Hello - My husband and I are traveling to Dublin from Oslo in September and are having a difficult time finalizing our itinerary. We have Monday afternoon (fly into Dublin at noon) through Sunday morning (fly out of Dublin early). We were thinking of spending 2 days in each: Kinsale, Cork, Dublin. In Kinsale, we are interested in walking around the town and possibly driving towards Kenmare for the scenery. In Cork, we were thinking of staying in Mallow and fly fishing one day. Which has me wondering: are Cork & Kinsale too close in proximity to warrant changing hotels? Is 2 days in Kinsale too much? Should we stay in/outside of Cork then do day trips instead? Is it worth driving out to Kenmare from Kinsale for an afternoon? Overall, we are looking to spend time wandering through interesting/charming cities or villages, biking or hiking, eating well, and generally taking in the scenery. We aren't too keen on seeing touristy places like Blarney, but would like to see Cashel and stop at interesting places on our way to each city. Very much wishing we could see Dingle, but we need a reason to come back.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Cork and Kinsale are close together, but your plan sounds OK. It would be kind of difficult to use Cork as a base and still do the other things you wanted to do. And part of the charm of places like Kinsale is in being able to, say, have a leisurely dinner and stroll along the waterfront. You can't really do that if you have to get back to Cork for the night. Some ideas: On the way to Cashel, you might stop in Cahir and see the castle there. Also, not far from Mallow is a donkey sanctuary, which also overlooks a 12th century castle ruin in Liscarroll, if that interests you. Cobh is not far from Kinsale, and is worth a visit. And the Kenmare area is gorgeous. The problem with Ireland is that there are so many good things to see and do that you can't get to them all! I am curious about one thing, though. Since I don't fish, I've always wondered - if you go fishing on vacation, when you are staying in hotels, what do you do with the fish?
Posted by
Nashville, TN
93 posts
If you want to eat well definitely go to Kinsale. It is known as the "gourmet capital" of Ireland. My favorite was Jola's Restaurant. That said, two full days in Kinsale would be too much for me. Kenmare would definitely be worth a visit. The town is charming, and the scenery at Moll's Gap and the nearby National Park is beautiful. Definitely return to Ireland and see the town of Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula. I recommend staying at the Greenmount House there.