First trip to Ireland HELP!!

hey jason, sounds like a great trip. i go each year to europe in the spring or fall. two years ago went to ireland for two weeks. flew in and out of dublin. dublin powerscourt ritz kilkenny kilkenny kinsale kinsale dingle dingle dingle galway galway dublin dublin have fun, be safe.

Have you gotten any guidebooks? I'd suggest starting with Rick's book on Ireland, that'll answer a lot of your questions.

Avoiding crowds AND bad weather may be a difficult trick. Early autumn and late spring will give you the best odds, but understand that Irish weather is predictably unpredictable. The good news is that it rarely ever gets as cold as it does in Indiana. Avoiding the tired tourist areas will help with the crowds. Dublin and Shannon are the primary airports for flights from the US. Many like to fly into Shannon to allow for some adjustment, especially if you are renting a car. Then work your route to end in Dublin and fly out of there. Dublin is ok, but as far as great Euro cities go, it is second tier in my opinion. The rest of Ireland (beyond the pale) is where it rises to first tier of places to visit. If you drive to Chicago you can catch non stop flights to Dublin and flights with a connection to Shannon. I looked at late May prices and USAir has a flight to Dublin, connecting through CLT, for $641 including taxes.

I would suggest you travel in April or May. We had mostly great weather in April, but you can (like you can anywhere) encounter a rainy or misty day. As far as an itinerary, it depends a lot on what you want to do. Are you interested in scenery? History? Shopping? Theatre? Pubs? Sports and outdoor activities? You can find sample itineraries in most guidebooks. You could use the RS book as a starting point, but keep in mind that the relatively few places talked about at length in there are also the most popular. The hotels/B&Bs mentioned are the ones most likely to be booked. But there are many, many to choose from wherever you want to be, so don't let the RS book be your only source.

Okay. Thank-you to all of you guys for your help. I will be going to the library tomorrow to pick up RS guidebook along with some others. As for what we like to do sightseeing, shopping, and I'm into history.
Again thank- you to all.

I would second going in April/May. You will be able to enjoy the lovely display of spring flowers everywhere.
We did two weeks in Ireland in 2008. Here is our itinerary, which included both Southern and Northern Ireland. You might want to keep to the South, as you will undoubtedly return. Dublin, Glendalough, Adare, Dingle, Cong, Donegal, Ballycastle, Belfast, Dublin. We had done the Ring of Kerry. Kilkenny, Rock of Cashel and Kinsale on a previous trip. Our daughter spent a few days on the Beara Peninsula. She was very impressed with this part of Ireland.

Jason, As the others have mentioned, having a look at the Ireland Guidebook would be a good place to start (I believe the 2011 edition is available now). That will provide you not only with a good synopsis of the major sights, but also information on Hotels, restaurants, transportation between locations, etc. You may get some Itinerary and sightseeing ideas by having a look at the Itinerary for the RS Ireland in 14 days tour. IMO, the "best time of year" would be either spring or fall shoulder seasons (May/June or Sept./Oct). While there are never any guarantees with the weather, it should be fairly decent. However, it would be a good idea to pack along some light rain gear. I'm not thoroughly familiar with flight options from your location, however one plan you might consider is to use open-jaw flights - inbound to Dublin and outbound from either Belfast or Shannon. Good luck with your planning!

Yes, spring or fall are probably the best times. Also agree with posts/fly into one airport and fly out of the other. We have done that several times and find it the best. Or you can certainly fly into one airport and do a circle tour of the country and fly home from that airport. Get a free book from the Irish tourist bureau which lists about 1000 B&B that are approved and gives you prices/amenities, etc. Found it very helpful. Also view Rick's shows about the country for tips. Try to see Cashel, Kinsale/Cobh/Newgrange and Dingle rather than the Ring of Kerry. Enjoy, it is a wonderful country.

I LOVE May for Ireland. If you check it out, I think you will find it's the driest month of the year. The daylight hours are getting long and the real tourist season hasn't begun yet.

Jason, I've gone to SW Ireland for two weeks the last two years. I go the last two weeks of May and the weather, mostly, has been nice. I fly into Shannon, go to Killarney, Countess Rd. B&B, Ring of Kerry, only half and stay in Port Magee at the Moorings B&B, Dingle for the music, Doolin for the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, Salthill for Trad on the Prom, Ennis for the music, Bunratty for the castle and the folk park where we stayed at the Bunratty Haven B&B. Have a great trip and PM if you have questions.

Hello, Visited Ireland in June for the first time and was overwhelmed by the friendliness of people. Loved Dublin == great shopping, museums and wonderful pubs. The Guiness Stout is not the same as here since the beer we get is made in Canada. In Ireland, It is "food of the Gods." I took the train to Galway - a charming city and then a few day trips to the Cliffs of Mohar. I am planning to return and explore Donegal County in the NorthWest of the Republic. I understand that it is rugged and exquisite but very rural. If you go in the winter you will have short daylight hours since Ireland is north. I found the Irish music haunting. I have been to Europe so many times but never wanted to go to Ireland. I must admit that now I am hooked by the Celtic history and its people. Enjoy.
Barbara

I'll second the comment on Guiness in Ireland. I had tried it here in the US and wasn't impressed. Drinking a fresh pull in Ireland is the best beer I've ever had.

Read that Aer Lingus is having a sale for about $525.00 with air and I think 4 nights lodging included. Not sure of details but check it out. We also used Scepture tours once and they had a great, great deal with air, car and 6 nights lodging and went in the spring and fall on this. It was not a "tour" that is just the name of the company. Check this out. They give you vouchers for over 1000 B&B's you use for the lodging. Not sure if they are still doing it but worth looking into it.