Shannon Airport departure

Shannon is hardly an exciting town, it is a planned town built in the 1960s. So unless it is a very early departure I'd consider staying in Limerick if it was me.

There is a Park Inn by Raddison right across from the terminal. I haven't stayed there but I've seen it.

Will you have a car?

For us, B&Bs are the only way to go in Ireland. Some quaint nearby villages - Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge for example - are two of our favorites. Hunter's Lodge in the former http://www.hunterslodge.ie/ also has a nice restaurant and pub.

https://www.bandbireland.com/

https://d5qsyj6vaeh11.cloudfront.net/files/brochures/pdf/english/AC20ENG101BBD---Bed-and-Breakfast-Ireland-NEW-637141676027212373.pdf

If you have a really early flight, the Park Inn next to the airport is fine, and convenient. I would just make a point of spending the day out and about, and check into your hotel after dinner.

A few years ago we spent our last night in Doolin, and made our noon flight easily. We even had plenty of time to return our rental car. It was about a 45-minute drive.

So you do have plenty of options, depending on the time of your departing flight. I definitely agree with making the most of your last evening if possible!

Adding to what Stacy said, the Park Inn is fine and convenient. But the airport is not large or terribly busy, so if your flight isn’t too early, consider the “somewhere nearby” option. Remember that you clear U.S. Immigration there before boarding, though.

Remember that you clear U.S. Immigration there before boarding, though.

When I looked at skyscanner to get an idea of departure times, it seemed the majority went to LHR or Canada, before ending up in KC. Some did have the US as the first stop. Mike may not be able to make use of that handy feature.

David,
Those are great resources that you posted of B & Bs and activities all around Ireland. We've used something like these in the past, but it's been several years and it's great to have up-to-date information. Thank you! Bookmarked for future reference.

To answer Mike's question, I remember the main road to Shannon was lined with B &Bs, lots with vacancy signs, if you find yourself there at the last minute. I agree with the others that if you have an afternoon flight back to the US you have time to stay someplace else for the night. Our flights to DC were usually around 4 in the afternoon.

Thanks for all the good feedback. I haven’t booked the flight yet but hope to find something later in the day. I like the idea everyone has suggested about staying in some nearby village. I think anything within an hour’s drive would work.

We stayed in Bunratty at the Castle Hotel for two nights before our morning flight back to the US. We had a special "Senior" package which got us a full tea and a dinner at their restaurant. https://www.bunrattycastlehotel.com
We spent a lovely few hours walking through the folk park. https://www.bunrattycastle.ie For us it was the perfect way to end our vacation.
It was an easy 25 minute cab ride to the airport. (We were using public transport only.) Shannon is efficient and small, and being able to do US customs there saved us a lot of time/stress once we arrived in the US.

Just a note, in case it's not clear from earlier posts, the "USA Pre-Clearance" in Shannon airport is not optional. You can't skip it and clear immigration upon landing in the USA. So you need to allow extra time for it. As others stated, Shannon airport is not huge so it's not too likely you'll have a large crowd ahead of you. Still, it can take a while to go through all the steps. I would allow about an hour for this in addition to the usual time cushion for checking in and getting through airport security.

Hotels
Ennis - Old Ground

Limerick
Woodfield House

My choice: Doolin, Co Clare any B$B, spend the night before at O'Connor's Pub.