I'm traveling to Ireland from 12/22 - 12/28/09 and am concerned about places being closed over the holidays. I know the 25th is out and that Trinity Library closes 12/23 - 1/2. Any suggestions other than Dingle on St. Stephen's Day? I'll have a rental car and we are staying a bit outside of Dublin for the entire time.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9369 posts
What do you mean by "any suggestions other than Dingle on St Stephen's Day"? You are going to find a lot of things closed for at least Christmas and St Stephen's Day, though Dingle is quite a distance from Dublin.
Posted by
OP
Oakland, CA, United States
3 posts
I anticipate not being able to do much except walk about on Christmas Day but have read that The Wren's Day event in Dingle is one thing that I might be able to do on the 26th. I'm interested in handmade crafts, weaving, ceramics, felting, etc. and was hoping to get to a craft fair during my trip.
Posted by
wichita, kansas
484 posts
Do a search and/or post on www.tripadvisor.com. Since Xmas falls on a Friday, as an educated guess most things will be closed until Monday.
Posted by
OP
Oakland, CA, United States
3 posts
Thanks for the suggestions about fodors.com and tripadvisor.com. I've been looking at some site specific web sites but nothing more general. These are good places for me to start.
Posted by
Chicago, Illinois, USA
586 posts
Hey, Phoebe. We're traveling to Ireland for a week, leaving Christmas Day and flying home on 2 January. The helpline was very helpful (as the name implies), but I found we really had to nail down plans/details in Ireland in advance, given the holidays, winter closures, weather, etc. Our plan is this:
-Fly Chicago to Shannon
-2 nights in Ennis, including a private walking tour of Ennis, music at our hotel pub, and a private hire day trip to a nearby castle
-Bus to Galway
-1 night in Galway, with a group bus day trip to The Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and Doolin
-Train to Dublin
-4 nights in Dublin, including double-decker bus tour, Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Jail, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, a concert, and the Lord Mayor's New Year's Day Parade...plus a few other sites (the Book of Kells will be closed during our travel dates)
-Fly home from Dublin Airport
We had to spend a little more for private tours with guides, since some group things only run "in season," and we just had to let some sights go (i.e., the Book of Kells). Since we want to use public transport, we also have to postpone some great places (Dingle, for instance) for another trip. Still, we're getting a variety of towns, some key sights, and some holiday cheer...so we're very excited.
If you'd like more details (like our hotels, etc.), just shoot me a private message. Have a great trip!