b and b's in ireland w/out reservations?

I have stayed in lots of B&Bs without reservations. Your friends should not have a problem in Ireland in OCT. They may have to visit several before finding one that they like, but I would risk it every time.

I have done it often with no problems. I generally travel in the off- or shoulder-season, and have never gone up to a door and found out that the location was full. There are some B&Bs that close for the winter, but usually not until Nov 1. There are also some that don't take kids. But there are so many B&Bs that you shouldn't have the slightest problem finding one. In fact, the last two times I haven't even booked the first night because I didn't anticipate problems finding a place.

I'll give the other argument. I would not travel with a 3 yr old without reservations if it could be helped. I was a lot more flexible when I traveled without children, especially one as young as 3. Though I'm sure there will be lots of hotels/b&b's available for adults, that is not always the case for places that take very young children. Just figuring out on the fly which places will take the child/which places will be okay for children would be stressful for me. And yes, I'm sure that Irish families travel with children all the time. I traveled with my own children all the time too and either had a reservation (if it was in a city) or knew that I'd be able to get a mid priced chain (i.e. Hampton Inn) if we were doing a long drive and just needed a place off the freeway. Are your friends Irish? Or is the child their child? If that is the case then they probably know more about this kind of travel than I do, in which case I'd be more inclined to follow their lead. But if it were my child I would hesitant to travel in that fashion.

Thanks Everyone for the advice!