Mother-Daughter / One Month in Ireland

Posted by momsterluv on 04/16/14 08:03 PM

We will spend almost one month in Ireland on the tiniest budget in the universe (even though I have been dreaming/saving/scrounging for ten years). This is definitely a once in a lifetime trip for me.

I need advice.

What should we prepare?

I was planning on taking a GoPro but should I bring my Canon 5D Mii?

We'll be there the first two weeks of July and the last two weeks of September (I was thinking Northern Ireland in July and Southern/Central Ireland in September.) We will be in Scotland from Mid August to Mid September and will be in England/Wales from mid July to Mid August.

What is worth the expense?

Any warnings about travel in Ireland? Crazy serial killers, gangs, terrorists, etc.?

What about the weather? We are from Southern California where it's 86F (30C) in January. Does it rain much in the summer? Jeans & T's or Jackets & Boots? Will it rain much while we are there?

I will be with my seventeen year old daughter who will have just graduated High School. I want to spend time with her before she leaves for college.

We're not interested in a party type scene but I want it to be fun and interesting for her too.

She's an American girl so of course she likes to shop and loves music but she is also writer and a bibliophile. She consumes books and has read everything from Ayn Rand, Dante, Dorothy Sayers, Austen, Dostoevsky, Tolkien, Lewis, etc. to contemporary authors as well. Trinity Library will be like the visiting the Libraries of Alexandria. She thinks it's gross but she will kiss the Blarney Stone!

I was also considering the Harry Potter places and castles, etc. I know she's older now but I thought it would be nostalgic of her childhood.

I was also thinking of some George RR Martin 'A Song of Fire and Ice' (Game of Thrones) locations like the Dark Hedges, etc. Is it worth it?

I know the legal drinking age is 18 but it's 21 in the US. I'm not against her having a rare champagne toast or Margarita-ish drink with dinner but definitely no drunkenness. With that in mind, are the Dublin Haunted/Hellfire Club tours inappropriate?

What are the places and things that we should definitely not miss?

Any random advice? Off the beaten path memory makers?

What can make it magical?

Posted by Patricia

South Florida

04/16/14 08:57 PM

4 posts

Not off the beaten path, but well worth a visit are the Cliffs of Moher. Absolutely stunning (so much so I am getting married there next month!).

Off the coast there are the Arran Islands. If she likes Irish playwright John Synge, he liked to frequent the islands. You can catch a ferry from Doolin that can take you over. That would make a nice day trip in and of itself.

If she is a Oscar Wilde fan, there are a few tributes to him around. In Galway there is a statue (can't remember where exactly-- near the clock that shows both Galway and Dublin time), and in Dublin there was another tribute statute across from his home. From what I understand, you used to be able to tour the home. Not anymore, but as a huge Wilde fan, I was content just to be there.

If you are into natural history, the natural history museum in Dublin has some bog mummies. Different, yes, but fascinating!

One of my personal magical moments (out side of the Cliffs and which will definitely vary for others) was a night out in Galway in a pub listening to Irish music. It had a super lively atmosphere. Locals were there and encouraged my fiance and I to dance and sing with them. A few Guinness probably helped them as I don't think I am very approachable, but whatever! Haha! I found Galway much more fun in that respect. Dublin was a little too tourist-y. Again, that was just my opinion.

Oh, and just for fun: Consider learning an Irish pub song beforehand. I had to learn as I went along, which was a different, awkward fun :-) But by the end of the trip it was a lot of fun to sing and clap along correctly to some of the better known pub songs if you plan on going to pubs for food, entertainment, and (as per your post guidelines) light drinking!

And lastly regarding climate-- I am from south Florida, so I completely understand what its like to be going to the beach in January. Here is a link to a climate chart I found and am using to plan my wedding trip: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Galway-weather-averages/Galway/IE.aspx Everyone is different, but to a FL girl like me, anything below 70s is cold to me. I know for May, I am bringing my coat. But again, that is because of where I live. When I lived farther north, high 60s was beautiful, now I need a coat!

At any rate, hope some of that helps! Sounds like you will have a lovely trip!