We arrive at Shannon in the morning, after a lot of flying. Our plan is to head towards the Burren for that day and night and possibly the next night. We know we'll be tired so we were thinking if we stay in Ennis and are more jet-lagged than we expected there'd be enough to do without driving around. But, Doolin also sounds good. Any suggestions? We arrive on March 6 and have 12 days in Ireland. The best flight for us was to fly into and out of Shannon so we are also figuring out just where we want to go and in what order.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
On our first trip to Ireland, our flight also landed at Shannon in the morning. Here is what we did on our first day: After getting our rental cars, we drove the six miles to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. We saw the castle and the part of the folk park that was open at that time (it was during the height of a foot and mouth disease epidemic in the UK and many things rural in Ireland were closed). We then went across the road to a little shopping center, where we had lunch. After eating and browsing in the shops we drove to our first night's accomodation in Liscannor, five minutes from the Cliffs of Moher (Moher Lodge). Checked in, then headed on to Doolin for dinner. We also intended to stay long enough to hear music, but were just too tired to stay awake. On the second morning we saw the Cliffs before heading on to the Burren. It would be just as easy for you to actually stay in Doolin, but for us it made better sense to stay nearer the cliffs because it was the first place we wanted to stop the next day.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2450 posts
Lisconnor or Doolin over Ennis. It is not that far of a drive.
Posted by
Wilmington, DE, USA
712 posts
Enjoyed our night in Doolin'. I wished we had planned 2 nights. Bunratty Castle area and dinner was fun for us on an earlier trip to Ireland. If you are staying at a bed and breakfast, be sure to ask if you can have an early check in. Our place in Doolin' did not want to check us in until after 4PM. I learned that when we arrived exhausted at their front door. Once we were checked in and had a key, we could come and go as we liked. I never thought to ask in my emails about the possibility of an early check in when I was making our reservations from the US.