I'm looking for suggestions of where to spend an overnight between Midleton and Dublin in May. We will have just spent 3 days in Dingle, plan on visiting the distillery in Midleton and then head back towards Dublin. We will be driving through the Wicklow Mountains the next day, possible going to Glendalough and the Gardens at Powersccourt before heading to our hotel at the airport. One thought was to stay in Cashel. Any other suggestions?
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Greetings from Ireland!
Cashel would be a nice overnight, but there isn't a whole lot to do there. That being said, the drive from Dingle to Cashel via the Midleton Distillery is quite a long one, so you could arrive in Cashel and do these 3 things
1. Visit the Rock of Cashel
2. Have a gourmet meal in Chez Hans or try some pub food in the many great local pubs
3. Then find some traditional music that night in town and chat to some of the friendly and welcoming locals who will appreciate that you stayed overnight in their charming village and not just had a one-hour glance and then zipped on (like 99.9% of tourists to Cashel)
If you do stay in Cashel, consider checking out the little museum to the 'War of Independence' (Irish not American), its modest but has some fascinating artefacts from an era that most Irish museums and attractions are reluctant to talk about.
Not far away is the Glen of Aherlow. In 2013 I was one of 4 judges on the Irish Times 'Best place to holiday in Ireland' competition, and it gained a Top 5 place. Its a delightful hidden gem, and you'd be well rewarded with cultural and natural beauty if you considered checking it out when in the Irish midlands.
Any questions, just drop me a line anytime.
Le meas/with respect
Stephen McPhilemy
Rick Steves Ireland Tour-Guide
Dingle & Derry
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317 posts
Ps here is the link to the top 5 places in Ireland as judged by the other 3 judges and I. You'll see the Glen of Aherlow featured there and might wish to do some further research on it.