Summer 2017 Trip to Ireland for Sons Graduation

I will let others chime in on the North as we only did the south this past summer.

Based on your boys' love of music, Dingle is a must on your list. They have a great music scene and storytelling scene.

I would do at least 3 days in Dublin as well. I highly, highly recommend touring Kilmainham gaol. You must pre-book tickets on the web before you leave as the tours sell out quickly. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

The Irish are the friendliest people that we have ever encountered and we met so many great people and families just by going to the local pub. grocery stores etc.

Have fun and congrats to your boys!

You are going to have a blast. I loved Ireland. We spent 2 weeks there a couple of years ago and drove ourselves everywhere. The distances are not far and the roads are as good as or better than Scotland. The locals were stunned that we would drive that far. Road trips really do not seem to be a thing here!

I would recommend a few places:

I second the recommendation of Dingle. Gorgeous.

Newgrange- a neolithic tomb north of Dublin. I would say, stay close and get there early before the tour buses!

Giant's Causeway and the nearby Bushmills Distillery. Unlike Jamesons in Dublin, they actually still make the Whisky here.

The whole coast of Northern Ireland- the Antrim Coast- is well worth the drive.

Belfast- we did a black cab tour and we all loved learning about the politics and history of the Troubles.

We spent a night on the road in a tiny town of Kinvara just south of Galway. We couldn't book in Galway as it was Race Week and just happened upon Kinvara. It was the cutest little village on the water. Just take a look at the tiniest Garda (Police) station- http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YsZ4bTi1XZA/UgfSzbBBVkI/AAAAAAAAA5A/GyO3Yn7K20I/s1600/DSC01790.JPG

Cliffs of Moher well worth it too.

Good luck and have fun! My youngest is graduating from High School this year and my eldest from University. Travel is the best gift you can give them- well done!

Thanks Ms. L and Sharon. The boys wholeheartedly agreed with your recommendations.

After some planning over the past couple of days, here is our tentative itinerary. We are still planning to add in a couple of "rest" days but haven't decided exactly where to place those yet.

Day 1 - Arrive in Dublin early. Enjoy various sites around town.
Day 2 - Visit Kilmainham Gaol, possibly Powerscourt Garden south of Dublin if time allows. Back to Dublin for Pub Crawl/Dinner
Day 3 - Travel to Kilkenny (visit Powerscourt if not done on Day 2). Explore Kilkenny.
Day 4 - Travel to Killarney. Visit Rock of Cashel and Blarney Castle OR Kissane Sheep farm on the way. Dinner in Killarney
Day 5 - Travel to Dingle. Visit Killarney National Forest on the way.

Day 6 - Explore Dingle Peninsula and Dingle
Day 7 - Explore Dingle area in the morning then travel to Bunratty. Dinner at Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet.
Day 8 - Explore Bunratty and Cliffs of Moher. Considering Traveling to Westport and visiting Ashford Castle but really concerned that we are stretching ourselves too thin so far.
Day 9 - Travel to Portrush. Dinner in Portrush.
Day 10 and Day 11 - Visit Antrim Coast, Old Bushmill's Distillery, Dunlucee, Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope bridge
Day 12 - Travel to Dublin. Visit New Grange on the way.

We have some flexibility and can still add in some days at this point. Considering an extra day in one of the earlier stops to break the travel up a bit. I'm a little concerned about staying only one night in so many places. In the past, I've stayed at least 2 nights in most places. Also considering an added day at the end for exploring more of Dublin. Any recommendations or advise is appreciated!

The only issue I can see is that drive from the Cliffs to Portrush. Almost 6 hours on roads that can be slow. If you want to do that drive in one day (and we have driven that distance many times on trips), perhaps add another day or two to the Northern Ireland part. As you will be very tired! Other than that- It looks very much like our trip!!

Whoops! I see you have two days there already. So- if you don't mind the long drive- find a stop midway to eat lunch- then it looks good! Near Bushmills we stayed at Meadow Cottage. A little two bedroom holiday let. Great kitchen- it was one of the cleanest places I have ever stayed in! This was 4 years ago but it is still very highly rated. Nice to spread out and have a little space rather than stay in the same room.

In Killarney, we rented bikes and biked into Killarney National Park to Muckross house and farms. We had so much fun. My kids are 11 and 8. There are some great cycling paths all along the lake.

We also went to Kissane Sheep farm and it was a great experience as well.

Just outside Kilkenny, we stopped at Dunmore caves and that was great as well. Out tour guide was amazing. That being said, it meant dropping Rock of Cashel so that we could also fit in the Blarney stone on our way to Killarney.

We went to Ashford castle on our way out of Galway. It was awesome. We stayed at the lodge at Ashford Castle which was much more affordable than the castle itself. If you are looking at a once in a lifetime experience while there, we did the Falconry school. We talk about it all the time. Such fun!

Since you enjoy history, I would suggest staying in Dublin after the Kilmainham tour and visiting the General Post Office (GPO) museum as well. It gives a different perspective on the events of 1916, and the tour guide I had was a great storyteller. Trying to drive to Powerscourt and back for your pub tour could be a bit rushed.

Day 3: You could visit Powerscourt on the way to Kilkenny.
Day 4: Rock of Cashel is well worth a visit; I skipped Blarney (even though it’s the go-to spot for most tours) so I could visit Muckross House and Traditional Farms near Killarney. The Traditional Farms offer a lot of history.

Day 8: If you start from Bunratty and drive to Cliffs of Moher, you could spend the night in Westport, but visiting Ashford Castle as well in one day might be rushing it. I had one of my favorite pub nights at Matt Malloy’s Pub in Westport. The backroom trad music session was excellent, and the regular performers let a young girl join in on some songs; it was her first visit to the pub and she was good.

Day 9: Westport to Portrush is a 5 – 5 ½ hour drive. Londonderry is about 3 ½ - 4 hours. It also has much more history than Portrush. The city walls are amazing; and there are several large murals that tell the story of the time of the Troubles. You can take an excellent tour of the murals. The Guildhall has a good museum with lots of history. It takes longer to reach Giant’s Causeway from Derry than from Portrush, though.

You originally mentioned 18 – 19 days, and your itinerary has 12, so if you could add a few more days to allow more travel time from Cliffs to Westport, it would be worth it.

What an amazing graduation gift! You may already have this in mind, but I'd stop by to see the Book of Kells while you're at Trinity in Dublin. I enjoyed the musical pub tour in Dublin, too. The gardens at Powerscourt are wonderful, and maybe drive the Military Road through the Wicklow Mountains, making a quick stop at Glendalough, en route to Kilkenny? If you were over by Galway, I'd also recommend a daytrip to the Aran Islands... No matter your specific choices, Ireland is a lovely country and you'll see and experience a lot of it as you drive around. Have a wonderful time with your family!

Try not to backtrack if you can (may depend on what the car rental company charges for returning in a different city). Fly in to Dublin and out of Belfast if possible. If you spend your first few days in Dublin you actually don't need a car and can do a guided day tour to Newgrange. Galway was my favourite town and I would highly recommend a day tour out to Inishmore along with the Cliffs of Moher and Burren area, also the Connemara region and Kylemore Abbey. For music look up the Crane pub in Galway, they have a room upstairs where for an extra charge you can hear some great musicians. On your drive south from Dublin be sure to stop at the Rock of Cashel, and your boys may enjoy Charles Fort near Kinsale. The national park near Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe are also worth a day. I did a tour that included crossing the lake by boat and getting a jaunting car on the other side to go through the Gap, Other people had rented bikes. You really won't go wrong no matter what you choose so just have fun.