Ireland April 20-29

Congratulations! It looks like you've done lots of editing since your original itinerary. I think you will be glad you did--it's much more rewarding to focus on a few things that are most important to you and save other adventures for a future trip. A few suggestions:
--while in Dublin, if the weather is nice, stroll around St. Stephen's Green. It is a lovely, peaceful spot (and they say that walking around in the sunshine helps to alleviate jet lag);
--be aware that going to the Aran Islands is very weather-dependent so have a back up plan for that day in case the ferry isn't running;
--at the base of the path up to Dun Aengus there is a cute little cafe with a thatched roof--we had an excellent lunch there. There are also some small gift shops nearby--we did see some hand knit sweaters in a small back room of one of them. The Aran Island Sweater Market near the ferry dock is a huge place with a wide assortment of not just sweaters but other items as well;
--In Dingle our B&B hostess recommended Anchor Down for a good seafood meal. My husband enjoyed it very much and so long as you both like seafood (which, sadly, I don't) it might be a good dinner option. I know that lots of folks also recommend Out of the Blue for seafood but I have no personal experience there;
--I'm not so sure that Matt Molloy's serves food (it isn't required in Irish pubs like it is here). I don't remember seeing anyone eating anytime I was there. As I remember the music started up around 9:00ish (or 21:00 local time) but the space where it happens is quite small so you'd be wise to get there much earlier--have a pint or two and soak up the atmosphere.
Have a wonderful time! I think you will love Ireland and the Irish people and I'm betting there will be more trips there in your future:-)

PJ- Thanks so much for your reply! I am absolutely certain we'll make our way back to Ireland as well, especially since there are so many more things I'd love to see and experience!

• What would you recommend as an alternative to the Aran Islands day trip? We could explore The Burren, but this also requires being outdoors.
• Thanks for the tip about Irish pubs! I'm glad we didn't just show up hungry only to be disappointed. I'll have to do some more research on that.
• The restaurants you mentioned in Dingle are the same as the ones recommended by our B&B, so we'll definitely have to try one (or both) of them :)

Sherry

Nice looking itinerary.
Just a few comments: Getting to Inishmor from the Doolin side is a little more complicated than getting there from Rossaveal (west of Galway), in that the ferry makes at least one extra stop enroute at Inisheer before proceeding on towards Inishmor. No big deal but you should crank the delay into your plans. For a more direct routing you might consider driving around to the ferry landing at Rossaveal.
The ferries are more dependent on sea state than the weather, so it can be a reasonably nice day inland and still be too rough for the ferry to operate. That said, the boats the ferry companies use are all larger craft that can typically handle some pretty rough seas ... as opposed to the day boats that make the excursions out to the Skelligs for example. Point being that the boats will probably be running in conditions that might be uncomfortable to you if you're not used to the rocking and rolling of a boat in stormy seas.
The Burren would be a good alternative, as would a day trip excursion around the Connemara Loop - to Clifden and the Sky Road west of there, the National Park, Kylemore Abbey and the Village of Cong.
I've never been in a pub that didn't serve food. It may only be "pub grub" but it's usually pretty good.
Sounds like you're going to have a great trip.

Meant to add: when we visited Dun Aengus we happened upon a local lady knitting on her porch as we walked back down the hill from the fort, strolled over to say hello and wound up buying a couple of sweaters while we were there. Have no idea whether we scored on the prices but we've always cherished the functional souvenirs - still wearing them 10 years later I might add.
You may already be aware of this, but there's nothing between you and eternity at the edge of the cliff at Dun Aengus...ie no barrier - it's a vertical drop of a couple hundred feet from the edge, so take care if you're scared of heights or prone to vertigo.

I love Achill Island so will give you recommendations in another reply but before that:

You may know, but just in case you don't - you say "mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral" Are you aware that it's not a Catholic Cathedral? I find many tourists don't know that....

Smokehouse in Killarney is fantastic. Highly recommend. Also recommend music at Murphy's Bar - I stay there often and it's a good place to stay/eat/listen to music/have craic.

Moriarty's has a new-ish building next to the Gap of Dunloe. Be sure to walk around the gardens in the back. It has wonderful views from the hill and as I go there about once a month when I drive to Toastmasters in Killarney, I can't recommend it highly enough! You can probably park there, instead of Kate Kearney's. They're close to each other.

Fenton's of Dingle is what I would recommend for Dingle food. Brought 5 American friends their recently and they told me it was their favorite place. Lobster and local beef was highly raved about! I was in Dingle a few days ago for The Wren - a fun event if you're ever back in Ireland around Christmas. Google it!

Susan
expat in Waterville

Thanks for the tips! About how much time should I factor in/allow for if we want to drive to the ferry landing in Rossaveal from Doolin?

Susan - is St. Patrick's an Anglican church? Do you have any idea how it got it's very Catholic name? Do you have an old Catholic church or cathedral in Dublin you might recommend for mass?

Thanks!
Sherry

Sherry,

I have been to a hand full of churches in Dublin and they are mostly beautiful! Here's the link to the catholic diocese to see what is close to your hotel. Unlike my church in america, most don't have many masses on sunday morning.....so be sure to check times!

www.dublindiocese.ie

I don't know why St. P's isn't Roman Catholic - I'll have to google it!

also regarding Achill Island -- visitachill.com and achilltourism.com are both great sights. It's not on the map, yet, but they are building a bike path extension to the Mayo Greenway - the cycling in Achill is fantastic!

Check out local photographer John Nikolai - he and his wife run a B&B (I think it's Bervie Cottage??) in Keel. His photo studio is next door -- steps away from the fantastic beach!

Susan
Expat in Waterville

Fantastic, thanks! I had tried to get in touch with Bervie's through their website a few weeks ago but hadn't heard back. I assumed it was due to the holidays and will try to reach out again. Glad to know about their passion for photography, since I love nature photography! Thanks also for your tips re: Roman Catholic mass.

We decided that since my husband has some roots on Mayo and the weather in April is questionable, we'll just do one night in Doolin, skip the Aran islands, and spend two days in Westport/Achill. Any thoughts?

Any idea which parts of the Cliffs of Moher are best to walk for the views?

Finally, we want to do one super fancy dinner to celebrate our honeymoon, most likely in Dublin. I've combed through "Best of" lists and have narrowed it down to:
- Forest Avenue
- Chapter One
- Taste at Rustic
- Greenhouse

Anyone with any experience that these? I had hoped to try Heron and Grey but it seems they'll be closed all of April :(

Also- any fish&chips/other restaurant recs welcome!!

You guys are amazing! Thanks again,
Sherry

Fancy dinner in Ireland? Dublin is the place.........several Michelin starred restaurants.
We ate at Patrick Gilbaud.....two stars........ very memorable!
We hiked the whole length of the Cliffs of Moher.........awesome! Most tourists don't do this!
Music in Ireland generally starts later than most americans are used to. About 9pm or later.
Matt Malloy's is a great place for music! His son plays there often. Declan plays the guitar with him and he has an amazing voice.
You can check out my website; www.Tammyireland.weebly.com

One other thing just so you know, Ariel guest house is not in the city center. Its in a quiet neighborhood not too far away, but you will have to take the Dart to reach Trinity College and Kilmainham.