This isn't a question, but my wife and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Ireland and the Rick Steves boards had been so helpful in planning our trip, we wanted to share a few of our favorite spots! Dingle was by far our favorite stop- we had a wonderful stay at the Milestone B&B- lovely hosts and best breakfasts in Ireland. We hired Denis Ryan of Dingle Tours for a 4 hour private tour of Slea Head Drive, and it was the highlight of our trip- we can't recommend him enough and feel like we have such a strong connection with the stories and history of Dingle after touring with him. We ate a wonderful dinner at Doyle's- amazing seafood dishes and was a great deal if you went before 7:30 for their early bird special. And, we wanted to let people know about a great pub that reopened about 3 weeks ago- The Courthouse Pub. Its owned by a local musician who is playing there most nights, and we experienced an amazing trad session there- it sounds corny, but it truly was magical and was exactly what we'd hoped to find in Ireland! In the shoulder season the music was a bit limited on weeknights in Dingle, but The Courthouse does have trad every night. One final recommendation for lodging in Galway- Griffin Lodge is not in Rick's 2011 Ireland book, but it was basic, affordable, great location and a wonderfully sweet host. I thought it was a very affordable option for Galway, which seemed to have fairly high priced lodging. I hope this can help give others as great of an experience as we had- Sláinte!
Posted by
Seattle
920 posts
Sounds like you had a good time, Jake. Thanks for the recommendations. I'm really looking forward to Dingle in September!
Posted by
Eagle River, Alaska, United States
13 posts
Thank you Jake. We are planning to stay 2 nights at the Milestone in May.
Do you have any other recommendations? Did you go to Kinsale and drive the route from Kinsale to Kenmore and then over to Dingle. Did you drive north from Galway into Northern Ireland. Would love to hear more stories. Jane
Posted by
Fullerton, CA
3 posts
Thank you! We will be in Northern Ireland the end of May and beginning of June so your recommendations are much appreciated.
Posted by
Santa Cruz
186 posts
Thanks, Jake. We are eagerly anticipating our trip to Ireland in May. From your comments, and all we have read as well,
Dingle is going to be the highlight!
Posted by
Pearland, Texas, USA
441 posts
Thanks Jake. SW Ireland is my favorite place. This year, we're not going (wife's insistence) but I plan on going next year. Dingle is amazing. There's lots to do and much of it isn't advertised so you have to ask. Sounds like you had a great trip!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32331 posts
Jake, Thanks for the "Just Back Report". Dingle is also one of my favourite places in Ireland! What a great place for Pubs and traditional music!
Posted by
Santa Clara, CA
252 posts
Since Rick prefers privately owned and operated B&Bs, I'm surprised Griffin Lodge has been overlooked by him all these years. I've been recommending them on these boards since my trip in '07. Ann was wonderful. When I sat down to breakfast, I had made an off hand comment that I had never tried black pudding. Before I was even able to finish, she ran to the store, came back and cooked some up for me.
Posted by
OP
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
10 posts
Jane- If we only had a few more days, Kinsale would have been on our list! We drove from Dublin to Kilkenny and stayed in Kilkenny for the night (Used the Kilkenny Hostel, which was....interesting), visited Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle, then drove to Dingle on day 2. After we left Dingle, we drove north to Galway and used that as a base for Aran Islands and Connemara. We then drove back to Dublin, stopping at Clanmacnoise (Which was a worthwhile stop, as we missed going to Glendalough) to break up the drive. One thing to note- we'd bought a newer edition of the Ordnance Survey map that Rick recommends, but in the last 6 months they finished the major M6 highway, leaving many newer maps suddenly out of date! If you are driving, make sure to get a very new version with the M6 listed, or do what we did and use a combo of google maps, Ordnance and multiple circles around the roundabouts to decipher directions! :) Otter- Your black pudding story sounds very much like Ann! She was wonderful!