Ireland in late September

Regardless of the time of year, for Ireland you always need to have layers and be prepared for any kind of weather. Short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, a sweater or lightweight fleece jacket, a decent raincoat (preferably with hood and zip-out liner for extra warmth if you plan on spending a lot of time along the coastline where it can get really windy and cold). Long pants and one decent pair of boots or walking shoes with good traction if you are going to walk in the countryside off road - it can get muddy and be wet.

For restaurants, unless you are in the city, most restaurants are casual and you can get by fine with a pair of dark jeans and a nice sweater or shirt. If you want to pack something dressy, it's entirely up to you and your budget as to where you think you might eat out and whether you'll need something nicer.

As for B&Bs vs. hotels, most will tell you B&Bs, but it really should be based on what your personal preference is. B&Bs are small - sometimes the hosts take a big interest in guests and others may check you in and disappear until breakfast unless you really need them to answer a question - you can interact with other B&B guests, or not. You can share a bathroom with other rooms, or get your own private bath.

Hotels in Ireland are no different than U.S. hotels. Your experience is often based on price and is rarely very personal.

Nice casual clothes should be fine for most all restaurants.

We stayed in B&B's and I can't imagine Ireland any other way. All our host were very nice, very professional -- and not nosy or intrusive. Our rooms where comfortable and much more homey than a motel room, and all had their own bathrooms -- most do, but check for sure. All the hosts were helpful and gave great suggestion for meals and activities in their areas. Don't be afraid to try them even if you have never stayed in a B&B before. It really is part of the charm. This site and Tripadvisor.com will help you choose wisely. Tell us where you plan to stay and we can all give you feed back on B&B's

Even in June we took layers -- polar fleece, raincoats w/hoods, long and short sleeve shirts and sweatshirts. I even had earmuffs -- because I don't do well in wind and places like the Cliffs of Moher can be VERY windy.

Definitely B & B's. Good opportunity to experience that wonderful Irish hospitality.

Great advice here...definately dressing in layers is the way to go. I will be there same time as you and am taking pretty much what was listed above.

If you stay in B&B's (my choice for sure) it will most likely be less expensive but this time I will take my own washcloth as the B&B's we stayed in did not provide them on my last trip.

We did not do any upper scale restaurants and did do mostly pubs but we wore jeans most places. I think I did wear khakis one night to a nicer place.

Have a GREAT trip!

Layer up with at least some rain gear too.

I think B&B are mostly nice, but even if they're recommended, you're rolling the dice to some extent. We stayed at a recommended B&B in Wexford and the room was closet size, with questionable en suite. The hosts were a little surly, and the breakfast was so-so. Bar-goers went screaming into the night and as a result we got little sleep. I wouldn't go back. Then we stayed at an unrecommended B&B - Rainbows End - in Dunmore east, and it was very nice, very nice hostess - Mary Nagle - great breakfast and Mary gave great advice for our trip and Irish culture.

If you can find a self-catering place to stay, it gives you flexibility and saves a lot of money. I doubt I'll ever travel without self-catering again.

I am so grateful for all the information posted. I do have a couple more questions - how have you handled the phone calls home that need to be made and also have a number available for people to call you in an emergency.
What car rental agency do people recommend? Also,
are people changing their money to euros before leaving the states and do most places accept a visa card?
Thanks again for everyone's help!!

I use a Mobal phone for both incoming (never had one yet) and outgoing calls (brief ones). For chatty calls, I buy a phone card at a convenience store for the smallest denomination I can and use it at a pay phone.

VISA is accepted anywhere, except maybe tiny shops or pubs. As far as exchanging money, I just hit the ATM at the airport when I get there.

I generally use Irish Car Rental (www.eire.car) because their rates have been best for what I wanted when I checked. You can book a car and cancel/change it without penalty, so go ahead and book somewhere and watch for better deals until you leave.

We rented thru Irish car rentals too and had a good experience. Be sure to get the $10 thing that gives you the right to cancel. Otherwise they charge a very hefty fee. Don't know how Nancy has gotten the cancel for free thing -- maybe they just changed that policy this year? Also be sure to take photos of your car when you pick it up, noting all dents and scratches. Then also have the attendant make note too. This way you avoid having to pay for other renter's damages.

You can easily get Euros from the ATM's once you arrive. Be sure to notify your bank and Credit Cards that you will be traveling in Ireland and give them the dates,otherwise you might find your cards have been shut down for possible misuse. Also if you don't already have one it might be worth your while to get a Capital One Visa card. They are the only CC I know of that does not charge a foreign transaction fee. If we had used our normal Master Card we would have been charged an extra 3% for each transaction -- ouch! The exchange rates is bad enough to swallow with out the CC companies adding to it! ATM cards -- maybe from a couple of different sources if possible and a Capitol One card and you should be good. We paid cash for most everything and it was appreciated -- especially with B&B's.

I have never canceled with Irish Car Rentals -- but I have canceled with other agencies to rent with ICR. Still, they didn't have that policy when I last rented with them (2006).

It must be a new thing then because this year "Ann" told me I could not cancel once the reservation was made unless I paid a $10 or maybe it was 10 Euro fee -- kind of an insurance policy. -- I paid it because one never knows and it was a safer bet. I paid my total rental fee up front several months in advance . At first that bothered me -- then when the exchange rate kept getting worse -- I was glad we had!

Yes, it must be new. I have talked to Ann many times and it was never mentioned before (and yes, it's certainly worth the money). She did, however, tell me that, though they tell you to bring the car back empty, if you bring it back full of gas instead, you get the initial fuel charge refunded. On my last trip, topping off the tank was much cheaper than paying the initial fee. I imagine it would depend on the circumstances of each trip whether it is worth doing that or not.

Nancy -- good tip to pass on about bringing the car back full and getting the fee back. We brought it back empty -- tho that is a trick. Hubby kept trying to drive on fumes -- til I objected that running out of gas would not be worth any price if it wasted our last precious day in Ireland!

I would expect cool days and nights with off and on rain during your trip. The chance of really warm weather is better than the chance of really cold weather, but the British Isles are known for their unpredictable and rapidly changing weather.

As always, layer, layer, layer and don't get seperated from your rainshell.

This is what I pack:

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=1440268

It's geared around my favorite travel times (April, May, Sept and Oct) for the North and West of the Alps and the Islands.