Just a little time in Ireland

If you want to see and experience genuine Irish culture - the Gaeltacht regions, trad music in the pubs, small towns and villages and hear spoken Irish, as well as see the country's most spectacular scenery by far - then you need to visit the West.

If you don't want to rent a car, you can take the train from Dublin (Connolly Station) to any one of these or other towns: Galway, Ennis, Westport, Limerick or Cork, for example. It's a three- to four-hour trip from Dublin. Irish trains run frequently and are priced quite reasonably. The stations are right in the city centers (more or less!) too. The website is: www.irishrail.ie.

Buses also operate in Ireland, though I've never used them. And, you could probably rent bikes in those same cities for day trips around town and out into the more rural areas.

Also, unless you've already purchased you airline tickets or have some overriding reason to go to Dublin, then flying into Shannon (just north of Limerick city) will get you much closer to the preceding.

If you do visit the West - and with only five or six days in-country - I'd limit my first visit to two or three counties, with Clare, Galway, Mayo and Kerry being my first choices. Lots to see and enjoy in them all. For example:

County Clare: The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, the coastal village of Doolin (four pubs with trad music most, if not every, summer evening), the Craggaunowen Project, the ferry to the Aran Islands (Inishmore & Inisheer, - actually in Co. Galway - where you will definitely hear spoken Irish, the first language of the islanders.)

County Galway: lively Galway Town, Connemara & the Twelve Bens, Clifden & the Sky Road, the village of Leenane (the most beautiful location in Ireland), the c. 2,500 B.C. ring fort of Dun Aengus on Inishmore, the village of Roundstone (in an Irish-speaking region and where the bodhran is made), Joyce Country and more

County Mayo: borders Co. Galway just the other side of Killary Harbor in Leenane. A small Famine memorial along Doolough, Croagh Patrick in Murrisk & the National Famine Memorial just across the street, Westport town and more

County Kerry: Dingle Town, the Dingle Peninsuala with its rugged coastline and ancient beehive huts, Connor Pass, the Ring of Kerry, ferry to Skellig Michael (offshore islands), and on and on

And no matter where you go in Ireland, there are many fabulous, clean and friendly B&Bs in which to overnight.

Slainte!

Hi,
I have traveled Ireland from top to bottom, east to west. Done the entire coast line. Here is the deal, with the exception of a few places in the center of Ireland, the coastline wins. The best is the west and the north. You could hit two countries by being in Dublin and then driving to Northern Ireland and staying somewhere in the Green Glens of Antrim.

Six days...3 in Dublin (Maybe 2 in Dublin and then our for 3 and back for 1), and 3 somewhere else. The less driving you do the more culture you can absorb. Staying several days in one location can give you a chance to visit a pub two or three nights in a row. You won't become a regular but on the second night they are likely recognize that you were in the previous night. That is when barriers break down. Don't be afraid to ask open ended questions the first night. "we are in for a few nights and wondering where we should go or what to see locally." Or "Does anyone cut turf in the area? or is that a thing of the past?" "What's the prettiest drive nearby?"

Ask your landlady which pub has the best pint. The local characters go for the good pint. A good pint shows the owner cares for his clients and that it isn't a tourist haven.

For breakfast get the traditional with black pudding, brown bread, eggs, bacon....don't be a sissified American. As a young Irish doctor told my wife concerning all the drinking, dairy, and smoking in Ireland, "You have to die of something".

wayne iNWI