Selfish parents ;)

Since when is a distillery tour geared for 12-year-olds? Just asking, not objecting ;)

A lot depends on how active you son wants to be. We traveled with two 13 year old girls and found they pretty much enjoyed what we enjoyed. Your relaxing days may be easier than you think if you let him relax too. Unless you have taken him to many other countries, I would be surprised if just the new surroundings didn't fascinate him as well. For many kids that age this kind of trip is life changing and full of surprises. Let him shop for snacks in a local grocery just for the fun of everyday life in a new place. We were happy to see how just the everyday things fascinated our kids.

bunratty is GREAT....lots of photo opps....easily a full day if you want to tack on the medieval banquet there
think about the National Stud, lots of cool areas and more photo opps
how do you feel about formal gardens? powerscourt has a cool pet cemetery....

Have you checked with the distillery? Most allow kids of 12 on the tours, they just can't sample the wares. As far as other sites not geared toward kids, if you're travelling with a 12 yr old you have to be prepared to go where he/she is allowed to go. You may be surprised that they like some things that you didn't think they'd like. You seem to have prepared several site visits that would interest a kid of that age so they'll just have to understand that sometimes they'll have to tag along to some places they'd rather not go and make the best of it. Are you staying in hotels or apartments? Hotels might have someone they know who will stay with your child for a few hours while you go do some 'adult' things. I think you'll find that things will work out this trip and maybe you'll end up going back another time without the kid and can then enjoy all the adult activities you want.

The Jameson Distillery in Midleton does allow kids. Tickets for those under 18 are 8 euro, adults are 15 euro. I think your itinerary is nice and varied. As another poster noted, kids also relish just the difference in culture. We have traveled with kids as young as three, and as old as teens (in fact, one of our trips included ages 8,10, 12, and 15 in two families). The kids enjoyed everything we did. Some of what they really loved was a chance to run on the beach (though it wasn't beach weather at all), shop in unfamiliar grocery stores, hear a foreign radio station in the car, and meet local kids - just experiencing every day life there. If your child is interested at all in history, you are surrounded by it everywhere. If you are going to Cashel, just down the road is Cahir, with a small castle in the river. Since you want to go to Midleton, too, you will be close to Cobh, which is a nice stop, and Fota Wildlife Park is also nearby. It's hard to make a wrong choice, really.

Wow! Thanks to all...we are staying in b&b's except for Dublin and Dingle. We would love to spend an evening at a pub after 9pm in order to hear a little trad. Does anyone have experience requesting a sitter? Also considering 2 nights at Kinitty Castle hotel....can't justify Ashford or Dromoland this go round! Our daughter loves ghost stories and fantasy, so thought Kinitty might be fun.

Regarding sitters, email the b&b hosts and ask them if that's a possibility. They may know someone or if they have children themselves they may be willing to let your daughter visit with them for a few hours. Don't ask them to, but they may volunteer.

Glendalough could actually be great for a 12-year old. The monastic sites are spooky and mysterious (go on a grey, misty day!) and you can walk right through them (unlike in the States, where such treasures would likely be "hands off"). There are trails that wander along towering cliffs with precious few guard rails (I'm sure it's safer than it looks). If your daughter has an active imagination, it could be a highlight of the trip. I know it was for me!

And, don't forget the Boyne Valley sights north of Dublin, where you can climb through prehistoric earth dwellings, and take a torch-lit tour of burial chambers that are older than Stonehenge.

My friends and I were earning money as babysitters at age 12; why would she need a sitter unless she were to be the only person in a deserted bed and breakfast? If others are in the building wouldn't she be ok, or have times changed drasticly?

At home, we would likely allow her an hour or two...but, I would feel very uncomfortable with leaving her in another country. Also, I'd never want the B&B owners to feel responsible for a guests child. Bad form.
We have, however, considered staying in a pub guesthouse and simply go downstairs to hear the music and have a drink, knowing she's tucked in one floor above!

You have to do what makes you comfortable, but I, too, was babysitting at 12. My daughter at 12 would have been horrified if I had suggested getting her a babysitter. Most of the B&Bs where we have stayed in Ireland have had common areas where guests were welcome to watch TV, plan their next day's travel, chat, or whatever. With others around, it should be safe enough for her to hang out there while you are gone for a bit.

Well also, she might enjoy the music! Why couldn't she just join you to hear the music and watch the musicians?

Kim, children are banned from most pubs after 8 or 9 - about when the music starts.

In my childhood, trips to a wine shop were low on our "interest" meter. However, a working winery, distillery, or brewery with huge vats, smells, chemical and mechanical processes, bottling lines, and all of it described by a tour guide were a typical part of vacation and much more fun.

As for shopping for snacks, my favorite "crisp" flavor found in Ireland (as an adult) was lamb and mint flavor.

Okay...I'll relax and take her to the distillery! Also seems to be a conscensus that our Irish hooligan would be fine at a b&b while parents listen to a little music and have a pint. Safest area for this might be Maranatha house near Blarney. We don't have much interest in the stone, but can anyone recommend a nice pub near/in Blarney? Thanks for everyone's help!

Even if you aren't interested in the stone, Blarney castle has beautiful grounds, too. Blarney Woollen Mill is across the road, with great shopping and a pub. Haven't heard music in Barney, just had dinner, so I can't recommend anywhere for music.

Merci Norma. I had no idea!!

Allow this 50ish curmudgeon to drag his soap box out for a minute. The following is general rant not intended to be critical of anybody or anything in particular.

One of my peeves is to see families on vacation where the children have absolutely no interest in whatever the activity/sight. I see it all the time here in Virginia at Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Monticello, and any Civil War battlefield (though to be honest some of these are truly boring to all but the most ardent buff). I look at it as a lost opportunity more than anything else. Kids being exposed to some of the most historic sites in our country and all they care about is the "colonial fife" (made in China) they got at the gift shop.

I hope/encourage parents traveling with their young kids to get them engaged ahead of time so maybe they know enough to be more appreciative about what they are seeing. Otherwise, what's the point of bringing them along at all?

I will now stow the soap box back in the overhead bin.

In Dublin, there's live music at many pubs all day long in Temple Bar, much of it trad music.

One of my favorite things was the Literary Pub Crawl. They take "all ages" for a tour that ends around 10 p.m., though the website says "not suitable for very young children" so I wonder if kids are really banned from pubs after 8 or 9 p.m.

The first time we went to Ireland, our son was about 13. Granted, he is quite tall, and fairly mature for his age, but we never encountered trouble taking him and our older daughter to pubs in the evening for music. They sat politely, drank their sodas and enjoyed the evening along with everyone else. I can't help but think your 12 YO would be treated the same.

Also, we all found things to enjoy at virtually every site we visited, even the Guiness factory tour. I just wouldn't worry about adult vs. kid stuff. Besides, much of the most fun comes by the by -- getting caught in a sheep jam on the tiny roads, stopping and getting out to fully enjoy some of the spectacular views, and chatting with the locals you will meet along the way.

You are all amazing! Great ideas, suggestions and thoughts have helped tremendously in planning our trip. Sean, I love soap boxes..have a few myself. And, remember, I did ask for opinions! We looked at D.C and environs, but decided to wait a few years. Right now, our daughter drops everything to watch Doctor Who, has all the castle lego's and loves dragons. Took your advice and reserved the Ireland Storytellers dinner our second day in Dublin. We will hear fun stories, history, eat trad food and listen to music. I believe this will whet her appetite to see and learn more as our travels begin. Thanks all! Only one month to go!

I went to the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin. It's corny, but fun. The guide was enthusiastic and entertaining and there were lots of stories about leprechauns and some really interesting information on the history of the legends. I also went to a story-telling dinner. The Leprechaun Museum stories were better - and there were more of them. I also recommend Dublinia - it's a hands-on museum about the history of the Vikings, great fun for kids of all ages.

My SIL and I and our 5 kids aged 11 - 18 loved the Muckross House tour in Killarney. If your daughter has seen Downton Abbey, it might appeal. We also had no trouble in pubs after the music started, despite our big group that was more than 1/2 children (though my 18 yo daughter is of legal drinking age in Ireland).

Yes, not Europe, but we took our three kids on wineries tours when they were 10 and up and they enjoyed them, learning about the big vats etc.

Sorry I too think getting a sitter for a 12 yr old is a bit much, instructions to stay in room should do( stocked with snacks, books and hopefully a TV) , especially since you are staying in b@bs ,they don't have strangers wandering in off street after all like a giant chain hotel! At 11 I had to send my dd out into Paris alone one day to get food as I was too sick to leave room, I was not happy about that, but it was fine, also both my sons at 13 and 14 were allowed out on their own to run to McDonalds etc , and both were alone at time( we did one on one one separate trips to Europe with our kids) . but really I think you could just take daughter most places with you, my 14 yr old had his first small glass of beer in a village we visited in south Essex, our hosts took us there and no one blinked an eye, fortunately he since discovered he was allergic to beer so this sis not set him on a path to drunkness lol)

I totally recommend taking dd to the Archaeology Museum in Dublin( see the " bog mummies ") and to Collins Barracks, not at all boring museums for adults or kids!

The Georgian House in Dublin has a well-done tour. No great shakes in that it's like a lot of historical house museums, but your daughter may enjoy it.

Unfortunately, the Georgian house tour closed several years ago.