Early planning stages for Ireland trip

Do you have a copy of RS Ireland 2012 Guide Book yet? If so, great. If not, you should get one as it is full of useful information about visiting that country that we used when we visited there.

Advice about the rental car: with 6 people, your luggage will need to be truly minimal. We had 6 adults a few years ago, and after a week of bicycling (where someone else handled the luggage), we were unable to fit all 6 of us and our luggage in the largest car available in Galway. We solved that problem, but be forewarned! Our second week was a rental house in Skibbereen, way in the south. Fabulous experience! We did go grocery shopping and cooked many of our own meals. Many in our group had done vacation rentals before so brought a fair amount of experience to this vacation. I think your itinerary is doable, but a lot of territory to cover in one week. I would narrow the scope to enjoy more time in top choice locations.

Yes it is feasible to do all three but would not suggest renting a place. If you do rent one, say outside Dublin, then you are going to Kilkenny and then have to backtrack to the rental place near Dublin and do the same if going to Limerick. B&B is way to go. Suggest you do a circle, say Dublin, Killkenny, Limerick and then back to Dublin. You might also see if you can fly into Dublin and then out of Shannon, would save you back tracking. You also need to be sure the car you rent can handle six adults, I would imagine you would need a van of some type. The only back roads we found were more towards the west. Good luck and enjoy.

We did a week of self cater in rural Cork County, near Millstreet, in late March of 2011. We were one of 2 couples sharing the cottage, and we did all of our breakfasts and evening meals there. We went to the local supermarket, and had fun shopping (The ladies sent us men! LOL) We found the 3 for 10Euro meat deal....got 3 meat entrees for 10 Euros. We got beef meatballs, chicken breast filets, bacon(for bacon and cabbage). Also got Irish turnips....very mild and sweet. Also got carrots, potatos, onions, cabbage, chips soft taco shells, beer, wine, and my new favorite: Mushy peas! We really enjoyed cooking the local ingredients, of course we had Americanized Spag and meatballs, chicken fajitias, and the best meal we made was the bacon and cabbage! For breakfast we had ceral, yougurt, toast, and fruit. Picked up 7 different flavors of sausage at the English Mkt Cork City (Mkt is highly recommended!) We split the sausages open and lightly browned them, then cut each sausage in fourths so we could all sample all seven varietys! awesome! We figured we saved a lot of money....on lodging and meals, and the bonus was a washer and dryer...so didn't have to do sink laundry at the B&B/Hotel, or find a launderette. The 3 days before and the 4 days after, we did hotels and B&B's....really liked the full Irish breakfast....you only need to snack at noon, and then had a good pub meal in the evening. Fine dining is expensive, and we did't go that route. Since you only have a week total, and want to do 3 areas, it might be tough to find a self cater for less than a week....but it is not impossible...maybe just difficult. Good luck with your planning! D.

Eire is a small island. Most important thing is to maximize your time. You will also need to research available van rentals or explore the option of two cars. Packing lightly will be essential. One bag and one bag only for all travelers. Even though you say you have a week, you truly have five days to explore because of time renting and retuning auto and getting to and from airports. I would seriously consider the following. Contact the relatives in each town to see if they can house you or could find b & b's close by where you could stay when you visited them. I'd fly into Shannon and out of Dublin. From Shannon I'd explore and stay the night on the Dingle Pennisula. Next day off to Killarney to explore the Lakes and the Ring of Kerry. From there an over night with the relatives in Limerick. Next day make your way to the Rock of Cashel. From Cashel to Killkenny overnight visit with the relatives. Next morning off to Glendalough, then Powerscourt. Stay on the outskirts of Dublin. Keep the car ad use public transport into Dublin for the day. SKIP the Guinness Brewery (waste of time and money) see the Book of Kells and the library at Trinity College, Kilmainham Gaol, take your photos on Hey Penny bridge, picnic or people watch in St. Stephen's Green, stroll along Grafton Street, enjoy a pub lunch and a pint at Kehoe's, visit the Dublin's Writer's Museum, then back to your b & b and hopefully dinner in that neighborhood. Next morning EARLY on the road to Newgrange. From there drive North 2 hrs to the Giants Causeway. Explore. Return to Belfast for a meal and exploration then back to your b & b to rest and ready your self for your flight home. Hope my math is correct and that's 5 fun filled days. LOVELY country. Tips for b & b's in the town noted can probably be found using the search engine as well looking on the Graffiti Wall. Slainte!

Wow, lots of great advice. Thanks, everyone! I just picked up Rick Steves' latest Ireland guidebook at the library and am starting to read through it. I got some ideas from a colleague at work too. He said that the week that he and his wife spent in Ireland was their "best vacation ever."

Is your focus on time with your family living in Ireland, or do you just want to do a quick pass through the places your family is from? That should help you determine how many places you go and how much you can see during your short trip. If your focus is more on family and less on sight seeing, I think you can easily do that in one week. How many days/nights do you actually have? Don't count the day you leave home or the day you fly back. Most flights arrive early in the morning. You will be tired. We drove from Dublin to Kilkenny the day we arrived and I was very glad we didn't have a longer drive. You transportation situation is tough. A large vehicle can be difficult to park and drive on smaller roads. Even if you got a van and each person only brings one carry-on sized bag it will be tight. You might look into renting 2 smaller vehicles.