We are planning a 2 week trip to Ireland in July 2019. We will be stopping in Dublin/Belfast/Dunfanhagy/Galway/Kenmare areas to tour and take in lots of sites!! We will be traveling with 5 children (ages 5 - 14) and are debating on the idea of purchasing waterproof hiking shoes/sneakers for everyone. I have searched online and have seen yes and no to that question. I am at a stand still! May I have some thoughts on shoes?? (Also, if you know of any places that we should take the children that may be off the beaten path we would love suggestions!! Thank you!!!)
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Unless you plan to strike off into the countryside for some serious hiking you don't really need waterproof shoes or boots in Ireland. You'd encounter wet and boggy places on the trails but not in the cities, north or south.
Wear whatever you do at home on a showery day and you'll be fine.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you Robert!
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Perfect advice, thank you!!
Posted by
Atlanta
5196 posts
How happy will your children be if they have wet feet?
We routinely carry a pair of dry socks for each of us in a zip lock in our day bag. A downpour, or an inadvertent step in a puddle, can get the better of even really good shoes. In such a case dry socks can seem like heaven.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6790 posts
Boy, I have to really disagree with much of what's posted above.
I'm also planning a trip to Ireland in July 2019, and there's no way I'd do this trip without good, dependable, waterproof footwear for everyone on the trip. I live in Seattle, so I know a little about rain and wet feet.
Even if you never get off paved city streets, it's easy to end up with soaked feet after a day out and about. I was in Krakow last July - not someplace known for torrential downpours - and after a few thunderstorms rolled through, my feet and my sneakers (aka tennis shoes aka runners) were soaked. I was not out hiking in the wilderness, I was walking along in the city. Rain falls, it gets on your shoes. Streets and sidewalks puddle, and no matter how careful you are to try and avoid them, at some point (usually pretty quickly) you will find that you stepped in a puddle deep enough to soak through the sides of your shoes. It's inevitable, and makes most folks miserable until you can get your feet dry and keep them that way,
Did my shoes dry out? No they did not - not without me going after them with a (hair) blow dryer for a good long time (thank goodness our apartment had one). Even then, they retained some dampness for several days (in fact, for the rest of the trip). A change of socks? Worked for about 5 minutes, after which I had another pair of wet socks. Changing your socks when your shoes are wet is not a solution!
I agree that boots are not really necessary if you stick to pavement 100% of the time. But if you're out sight-seeing, you will have to negotiate some paths and grassy fields - all of which are like giant sponges, holding moisture to deposit on your footwear.
Maybe you'll get lucky and your visit to Ireland will occur during a hot, sunny drought. But I would not count on that. Personally, I'll be bringing waterproof shoes.
In Goretex We Trust.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Extremely helpful!! Much appreciated!
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1895 posts
David...something I just learned in Italy on a bike trip last month when we got stuck in a HEAVY downpour. Put newspaper in your shoes at night....it's amazing how that moves the moisture away. Our bike shoes were so wet that we had puddles of water in them...took the insoles out to dry and stuffed the shoes with newspaper and they were dry by morning...