First Family Trip to Ireland

Here are a couple of ideas that came from my trip to Dingle, Dublin, Kerry, the cliffs etc. First off don't worry so much about staying near the airport on the night before your return. We rented our car at the airport and dropped it off there but then took the bus one way and a taxi bck to the airport the morning of our return. I had like an 8 AM flight so we had the cab arrive at close to 5 AM but it ws no problem cab arrived right on time and drive from the Temple Bar area to the airport was like half an hour, dropped right at your gate. My point is we got to spend some time in Dublin that we would hve missed had we been out near the airport, stay down in the city and enjoy the uniqueness of Dublin, your boys will love it. When doing the Ring of Kerry we hired a driver the day of the ring and it was awesome. It gave me a chance to sit bck an enjoy the scenery rather than squeeze along the roadway and miss many out of the way sights our driver provided...it was not real cheap but it was the best money I spent on the trip. Great guy, great van, perfect for a family of 4 with three tall dudes. Here is Paul Brown's link. http://www.kenmaretaxitours.com/home.htm We also really enjoyed a hawk walk up in Cong, that may be out of your way too much but I believe there is one down in the Dingle/Kenmare/Killarney area. We also track down a gaelic football playoff game in Dingle one afternoon and it was a blast sitting with the locals and learning the game. I'd spend three days or so in Dingle and a couple out in Kenmare and would give the Cliff's of Kerry a good look. Hve fun, drive carefully and prepare your maps!

Dingle: In May 2018 we spent 2 nights at this AirBnB, a short 5-minute drive from the action in Dingle. It's 2 BR, altho we were only 2. Very comfortable; good value. The clothes washer was a plus at that stage of our 3-week trip. The highly recommended Slea Head Loop drive begins just down the road from the apartment. Maunza was a gracious but unobtrusive hostess. (If interested, you should inquire about the beds; I'm just under 6 ft and don't recall any problems; not sure about 6'5"!)

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17935423?guests=1&adults=1

Time and weather permitting, try to traverse the short but spectacular Conor Pass on your way in or out of Dingle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7lNc6iIy1I

If Kenmare is a possibility for your time on the Ring/Kerry, take a look at the Ashfield Inn (BnB): http://www.ashfieldkenmare.com/ (Kenmare vs. Killarney is a hot debate on the Forum; most favoring Kenmare, I believe.) Ashfield Inn worked well for us; great breakfast included; Mary, the hostess, is a consummate hospitality pro.

Finally, for that last night in Dublin: we were satisfied with the Holiday Inn Express near the airport; there's a pricier Crowne Plaza next door. Hardly luxury, but dependable with reliable bus service to the terminals. (We checked-in; unloaded bags; and returned the rental car on arrival evening to minimize hassles the next morning. Found a nice Italian restaurant around the corner.)

Useful -- as always -- suggestions by jarrardd. We relied on his comments a great deal in planning our trip. His suggestion about spending the last night in Dublin (vs at the airport) makes sense. We'd already spent several days in Dublin and I over-think the flight days. Do, however, be mindful of the US Preclearance at DUB that saves you time upon arrival in the US, but is essentially the equivalent of two separate security checks (including carry-ons) at DUB.

If you are leaving home on May 28 and returning on June 6, then you only have 8 days on the ground in Ireland. If I were you I would first head to County Clare and the town/village where your family-named bar is located. That's the most important place you'd want to see, yes?

With so few days I would definitely not try to fit in all of the places you've listed: Dingle, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs, Skellig Michael, etc. Choose one or two. Avoid one-night stays as they are exhausting and they eat up a lot of time with packing and unpacking, checking in and checking out, and simply navigating to a new place.

If you stay your last couple of nights in Dublin, you'll have at least one full day to explore the city. Lodging in Dublin is as expensive as it is in any other major city, but worthwhile since Dublin has so much to offer. You might try to choose a hotel or B&B that is on/near one of the airport bus routes, as the airport bus is reliable and affordable. OTOH, with four of you, the cost of a taxi probably won't be much higher than four bus fares.

As many people on these forums have said, the beauty in the experience of Ireland lies in just savoring the place where you are, not rushing from one destination to another.

Another thought.....a place like Castlemaine is perfectly located for day trips to Dingle, the ROK and the great sights NEAR, not in, Killarney. We on one trip only had 4 nights there but still rented an AWESOME comfortable house for a week but just used the 4 nights. Super near two great pubs for food and music (loved the Anvil Pub).....and within 20 minutes of anything you might need. Great thing was it was still less expensive than B&B or hotel rentals for 4 nights. 4 comfortable bedrooms, full kitchen great living room and sunroom with spectacular views and a herd of sheep ! So loved coming back and having a peat fire, warmth and comfort and the feel of living in Ireland. Anyway Just another option...We book through Shamrock Cottages.

Second the thought of limiting stops to a couple. Cliffs of Kerry far better than the beautiful but tourist clogged Cliffs of Moher and they're right there just off the ROK. So much to see there. More than any place we've ever been the more you slow down the more magical Ireland is. You still see tons of stuff....but having a calm unhurried approach and not sweating what you "miss" leads you to find pearls of far greater value.

Have a great trip.....and consider a home option even for a limited number of nights....the incredible comfort, calm and price make it a very viable possibility.

Thanks to all for the recommendations. Things are slowly coming together for our trip. We have received several confirmations from our AirB&B requests and we are waiting for a few responses back so we are very excited. The first and last night we need to stay in Dublin so would love to get some recommendations on a place that would be in the middle of it all. Currently staying one night at a B&B in Cashel, two nights at a 150 year old cottage in Cahersiveen on the ROK, two nights at a B&B on Dingle, two nights at a waterfront home in Lahinch, Clare County. Hopefully we confirm the requests tomorrow and can focus on those one night stays in Dublin. Again- anyone have a recommendation for a family of 4 in Dublin for one night each to kick off and end our trip? Thanks again!!

Anything in or near the city center will be pretty expensive that time of year. Prices will go down the further out you go. Might check booking.com to see if anything pops up for 4 people.
You probably want to avoid the city center/Temple Bar area anyway - gets pretty noisy in the evening (until the wee hours).
We stayed at the Leeson Bridge Guesthouse on our last trip. Nice place, good breakfast, and a level half mile walk to St Stephens Green and Grafton St. And there's an Airlink shuttle stop right out in front. http://www.leesonbridgehouse.ie/.

We toured last summer for 3 ½ weeks. It was our big family trip! My daughter was 14 at the time. She loved it! One way we eliminated some of the planning angst was to use Rick's book to select our evening meal locations and we assigned that to my dad. We just followed him to the place and happily ate what we were served. We never had a bad meal and in fact had some of our best!

We found it worked really well for our schedule to do 3 nights one place and then perhaps a 1 night stay somewhere and then another 3 nights. I highly recommend the Greenmount House in Dingle either as a 1 night stay or longer. We stayed for 3 nights and enjoyed every minute of our stay! I'd be happy to post our itinerary/trip summary for the first week of our trip (Dublin to Dingle) if you think that would help. I would recommend everywhere we stayed. My one requirement for everything was that it had to be walk to pub - since I did not want to be driving in the evening.

And it would be a good idea to have your kids at least read up on the irish famine or find a video to watch. The famine story is interwoven with almost everything you see and do! Have fun.

Hilton Garden Inn Customs House can be a great first or last night hotel in Dublin. It has stops for the airport bus right in front of it, is two blocks from the tram, and we had no difficulty walking to the key sites in Central Dublin. Fairly quiet at night and some rooms have a great view out over the river.