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Surprise trip to Ireland for husband's 40th...help

Posted by on

First off, have I waited too late to plan this trip? His birthday is on the 29th of May and the dates below work in our schedule, but I am somewhat flexible. This is the very rough first draft itinerary I've come up with. We will be renting a car and will be traveling WITHOUT our four children (but with four children we're accustomed to being very busy/active). Obviously, there is much planning to do, but I was hoping to get feedback on this general plan before I move forward. I luckily don't have too many specific "must sees" on my list right now but would appreciate feedback on whether is this looking like too much travel in too little time or a busy/doable trip? I've been perusing this and various travel forums and it seems "less is more" is a theme. Neither of us has ever visited Ireland. My husband typically plans the trips but I really want to surprise him with this one! Thank you in advance!

Day 0/May 23: travel
Day 1/May 24: arrive in Shannon early (~6 AM), see Cliffs of Moher and The Burren (interested in the local tour guides mentioned in Rick Steve's 2018 Ireland guidebook--anyone use these?)
Day 2/May 25: ferry from Rossaveal to Inishmore and return same day, and/or drive around Connemara
Day 3/May26: drive to Adare early, see Rock of Cashel, night in Adare
Day 4,5,6/May 27,28,29: Dingle and/or Ring of Kerry, travel to Kinsale for dinner on the 29th (birthday is on the 29th!) and stay in Kinsale
Day 7/May 30: hang out in Kinsale/Cork
Day 8/May 31: Travel to Glendalough via Waterford
Day 9, 10/June 1-2: Travel to Dublin early, drop car at airport, taxi back to city
Day 11/June 3: travel

Specific questions I have:

Should I spend another day (Day 3) in the Galway/Connemara area and skip over Adare and the Rock of Cashel visit then head to Dingle/Ring of Kerry area on Day 4 from Galway?
Any recommendations on a base for the Galway/Connemara area?
Recommendations for base in Dingle/Ring of Kerry area (I've read Killarney is congested with tour groups)?
Does the two nights in Kinsale seem like a good idea or should I distribute that time elsewhere along the trip back to Dublin?

Posted by
375 posts

Hi - I have a feeling you'll be hearing this advice in some way, shape or form: That's a pretty full agenda! Slow down and enjoy it!

One rule of thumb is to stay at least 2 nights in any one locale. Then you're not spending so much of your time on logistics: packing and unpacking, checking in/checking out, and on the road. Instead, you can be walking about the city/town, exploring sights, stopping in shops, going to the pub, looking for a good place for dinner, having a cuppa.

So, you might think about taking out a few stops and spend more time in selected towns.

It's a real kick to drive in Ireland....but, it is really different than here in the US, not only "the wrong side of the road." The roads are narrow, it could be misting, and the Google drive times are probably designed for natives.

You and your husband should have a wonderful time! There's nothing like travel! Enjoy the planning, that's part of the fun, too!

Posted by
381 posts

We did a similar trip on our first trip to Ireland, when we were in our mid 40's. By the the time we got to Dublin we were exhausted. Regardless of your schedule, I would second the recommendation to extend your stay in a couple of locations so you are not moving so frequently. Adare is beautiful, Cliffs of Moher are breathtaking, Kinsale is lovely with maybe a day trip to Cobh but Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula are, in our opinion, the most beautiful of all places in the world. Three years ago we rented a house overlooking the Dingle Bay and settled in!! Have a wonderful trip...your husband is a lucky man!

Posted by
11158 posts

As this is a 'surprise' trip, have you checked ( quietly) that everyone has a current passport with sufficient time to expiration validity?

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you all for responding! Yes, passports are good till 2024, but excellent suggestion to check! I suspected I would be told what you guys are telling me, but I'm not sure what to cut out. Extending the trip is not really feasible from a work standpoint...I've actually already tacked on a couple days more than I had initially planned. Which places would you guys cut out? Maybe see Cliffs of Moher and the Burren the first day then head down to Adare instead of spending more time in the Galway/Connemara/Inishmor region? Or focus our time just on the west (split the time between the Galway/Connemara region and Dingle and/or Ring of Kerry (skip out on Adare/Kinsale/Waterford/Glendalough) then head over to Dublin at the end. Does flying into Shannon/out of Dublin make sense; it's a bit more expensive but seemed it would save some driving (thus time)? I don't expect this to be a particularly restful trip but I don't want it to be miserable, either. Looking for a balance of seeing a good variety within the country but not feeling rushed...already thinking a return trip to Ireland for my 40th in a few years might be in order!

Posted by
2181 posts

I'm not usually good at designing other people's intinerary, but since we did the RS 8 days in Ireland tour that covered some of this area, I'll give it a shot. RS usually starts with Ennis as a base, which means you fly into Shannon. With what you want to do, do you feel comfortable driving to Galway and making that your base? Then you could use that base to do Cliffs of Mohr and/or Connemara and Inishmore. Ennis might make a good base as well. Our tour hit Adare as a stop on the way to Dingle. A couple of hours did enough for us. On to Dingle - loved it. Slea Head Drive, evening concerts and pubs, terrific whiskey distillery tour, etc...lots to see and do in the area. We stopped at Rock of Cashel on our way to Dublin. I agree that the fewer overnight changes the better. We flew into Shannon and out of Dublin. It sounds like a great trip.

Posted by
409 posts

As a local.....

I'd say skip Rock of Cashel as it's 90 minutes there, 90 minutes back to Adare..... If you're set on it, I'd recommend staying in Fethard - a wonderful tiny town that is a hidden gem!

I'd say skip Killarney and stay in Glenbeigh/Sneem or down on the Skellig Coast - portmagee/waterville/knightstown/. The Ring of Kerry day drive is a myth perpetrated by Killarney hotels that want you to stay and eat there.... Lonely Planet has it as a 4 day drive, there is so much to see and do!

If you hunker down here, you can do a day trip to Dingle if you must go there.... but you can explore the Skellig Ring; Valentia Island; the Waterville to Sneem area which is stunning......

Do you know that the Burren food trail has been created/marketed? If you're foodies, there are some good choices..... though I find the prices a bit high at the signature stops....

For a treat on the birthday, how about a place like Parknasilla?? Check it out.....

My 40th was in Austin Texas and it was 111 degrees..... You'll not get that, here!! :-D

Susan
Expat living in Waterville, Ring of Kerry/Skellig Coast

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