my first trip. If you have some to recommend that might fit into my itinerary, that would be helpful also.

We drove to Sligo City from Dublin (with a stop at Newgrange). The scenery was amazing...it's mountainous in that neck of the woods. Sligo itself seemed very authentic to us. Great music. Enjoyed a walking tour of the city...found it via the TI.

Sligo sounds nice. I prefer small towns.

I'm a little concerned about Belfast. The suggested sights (Titanic, Cab tour of the Troubles, etc.) don't particularly interest me. Is it sacrilege to skip Belfast?

I love history but I prefer European history that predates the US. The Troubles and IRA aren't nearly as interesting to me as Newgrange or Glendalough.

Not sacrilege to miss NI and Belfast. There are countless archeological sites to be seen. Hill of Tara, Rathcroghan in County Roscommon, the megalithic cemetary at Carrowmore, in county Clare the Poulnabrone dorman,the Rock of Dunamese and the Dromeg Stone Circle in West Cork. There's also the deserted medieval village, Rindoon on the N61

I also liked seeing Jeerpoint Abbey, Rock of Cashel

Thanks Claudia,

I went around the coasts of Southern Ireland the first time so I didn't see Rock of Cashel my first trip. Since I'm solo I'm considering dipping down to see it between Inishmore and ending in Dublin. Rick talks about the Kilkenny having narrow medieval lanes. When I look at photos, however, it doesn't appear medieval. Is it?

I'm aslo wondering about Skellig Michael, another possible off the planned track stop. I had my mom with me last time, so I skipped anything that seemed precarious or difficult. It looks really interesting. I'm not at all interested in the Star Wars link. Has tourism gone up considerably and is the crowd there to see a Star Wars sight or would I love it?

If you like old history, don’t skip the Arin isles. Ferry leaves from near Galway and make an excellent day trip. I agree with the Giants Causeway and skipping Belfast. The one place not yet mentioned is Londonderry or Derry. They are the same place and which name you use is based on whether you are English or Republican. The old town is surrounded by a wall you can walk. From one side you will see the murals that were painted to showcase the Troubles. The bridge over the river is the Peace Bridge to signal the end the Troubles although not everyone agrees they are over.

Brad, Skellig Michael in June 2011 was well worth the trip. It involves a climb if you go tho the top, but noone has to go all the way up, if doing the stairs the whole way would pose any problems. This predated the Star Wars link, so noone was wearing a Darth Vader costume then.

But, as you may know, coat crossings are never guaranteed, and you trip may be canceled that day, if the seas are too rough. Birds, views, history, and more views, along with some exclusivity, Star Wars notwithstanding. Everyone who can make the trip, should go at least once in their life. If others are their for their own reason, enjoy your visit for your reason.

Yes, I'm hoping the weather will be good enough to visit islands in May. If not, I keep my schedule loose enough to either skip it or move my visit a day or two either direction.

So far I'm good to climb.

Hi Brad,
I'm planning a trip to the northern part of Ireland in January and February 2019 for two weeks. I've seen much of the south so this time I'm concentrating on the north. My itinerary is pretty specific toward what interests me, probably won't appeal to everyone. My interests are archaeology, hiking and drinking Guinness. I prefer staying in smaller towns and day tripping to the country each day to get lost. I don't plan on spending much time in the towns in which I'm staying. Also, I'm wasting a bit of time by flying into Dublin (been there 3 times) but the flight there was so cheap I had no choice. Here's what I have so far:

Fly into Dublin. Drive to Rossaveel for boat to Inishmore: 3 nights
Westport: 2 nights
Donegal: 2 nights
Derry: 3 nights
Nearby Belfast: 2 nights (like you I feel an obligation to see Belfast)
Somewhere between Belfast and Dublin: 2 nights

I have a long list of things I want to see in each of these areas.
Jason

I have friends who live in Leeds. They are lobbying hard for me to visit while I'm there, so I think the last weekend, I'll fly over on RyanAir and visit. Hopefully this only reduces my time in Dublin. I've been before and have a finite set of sights to see this trip.

Ireland is pretty small and even the longest drives can be done in a day. I wish I could show you my Google Map with all my "want to see" pins in it. It's pretty extensive and needs to be pared back. My trip will certainly include all my favorites: ring forts, passage tombs, dolmans, cliffs, castle/abbey/monastic ruins, small towns, sea views, traditional music sessions and conversations with as many locals as possible.