Southern Ireland itinerary feedback

Oh this sounds great fun.

Don't miss the Hag of Beara - it is decidedly spooky with a real aura about it. When at Allihies, do go on the Dursey Island Cable Car. I still regret we didn't do this when we were there... If time allows there are two other islands you might enjoy too - Bere Island and Garanish Island (you could do this on the way to Bantry?)

Thanks! The Hag is already on our route. I was thinking we'd take the Bull Rock boat trip rather than the cable car. We'll do the cable car if the seas are too rough for the boat. Garanish is also on our planned route. I looked at Bere Island as a substitute for Cape Clear and decided there just wasn't enough of interest - I'm probably shortchanging it. It is a big block of time for a day trip.

Our area has several cable car only (much ricketier than Dursey) access hikes, bridges (not unlike Carrick-a-Rede), and ziplines. We have border collies and we get hawks in the yard quite regularly, so all those attractions are not on our list, although I'm sure they are interesting.

Have you been to Kilkenny? I rolled in late afternoon and just stayed one night - struck me as a place I should have spent 2 nights, given my timing.

I was planning to arrive in Kilkenny noon-ish. That gives us time to see things of interest (furnished castles are not that exciting to us). The next day, we'll head to Glendalough and either come back or go on to Dublin, depending on when our outbound flight is. We were in Kilkenny in April a few years ago pre-Covid and I found the crowds, parking, and dinner reservations all ugly.

Yes, I can understand cable cars could be regarded as a bit 'old hat' for you. The Bull Rock Boat trip sounds much more fun.

Glendalough is magical, especially if you are prepared to walk and get away from the crowds....

We were in Glendalough in 1997 but it wasn't "famous" back then - we stayed in Brae and then Killiane :-) I expect we'll do a couple of walks including St. Kevin's Pool, Poulanass Falls, Miner's walk, Jackson Falls, and the National Botanic Garden. My trip notes say we hiked to St. Kevin's bed in 1997 - we'll see if it rings a bell when we get to the Visitor's Center. My back/knees/feet start complaining if I do more than 7-8 miles in one day. Luckily, one of our travel companions has some sun exposure issues, so I'll have someone to talk to while the other two hike their hearts out.

jjgurley, we were in Kilkenny one day on the RS BOI tour, didn't think the castle was that interesting, lots of fancy furniture and oil paintings, ho-hum. But we had dinner across the street at Rive Gauche (Left Bank), and that was excellent.

I hope you enjoy three days in Cork. I don't believe I would.

Seriously, there's so much to do in and around Dublin, and I'd want to spend more time there. Not really familiar with some of the other stops. But as should be obvious, everyone has their own priorities and interests.

As I mentioned, this is our fifth trip, and we've spent plenty of time in Dublin. Three nights in Cork is really just one day, since we'll be in Cobh on one of the days. Cork has a very supportive session music organization, so the three nights will be thoroughly enjoyed.