Hello three of us will be traveling to Ireland in October and want to see as much as we can in 7days. We planned on flying into Dublin staying two days, rent a car drive down the coast up to Galway with stops at the tourist places, such as Blarney Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Rock of Cashel. Is this even feasible? We then would fly out of Shannon. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Dublin, Ireland
105 posts
That sounds very doable Patricia.
Posted by
Mission Viejo, Calif., USA
1010 posts
If you get a chance, we recommend that you visit the Ashford Castle. It used to be the summer home for the Guiness family. We stayed there for two nights, this past June. We took a 14 day TAUCK tour of Ireland. We spent an extra two nights near Shannon (Old Ground Hotel, Ennis) Both the Ashford Castle and the Mount Juliet Hotels were so gorgeous. The grounds were spectacular.
Posted by
OP
avondale, az, usa
11 posts
Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it.
Posted by
Ithaca, NY, USA
30 posts
I would recommend flying in and out of Shannon and skipping Dublin. We did two weeks in June and thoroughly enjoyed the West Coast. We drove north out of Shannon to Connemmara and stayed three nights. Took a ferry to the Aran Islands out of Rossavil and had a delightful horse drawn buggy ride from John through the Island. Stayed at Currevaugh House near Outerard north of Galway and it was wonderful. Then we headed south to the Cliffs of Moher and The Burrens for two days and then to Dingle for two days and finally to Kenmare for three days. Stayed at The Castlewood House in Dingle and did a private car tour of the Dingle peninsula from Dennis Ryan. Stayed at The Shelboune Lodge in Kenmare- wonderful hosts in both places and Dingle and Kenmare are delightful towns- Dingle a little more touristy but still charming with good food and pubs, local music, et al. We headed to Rosslare and took a ferry to Normandy for a week and back and then a bus from there to Dublin- can also do the train from Rosslare. Nothing special about Rosslare but it is a convenient transportation hub You have to take your time driving and get a good Ireland Ordanace Map and ask for directions from the locals and you will have no problem.
No point to having a car in Dublin. Tom
Posted by
Germantown, MD
111 posts
my first trip to Europe was to Ireland with 2 nights in London. Spent 2 nights in Dublin (well, Wicklow area actually), 2 nights in Cobh and 2 nights in Galway. Dublin is fairly small so you can do quite a bit in a short time. We drove through some of the Ring of Kerry when we left Cobh. Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle, Jamison tour, played golf at Lahinch and over near Wicklow. Time of my life really. We flew in to Dublin (Charlotte, NC to London Ryan Air to Dublin) and left from Shannon but we went to London from Shannon (Ryan Air again). One thing I would say about driving around in Ireland was it always seemed to take longer to get to where we were going.
Posted by
OP
avondale, az, usa
11 posts
Thanks for the post, I will use your tips that were offered.