Good Day! My husband and I are going to Ireland from August 24 - September 29. At this point, we plan to just spend our first night in Dublin, then pick up a rental car the next day and start tourig. We are going to Waterford, Kilarney...and ? until September 1, when we head to the Ballymena area in Northern Ireland for 3 weeks. We are looking for ideas of what to do from the 22nd of Sept until Sept 29 when we fly back to Canada....we fly back from Dublin as well, so we welcome suggestions for anywhere easily accessible! We are so looking forward to the trip...this is our second time in Ireland, the first was split a week in each of Dublin and Belfast.
Thanks so much for any help you can offer!
Posted by
Sunnyside, New York, United States
439 posts
In the 1st part of your journey, you could spend some additional time in Wicklow, Kilkenny, Kinsale, don't know if you have time to make it to Dingle. The west of Ireland is beautiful, you drive the entire coastline, they call it the Wild Atlantic Way. I have done it in pieces. You could drive that way coming back, down around the Donegal/Mayo coastline. You may have time to squeeze Galway in. I have not been up as far as Donegal yet, I loved the Belmullet area in Mayo. It isn't as touristy as some of the other southern points.
Do you have the flights booked? You could try to book an open jaw. Into Dublin or Shannon, out of the other or out of Belfast.
Mary
Posted by
Birmingham AL
346 posts
North to the Boyne Valley's burial mounds of Brú na Bóinne and Norman castle of Trim
west to the Irish National Stud, and south to Powerscourt and monastic ruins of Glendalough.
Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel. Also in the Killkenny area -- Kells Priory, Jerpoint Abbey
The Famine Ship museum in Wexford
Kinsale
KIllarney National Park
Dingle
Cliffs of Moher
But that's a lot to squeeze in a week.....
Posted by
29 posts
We had 11 days in Ireland mainly focused on the north. Really enjoyed Dublin. The Wild Atlantic Way is spectacular. Loved Giants Causeway and walking the Carrick o rede rope bridge. Derry was very interesting. Dunluce Castle ruins had a great visitor site guide who really made it come alive for us. Favorite scenic area of all was the peninsula in Donegal in the Downings area. Spectacular views, charming little village and country roads overlooking the ocean dotted with cottages. Loved Donegal! Fell in love with Ireland and will return someday to search family roots in CO Kerry.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7396 posts
Sounds like a clockwise circuit trip in the making. My experience has only been Western Ireland (bicycle tour), but once you make it west of Cork, I'll highly recommend visiting Skellig Michael, a magical island that boats only take visitors for part of the year, but September is still possible. Then there's Dingle, one of Rick Steves' European "back doors," and plan on at least a few days there! Farther north and off the western coast, are the Aran Islands - take the ferry (or fly) and spend some time on Inishmore the "big" island. Back on the mainland, Galway is Ireland's "second city," after Dublin.