Best Irish towns?

Killarney is very touristy and therefore did not have as much "true" Irish charm. (in my opinion) I tell people that it felt like the "disneyland" part of Ireland...caters to tourists and there are lots of them there. Because so many bus tours stay there, we actually found some places a little unfriendly to 2 wayward travelers (can't help you, expecting a bus tour, come back later, you can't tour now because we have some buses coming in. etc) I thought Dingle lived up to the hype and I also enjoyed Clifden and Westport up in the Connemara.

We enjoyed Clifden and Kenmare. Kilkenny wasn't that interesting. If you have never seen any other "medieval city," then it might be worthwhile, but it certainly isn't York or Dinan. Galway was great for shopping, but we only spent a few hours there. Dingle has good pubs and restaurants. Overall, we prefer being out in the countryside. The area around the Delphi Lodge is spectacular. Glendalough was very evocative.

What about Kinsale? I'm not a foodie per say, but the town looks soooo cute!

Other thoughts on great, authentic towns?

Go somewhere in Donegal or in the Midlands where the hordes of tourists don't congregate.

I'd second the suggestions of Clifden and Kenmare, and add maybe Roundstone (Co. Galway), Avoca (Co. Wicklow), and Cobh (Co. Cork)

(1) Kenmare, and nearby Sneem along the Ring of Kerry.
(2) Doolin (when the tour buses aren't there)
(3) Dingle
(4) Kinsale

Some must-sees/dos: Newgrange, Trinity College / Book of Kells, Rock of Cashel, the Burren, Temple Bar district, Connor Pass, a splurge of one night in a castle
Overrated: Blarney, Bunratty Folk Village, Kilkenny
Don't: Limerick, Tralee, Waterford

Skip: Waterford...
Limit: Dublin...
Enjoy: Dingle, Newgrange, Bushmills/Giant's Causeway.

Glendalough, Waterville (Ring of Kerry) Bantry,Cobh, Kinsale, Cashel, Dingle, Cong, Westport, Killybegs, Antrim coast, Enniskillen, couple of days in Belfast and Dublin.
Give Limerick,Cork, Clonmel and Killarney a miss.

We were there in May so the tourist hordes hadn't quite yet arrived and the weather was great.

I really liked Killarney and Galway.

I also liked Blarney castle a lot. It was a lot more than the stone. The castle ruin is interesting with a cave, druid era ruins, a dolman, gardens and Blarney house all on the grounds.

We also went to Bunratty castle. It's the kind of touristy place I usually avoid but I enjoyed it.

I wasn't impressed with Limerick. I met great people but the town itself is gray and industrial.

Dublin is a city but there were plenty of great sites there and our daytrip to Newgrange and the Boyne valley were a highlight.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions! I am glad to see that Kennmare is a favorite, as it is a logical place to stay (and much better than Killarney!).

Any reason why Killkenny doesn't receive high marks? With the castle and catherdral (and lots of pubs!) it seems nice. Was planning to stay there the first night after flighing into Dublin...any other suggestions?

What about Kinsale?

Kilkenny is a pretty good haul for your first night. I didn't care a lot for it because of the traffic and parking situation. The castle didn't impress, but I liked the Design Center across the road.

Dingle is my favorite by far. Kinsale would be second. We got kind of a bad impression of Kilkenny because it was so hideous driving through it trying to find our B&B. It was a nice town though, but no nicer than any other in Ireland.

Jessica,

To answer your question about Kinsale, it is as nice a town as it looks. Gorgeous scenery, great food (even if you're not a foodie you'll love it; I recommend Max's Wine Bar), and interesting history. Kinsale is much nicer to me than Kenmare. Kenmare is nice, too, but more of an alternative to Killarney than a fascinating place in its own right.

Donegal--Not so much for towns, but for the beaches (Five Fingers, near Malin, and cliffs (Horn Head near Dunfanahy) and Glenveagh National Park (a must)
Most American tourist don't venture up to Donegal

Leitrim/Fermanagh--Again, another non-touristy area. Belcoo & Black Lion and Lake McNean. Florence Court, Marble Caves and McNean Bistro--one of the most celebrated restaurants in Ireland. Good walking, lots of lakes--Many early and pre-Christian sites.

Galway: Kinvara---a lovely seaside town only 30 minutes from Galway and a good base to explore the Burren.

Clare: Ennis & Killaloe

Kerry--Glenbeigh/Caragh Lake. Thank goodness the tour buses don't stop in this town. If you're going the Ring of Kerry , stop in Glenbeigh, grab lunch at the Towers hotel and then walk or drive down to Rossbeigh Strand, one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. If you stay longer, hike over the mountain and around Caragh Lake to Glencar (See trail maps for Kerry Way)

Also Dingle and Kenmare

In Cork- Schull is a great town, a great alternative to Kinsale

Southwest-Powercourt is worth the trip as is Glendalough

We were in Ireland two weeks ago for our first trip. We flew in, picked up the car and drove to Kilkenny for the first night. It seemed like the logical place...not too far from Dublin to drive after a long flight. We also wanted to go to the Rock of Cashel on our way to Dingle the next day. I don't think I would have wanted to drive any further than that the first day. We just spent the one night. I think it was a good choice under the circumstances, but I would probably choose somewhere else if I was already in the country and just looking for places to see.

I'll declare my interest first! My mother was born in Co.Donegal, so it is OBVIOUSLY the most beautiful part of the country! If you can drag yourself away from the spectacular beaches, Donegal town and Dungloe are the main towns for me. Dungloe is one of those places where you walk into a bar and everything stops. But if they like you, you'll make a lot of new friends. My cousin Michael is the priest, by the way, if you need one! :-)

Roger Bruton

http://www.fermedecandeloup.fr