Ireland in May or June

I will second almost all of what Ed said, with the exception of the Rock of Cashel. I love it. It has a long and varied history. It's not an impressive "castle", since it's mostly a church....but I think it's well worth seeing. Its setting, on a high rock in the middle of the plains, is impressive. Kilmainham IS a definite! Learning about the history of the Irish struggle for independence there is something I have never forgotten. Very moving. It is well within the city limits - as Ed says, it's just a bus ride away from the more walkable center of the city.

Nancy doesn't miss much. She's absolutely correct - - what remains at Cashel is the ruins of either a church or a cathedral, forget which. Earlier it was a fort or a castle (traces remain) and its location and minimal elevation made it undefendable, hence 'crappy'. I still think the existing ruin is unremarkable when compared to others such as Tintern or Whitbey, both of which had more complex construction issues. Aw, hell, Nancy's always right. Go see it.

May or June: May since a few less tourists and possibly lower prices Arans: same weather as the mainland, a good jacktet will block any drizzle or wind - - press on Kinsale: pretty darn good, make an effort to get there Cashel: unimpressive, crappy castle when compared to others in the world Tour: nope, do it on your own, simple Kilmainham: not sure it's beyond the city limits (you can walk to it easily - - a couple of miles from the O'Connell Street bridge - - or take a bus), but don't miss it, too much history

I'm not always right....but Cashel can be on your way to Kinsale. Also, Cahir Castle is close by (also on your way between the two). As a fort, it was indefensible. It was given to the church because the local chieftains or whoever got tired of it. Just for the record, I agree that there are more impressive castle and abbey ruins around - but you aren't going to those places.

Thank you, both Ed and Nancy. We are looking at two tours... CIE and Rick Steves... both are 14 days. CIE goes from Dublin (2 nights) to Kildare and tour National Stud and a Japanese Garden (didn't sound too interesting to me) from there to Waterford and then spend the night 3 mile from Kensale... then to Killarney and two nights in Dingle... Dingle sounds like a wonderful place. From Dingle they are to go to Foynes Flying Boat museum (What is this about?) and then spend the night at Bunratty for some kind of dinner in a castle... then two nights in Galway.... From Galway that's about 1/2 the tour... then Rick Steves tour starts out with 2 nights in Dublin... visit Kilmainham Goal, Rock of Cashel and spend two nights in Kinsale... tour Charles Fort... walking tour of Kinsale. Sounds to me, from what Ed said, it would be beautiful to spend two nights in Kinsale. What do you know about the National Stud and Japanese Gardens... and I think I read that Waterford doesn't have a working factory... Of course the CIE tour is a lot cheaper than Rick Steves, by $1,197 per person and most all of your dinners are covered by CIE where as Steves are not... just a few... This is not either complete tour, but what do you think?

Forgot to mention the Rick Steves tour spends 3 nights in Dingle...

The National Stud is basically a horse farm - personally, I wouldn't want to spend 10 minutes there. I have no idea about the Japanese Garden - never heard of it. Waterford does have a working factory, it's just in a different location than the original one, and is much smaller. Flying Boat Museum? Hmm. And I could live without ever returning to Killarney, too. The Bunratty medieval banquet is a touristy thing, but a lot of people think it's great fun. I haven't been, so I don't know. Having been to Ireland four times now, the RS itinerary seems more like something I would want to do. But as Ed mentioned, it's really easy just to take yourself around, unless you don't care to drive. Public transport by bus is plentiful, but train service in the west is almost nonexistent. Of course, going on your own means you have to make your own lodging/travel/food arrangements, and you don't get the "guided" part that a tour would have. Looking purely at the itinerary, I would prefer the RS tour. It seems like more "quality" locations are included.

I agree with Nancy's first paragraph. I, in fact, when to see the old PanAm plane since I'm a sucker for airplanes - - wasted ten euro since I'm a sucker.......My wife had been to Bunratty previously and nixed it. I've never been on a tour in my life, so that's as far as I'm qualified to go.

Just on the weather Becky, Irish weather is unpredictable at best (the last 2 weeks have been lovely here when we might normally expect it to be cold and damp) but generally speaking the weather in May & June is lovely, arguably the 2 best months of the year. The countryside is beautiful in May/June. Good advice from the others on where to go/see.

Been to the flying boat museum at Foynes. Was a "mock- up" of the pan am clipper. Was done up fairly well for Ireland standards! (I,m spoiled since i've been in several aviation museums in the states!) I say it is worth a stop if in the area, wouldn't go too far out of the way to see it tho. The best part is that Irish coffee originated there, and we sampled in the visitor center....yum! Dan

I did a CIE tour in Ireland several years ago. I did it because it was my first trip to Europe and it was paid for by someone who couldn't go. It will also be my last tour even if there was another free one offered. Since it's the one and only, I have nothing to compare it to but while I did have a good time, it would have been a hundred times more fun on my own. The tour buses all seem to drag you from shopping areas to faux sites (like a wool mill, actually another shopping mall) with just a couple of actual sites thrown in. I saw 'All of Ireland' through a bus window. A TV screen would have been just as intimate. I imagine that's why the large operators can do it so cheap since they get a commission off everything their group buys. Nothing wrong with that, it's just a bunch of time wasted. The Bunratty castle dinner was fun, but no way would I do it again. It's not even Disney, more Six Flags. You won't be saving any money on meals either as after that first night they herd you down to the hotel cafeteria, you'll know when to call in sick and spend the evening on your own. I can't stress enough how easy and way more enjoyable it is to do it on your own. Just get the books and you know where to ask questions! But if you just can't do it, I would spend the extra $ and take the RS tour. At least you won't be forced into witnessing a stud farm. Just my own personal experience. Maybe others have had a better time.

Nancy, thanks for your input. I do like the RS tour better.... I'm not sure how to go about planning my own tour, but it's something worth looking in to. I do think it would be hard to drive on the left side of the road. That worries me a little.

I love driving in Ireland, though others feel differently. Landing in Shannon instead of Dublin gives you a better chance to get used to driving on the left before you encounter any traffic, since Shannon airport is out in the country. It is really surprising how quickly you get used to being on the other side of the road. I always recommend that you take the Super CDW insurance so that if there was a problem, you would not have any deductible to have to pay.

May is my first choice. Not sure if Cashel is a not to miss place. If I'm in the area, though, I'm visiting. Kilmainham is a good piece of Irish history. I tend to prefer pre-1700's history (because we have our own history after that). A Monastic settlement and/or Newgrange are much higher on my personal priority list. It really depends on what you are interested in. I also liked Bunratty (didn't do the dinner show) and Blarney Castles, both for the castles and other sites around them. Others don't like them at all (It might depend on how crowded it is when you visit, which gets back to going in, hopefully early, May).

I went on the Rick Steves tour (my 9th RS tour) the end of June and I loved it. May will most likely be colder than June. June was chilly but as others have said, Irish weather is very unprediable. You get what you pay for and even though RS tours are more expensive, you get a lot for your money. I suggest you read the feadback of the RS tour members that have been on the Ireland tour. Plus the photos from the scrapbook section of this website. I never had an interest in going to Ireland but when I starting reading the feadback and looking at the photos, it convinced me to go. It was a one of the best tours ever. No matter what time of year you go, even in July and August, you must bring a rain jacket and layer your self. And bring jeans and sneakers. Lots of bluffs and rocks and cliffs and outstanding views. Can be windy. When I told my friend I thought of going in July ( which may be better weather but who knows with Ireland) she thought June would be better as the roads are more crowded and more tour buses). I did see tour buses at some of the stops but I really think that as the summer keeps going there would be even more tour buses and of course more crowds. With Ireland, you must dress warmly press on no matter what the weather is as you cannot expect it to be great, not like Italy or Spain. I think you cannot go wrong with RS Ireland tour and you get more than what it says in the tour book and some wonderful guides that will explain Ireland. Does your other tour go to Northern Ireland because that was also a plus on this tour. Anyway, no matter what, you will love Ireland and the people are very nice and friendly and the beer (even if you don't like beer, I don't is really, really good). Have a great time Ann

are you against driving? We did not find it hard to drive on the left. The only BIG problem I had was that we got a stick shift and would never do that again. I usually went from first gear to fourth most of the time. Next times got automatic and had no problems. It was so easy to find numerous B&B's with vacancy although we never in summer. The Gaol is inside they city, just a short bus ride from center of town.To me, it definitely was a highlight, rent "In the Name of the Father" movie, actually filmed there. It was really raw inside, so damp and cold. Skip Guiness Brewery, we thought a tourist trap and if weather is bad, you can't see anything from the top. Loved Kinsale and also walking around Cobh right across the harbor. Also think Rock of Cashel was worth it but my goodness it was so windy there, glad we had woolen scarf and that was in May. You will love Ireland. We did not do the dinner at Bunratty, just the recreated village there which we did enjoy.

Rail service is not as hard to work in western Ireland as it used to be. I did a marathon day starting out in Dublin to Galway then from Galway to Limerick to Limerick Junctionwhich is out in the middle of NOWHERE near Tipperary then Cork and back to Dublin. I would suggest taking a look at www.irishrail.ie for fares and timetables.
One thing that I would tell you is I would say to go both to the North and Republicone doesn't truly understand Ireland without visiting both.

Becky, Having taken the Rick Steves Ireland tour, I would highly recommend that you at least consider it. The tour was fantastic, and I feel that I learned FAR more about the culture and history than if I had travelled on my own, and had a much more rewarding travel experience. The Guide (Declan) was incredibly knowledgeable and the tour was a lot of fun! I arrived in Dublin a few days early, in order to cover a few sights that aren't covered on the tour, and also to do a bit of exploring on my own. I booked a few days in the tour Hotel prior to the tour starting. I can't recall if the Kilmainham Gaol was covered, but I agree that it's definitely a site not to be missed, as it's a significant part of Irish history. As I recall, the Gaol is on the "outskirts" of the city, but is easily reachable via one of the Hop On / Hop Off Bus tours. Whether to visit the Guinness Storehouse is a matter of personal preference. I decided to have a look (and of course a "free" pint of Guinness). If you decide to visit, I'd suggest going either first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, as the queues can be enormous throughout the day. I believe that's also on the route of some of the Hop On / Hop Off Bus tours. Sláinte and Happy travels!