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Itinerary and transportation advice Western Ireland

Posted by (Elkton, MD) on

I need advice on using our time this June starting in Portumna until we catch a 1:45 PM flight in Dublin 4 days later. To start our trip we are renting a houseboat and will travel the River Shannon starting at Carrick-on-Shannon and then disembarking in Portumna. Our thought was to pick up a rental car there and then spend three nights along the west coast before we return to Dublin. My first roadblock was realizing there are no rental car locations near Portumna!

We have decided not to try the Dingle Peninsula and save that for another trip. 2 years ago we joined a "Best of" tour and we traveled the Ring of Kerry and saw the Cliffs of Moher. We also spent time in Galway City and made a trip to Cong. Except for Cong, we did not have much time to explore much on our own.
Here is the breakdown:
Day 1 Arrive in Portumna at 9:00 AM and see the castle and other sites there. Spend our first night in ??? If we can't rent a car in Portumna what is our best option to get to our first night lodging?
Day 2 ??? open to suggestions!
Day 3 visit Westport if possible (extended family there, but not hosting us).
Day 4 head to Dublin Either return the car in our last overnight town and go by bus to Dublin or return it at the airport?

As far as our interests go...history and music top the list. We love nature but, extended walking or hiking is not possible for me.

Also, this is our first time driving in Ireland or anywhere in the UK.

I would appreciate advice about any or all parts of this leg of the trip. I am truly overwhelmed and am over-thinking everything.

With thanks in advance.

Posted by
1883 posts

I'm not sure you need a car.
According to Google, there is a bus to Ballinasloe, which has a train station on the line to Galway. In the other direction, the next stop is Athlone. It looks like you will have passed through Athlone on your boat tour. If not, there are quite a few things to see there. I haven't been yet, but it's on my list. There are rental car offices there, but you can also get the train to Westport (or Castlebar, which has a car rental office). From any of these towns, you can take the train back to Dublin.
Even if you're not staying with your relatives, maybe you can persuade one of them to give you a driving tour? Maybe there is a young person who would like to earn a little money. Failing that, you could hire a local driver. When my friend and I arrived at the Westport train station, there was a van driver from McGing's picking up some other folks. He very graciously offered us seats, as well (I mean, we paid, but only €10 for two) for a ride to our accommodation on the Quay. https://www.taxiwestport.ie
There are, of course, other operators in Westport.

Posted by
249 posts

Also, this is our first time driving in Ireland or anywhere in the UK.

Are you actually going to the UK? If so you will all need ETAs attached to your passports.

Posted by
2 posts

We are not going to the UK. I was referring to driving on the opposite side of the road for the first time. Thank you for reaching out.

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