Irish Honeymoon - September 2017

We're thinking about a spring trip to Ireland--and also Scotland.
Tripmasters.com has some sample itineraries, and the prices are really right.

Be aware that Dublin is an extremely popular destination for "hen" and "stag" weekends (i.e., 48-hour bachelorette & bachelor parties) from England and all over Europe. As honeymooners you may get into the spirit, or not. Your "Just Married" status could be a fun way of making friends, or you might prefer to steer clear of this cultural scene. Just something to think about.

We did the opposite way ( Dublin, Kilkenny, Killarney etc) this past summer over 13 nights. Not sure that there is a better way .. clockwise vs. counterclockwise.

we were travelling with kids aged 11 and 8. Things that we enjoyed:
Dublin: Kilmainham Gaol ( buy tickets ahead of time), Book of Kells/trinity college, just walking around and taking it all in!

Killarney: we rented bikes and biked to Killarney nations park and Muckross house/farm. We also took in a sheep hearding demonstration at Kissane sheep farm
We all loved driving the Ring of Kerry and stopping along the way for pics, seeing interesting things and having a picnic

Dingle: The Slea head drive was gorgeous. The town is fun to walk around in

We did the Falconry walk at Ashford Castle and that was simply amazing. The ground are just stunning. My husband and son also took an archery lesson while my daughter and I went horseback riding. We stayed at the Lodge at Ashford Castle... gorgeous and more affordable than the castle itself.

Congratulations and enjoy Ireland.. what great place for a honeymoon

Thank you for your feedback, Sharon! We've heard Dingle is a majestic town, so definitely looking forward to exploring. Also good to know there's an alternative at Ashford Castle, everything online indicates a breathtaking piece of property. Might you have additional suggestions for B&Bs to stay in along the way? I expect we'll try to limit our luxuries to a night or two in a castle or one of the golf courses that offer lodging.

There are hundreds of B&Bs along the way wherever you go. If you give us an idea of what towns you might be near, we can suggest places.

You say that you are planning 10-14 days. I would definitely recommend 14! Your arrival day will probably not involve more than walking around to get the lay of the land. There is a fair amount to see and do in Dublin so you'll want to spend several nights there. In order to enjoy the other places you've mentioned you'll want to spend more than one night in those locations. And keep in mind that driving in Ireland takes more time than you would think from just looking at a map. You'll feel much less rushed with 14 days than with 10.
We have done the counter clockwise route a couple of times and it worked quite well. It allowed us to stop at Bru na Boinne (what many, myself included, consider to be a must see sight) on our way west. Dingle and Westport were two of our favorite towns and both have lovely golf courses that aren't terribly expensive. They are happy to rent clubs as well. In Westport be sure to check out the music at Matt Malloy's. The Slea Head Drive in Dingle is outstanding, especially if you luck into a sunny day. Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, is easily accessible from Galway (there is a bus that takes you to the ferry in Rossaveel) and makes for a wonderful day trip. I don't remember Waterford as being terribly interesting. I would opt for Kinsale. It's a nice little town, with a "foodie" reputation. The seafood at Fishy Fishy was lovely and there a many other places we would have tried if there had been more time. Also, The Old Presbytery is a lovely B&B that would be a nice honeymoon destination.

We only used a B&B in Dingle... Garvey's farmhouse and we loved it. It is a working dairy farm and, as city folk, it was fun to watch the operation. In Killarney, we stayed at the Lake Hotel... Absolutely stunning and great service. In Galway, we stayed at the Connaught hotel and unfortunately, would not recommend it. It was loud, cramped and the service was not great.

Hopefully others will chime in with some B&B recommendations!

Thank you for this, PJ! Awesome insight. Do you think we could knock out both Kinsale and Cork staying at The Old Presbytery? Garvey's Farmhouse looks like a perfect spot for Dingle, Sharon, thanks.

If there are other activities or places we need to experience during our visit, please let us know!

Dan--
The drive from Kinsale to Cork is less than 45 minutes (supposedly it takes 30 but it's always best to revise upward a bit) so definitely doable. BTW--the County Cork Festival of Food and Drink takes place during September (or at least it did when we were there in 2015). We stumbled onto street fairs in both Midleton and Skibbereen on different weekends. It was great fun strolling down the main streets, lined with food booths--and lots of locals. My guess is that Kinsale and Cork both participate too--you might want to check out the dates. Also, a few of our favorite things in the Midleton/Cork area: Ballymaloe House in East Cork is part of a lovely old country estate, with a cooking school, lodging and a very nice restaurant that specializes in locally sourced ingredients. We had a delicious lunch there and I'm sure dinner would be wonderful, though perhaps a bit pricey. Reserve ahead of time (you can do it on line)--there are only a few seatings per day; even though I'm not a whiskey drinker the Jameson Distillery tour was fun (and I'm told much better than the one in Dublin) ; and the Choctaw Monument in Midleton is a really interesting site (it was brand new when we saw it) and has a fascinating back story--just google Choctaw Monument.

The Old Presbyterian in Kinsale is fantastic. Be sure to reserve early. We went to Cobh from Kinsale. Loved the view from st. Coleman's over the harbor. From Ricks Ireland book found the ferry to take from Kinsale to Cobh and it really cut down the time. Ferry is not in Kinsale but sure you can find it in his book or online. Do not recommend the Titanic Museum there, very little to see but really worth a few hours in Cobh for the history. Dingle is by far our favorite place in Ireland. Go there on every trip.

I would echo what PJ said about Waterford. I drove from Dublin to Kilkenny and spend one night there, then to Waterford for one night and wished that I had spent 2 nights in Kilkenny. It’s about the same driving distance from Killarney as Waterford and is more scenic, with some great restaurants and pubs, including Alice Kytelers’ Inn (she was convicted of witchcraft). Kilkenny is also near Cashel and Jerpoint Abbey. You could also visit Glendalough on your drive from Kilkenny to Dublin.