Ireland, watching and waiting to pack

Hi Mona,
I live in Santa Barbara and it has been cool, low to mid 60s and wet this past winter. If i were going, I would take what I wear here in cool wet weather., but with the extra waterproofing you have done. I am not sure where you are in northern CA., but if near the coast, I know how cool it can be especially if there is a breeze. I was in northern Scotland in early June and had some very hot days, some breezy and rainy days where I nearly froze. I had to buy a light weight waterproof jacket with a hood and waterproofed my shoes and was fine after that. The jacket I took was not a windbreaker. Our drought and lack of bone chilling dampness was lost in my memory.
Have a great trip.
It sounds like you have your bases covered.

Bring layers. The weather is constantly changing. We went from t-shirts, with a cardigan and rain jacket ( more so for wind) to taking the jacket off, then the cardigan off and being just in a t-shirt to putting it all back on in a matter of an hour!

Most places will have drying racks.

I would add a hat that you can wear under your hood so that your face does get wet if and when it rains sideways. Also, a great pair of sunglasses

Have fun!

I've never been to Ireland but I had a friend tell me thay the best thing she brought to Ireland on a summer trip was rain proof shoes. Clothes are easy to hang dry but shoes, not so much. It sounds like you're well prepared. 60s isn't too bad and I come from So Cal and I freeze once it hits the 50s!

I just went to Ireland in March and pretty much had the same type of weather. I had a light weight rain jacket with a hood and wore a base layer silk type underwear shirt under my top/sweater and bought a wool scarf (great souvenir) there that really helped if it got windy. I also bought a sweater in Cobh that was toasty warm and made another great souvenir :) We never got really soaked and my husband never even wore his rain coat, just a sweatshirt hoodie. I would say the weather was more drizzly than actual rainy.

I don't know how much hiking you plan on doing but I don't think you will need several water repellent pants. I don't find them very warm in cold weather or cool in warmer weather. The Irish wear a lot of jeans, maybe a dress or skirt to go out in. Bring at least one short sleeve shirt, Ireland has been getting warmer.

In the summer I usually bring, 3-4 pair of jeans, a Jean jacket, an Eddie Bauer rain jacket (with wind proof), a fleece, mix of 3-4 short/long sleeve tops, baseball hat, 2 skarves, winter hat & gloves, warm pj's, nice pair of shoes for nights that I can walk in, waterproof sneakers, and slippers. I will put the rain jacket over the Jean jacket if I need too. I actually get colder in the homes more than outside, their heating is different than ours.

Thanks to all for your encouragement and suggestions. I've thrown in a brimmed hat to keep the rain/sun off of my face and one short sleeved shirt at your suggestions. Our pants for shedding rain aren't the heavy duty kind just a quick drying kind that we might get some use out of in the future at home. Printing out boarding tickets soon and then ready for our Ireland adventure. We've only been to Dublin before so this time we are making a southern counterclockwise loop over 3 weeks.

We always take 2 wash cloths for each person. You will not always have one provided. Might get one if you ask at hotel? Large Zip Lock bags to keep them in if no time to dry them. Once there, purchase a small fan to help dry things you might wash out and nice to have if room has no A/C. (We return to room after maid is done to run fan for drying things, if possible)

Just thought.. be sure to have adequate time when leaving from Dublin airport. You will go thru security twice! After going thru first check, you then go to US Departures which is where you go thru US Customs. Yes, US Customs! (This means no customs check when back in US.) And then the 2nd security check. So don't linger in duty free purchase area after the first security check!

If you are going to be away from the vehicle for an extended period on a long walkabout consider taking a pair of dry socks in your day bag. No matter how waterproof shoes are supposed to be, there are times in Ireland when the rain seems to get through. Saved the day for us several times.

We went in early May and the weather was gorgeous most days. A few blustery days we wore our raincoats just to keep the wind off. I also bought a wool cap for 10 euros. After that the weather warmed to the 60's. We also wore layers. My best clothing item was a really light weight down vest I bought at Costco for 12 bucks. Easy to take off when it got warm, easy to stuff in my backpack and easy to put back on when it got chilly again. The only wet day we had was more of a drizzle than a rain and still about 55 degrees. We did not wear all the warm gear we took. My husband had to buy sunglasses it was so sunny. And remember that if you really need something you can get it in Ireland. Have a great time!