Hi I am planning a tour of Ireland South and North for 2 weeks with 2 other friends (3 nurses over 45)
This is our layout it is very loosely planned as we will get a better idea once we are there and actually driving (2 drivers). We can add things as time allows.
Thursday Sept 15 arrive at 8:55 Stay at Sheldon park best western Drop bags off and check in if able
Pick up Heritage card at first stop which is Kilhiamain Goal 2 hour tour? explore the city a bit dinner at a pub and make it an early night
Sept 16
Guinness storehouse
Trinity College
Speare free tour
Hop on hop off including night tour
Sept 17 rent car (spend some time getting used to driving left then head to wicklow 1 1/2 hour drive
Wicklow jail
Then Wexford 2 1/2 hour drive
Hooks lighthouse
then off to New Ross to do famine ship tour and stay the night in New Ross
Sept 18 Kilkeny
Bike tour of city
Cashel Rock of Cashel 2hours?
Stay in Cobh
Sept 19
Blarney 1 hour
Castle 2 hours Drive ring of Beara Finish in Tralee and stay night there
Sept 20
Slea head
then off to Limerick for 2 nights
King John castle Treaty stone Milk Market
side trip to Shannon, Falcon sanctuary and Doolin cave and Aillwee cave
Possibly attend the banquet dinner
Sept 22 Cliffs of Moher 360 degree tour
Stay night in Oranmore
Sept 23
Silgo Drive
Market
then Donegal stay at Meenabrock house
Sept 24
Londonderry
Walled city tour
Bloody sunday tour
This is as far as we have gotten with our plans. We are not sure if we should spend 2 days in Londonderry or Carrickfergus To see the causeway and drive the coast Then head for somewhere just out of Belfast. We are flying in and out of Dublin Any input would be great! Any must sees or off the beaten path sites would be awesome
We cut out the Aran islands as it would eat up an entire day We also are not planning to stay in Dingle despite everyone raving about Dingle We will only pass through have lunch and a walk.
Thanks in advance Caroline
Posted by
1172 posts
Make sure to pre-book your kilmainham gaol tickets on their site. It sells out fast and when we were there 2 weeks ago many people were very disappointed that they couldn't get in. It was a must do for us and was a highlight of our trip
Posted by
OP
dundas, ontario, canada
103 posts
Thanks Sharon I appreciate the tip We will do that
Carol
Posted by
1172 posts
Are you sure you don't want to spend a couple of nights in Dingle? The Ring of Kerry drive was also another highlight for us.
You are trying to cover a lot of ground in a very short time.. we had 14 days and only stuck to the south and feel like we need to go back... any chance you would want to just do the south? to just the north? Driving between spots takes longer than you think ;)
Just my thoughts obviously :)
Posted by
Utah
455 posts
We circumnavigated the entire island in 15.5 days. There are naysayers but we had a great time and saw a lot. Do lots of research, prioritize sights and plan your route by adding 25% more to Google maps drive times. We started by 9 am, drove about 4 hours and visited an average of 3 sights each day. We would sightsee enroute, then stop for the night by dinner time except for a couple late drives. We stayed in b&bs 10 of the nights. Bring your rain gear and have a great time.
Posted by
OP
dundas, ontario, canada
103 posts
Hi Sharon We decided on the Ring of Beara as it will be less traveled and just as beautiful according to youtube drives. As fare as Dingle goes we honestly could not find really anything that warranted more than a day. Thanks for your suggestions I know this forum loves Dingle and we will be doing the Slea head drive. We also utilized Google maps and calculated 40 min extra on each drive. If we go and kick ourselves for spending too little time in an area we will have a good reason to come back lol
Your tips are much appreciated Caroline
Posted by
OP
dundas, ontario, canada
103 posts
Hi Carolyn Thanks for your response. We did exactly what you did with regards to google maps and we are averaging about three sites a day as well. Mostly booked with airbnb and a couple hotels (three separate rooms in bnbs is hard to get) Can you let me know your must see locations and nicest drives please I would love any suggestions that can help us tweek our itinerary. We did change our Tralee booking to Kenmare as this cut our driving after the Ring of Beare
Thanks so much Caroline
Posted by
Winooski, VT
285 posts
I'm going to hijack for a moment if that is okay. I've got this hotel booked for three days as well, does anyone have any thoughts on it's location? We don't have plans to leave Dublin, although I'm not against it. Only in Ireland for 3 days so likely staying put.
Posted by
6 posts
Great itenerary! We just got back from driving over there and saw many of the same sites. It's OK to pack a lot in if that's what you like. Slea head drive is amazing! Will take 2-3 hours depending on how much you stop for pictures. Our 2 nights in Dingle was our favorite. Cute little town. I would stop at inch beach outside of Dingle. Gorgeous. We liked Kilkenny a lot as well. Rock of Cashel takes about two hours. Even if you dont't like the history, the views are amazing. You might check Bunratty castle and folk park near Shannon airport. Fun medieval village. Dress warm! Roads are incredibly narrow. Friendly people even when it can be hard to always understand their accent.
Posted by
OP
dundas, ontario, canada
103 posts
Thanks We are going to do the Slea Head drive instead of the Beara now. We youtubed both drives and felt that the Slea Head would give us the beautiful sites and more time in Dingle Also doing the folk park! thanks again for input
Caroline
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
215 posts
You will love this drive and of course read the self drive from RS a few times before you make the drive. So enjoyable to know what to see before. Also go to the Dingle Marathan site and they have an video of the runners by using a drone and you see the beauty and the roads. If you have an extra day for Dingle, I went with Kevin O'Shea for a Celtic nature walk and hike. He shows you the real land, mountains and sea. It was the highlight of my trip. If you want more info in Dingle, I just returned and you can send me a Private Message. I also spent a week in Galway. Magical.
Enjoy
Posted by
Portland, OR
238 posts
We also did a similar September trip four years ago--circumnavigating the whole island in 15 days--and found the pace to be brisk but very doable. (there were things we missed seeing though--the Aran Islands and Ring of Kerry in particular--so we returned last September and spent three weeks in the the south and west, our favorite part of the Republic, so we could explore at a more leisurely pace) Places and activities that we especially enjoyed on that first trip (that you haven't already mentioned): The National Museum of Archaeology and strolling through St. Stephen's Green in Dublin; Bru na Boinne, a fabulous archaeological site north of Dublin; the Titanic Museum in Belfast (which was brand new in 2012--we sprang for tea in the replica of the ballroom--great fun if they still offer it); Giant's Causeway; Croagh Patrick in Westport (home of Matt Malloy's pub where we heard some great music on our most recent trip); Connemara National Park; and driving through Doo Lough Valley and the Burren.