Last Night near Shannon Airport

We enjoyed Dromoland as a memorable "splurge," but I would certainly not stay there (or Adare) on my last night...too expensive to spend your time packing and worrying about getting up early to catch a flight. As a previous poster said, there are plenty of B&B's near Shannon in Bunratty. How about visiting Bunratty Castle - touristy but actually quite enjoyable - and top off your visit with a drink or two at Durty Nelly's?

The Bunratty Castle banquet is fun, even if it is planned for tourists...... We found the town of Adare to be rather dull - it seemed to be oriented towards tourist shopping and it's not especially close to Shannon. We didn't visit the manor; our castle hotel was Ballynahinch in Connemara. (very enjoyable). If you want to avoid tourist-oriented sites, you might enjoy Ennis or staying in the Burren.

There are numerous B&Bs along the Bunratty road behind the castle, which is just six miles to the airport. There is a little shopping center and an Avoca Handweavers store nearby, too, for last minute souvenirs.

You could spend your last day visiting anywhere nearby (Adare; Cliffs of Moher, or...?) and then crash at the airport hotel (Park Inn). It's not fancy, but it's affordable, comfortable, has a pub (!) and you'll only have to walk to your flight in the morning.

For our last night before we flew from Shannon Airport we stayed at Grey Gables B & B in Ennis. It's very close to the airport and Ennis is a cute town.

I was in a similar situation and did what Stacy did and stayed at the Park Inn. I spent the whole day out and then checked in. The rooms bordered on dismal but the most excellent hotel bar made up for it. I do have priorities after all! Next morning, I just walked over to the airport. I'd do it again. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you all!

Ive stayed in the Park Inn twice and will do it again.

I like Limerick as a place to stay for a night or two. There should be good bus service to Bunratty and the airport from Limerick. There used to be lots of B&Bs in Limerick. Limerick has a train station.

Wow...some great info here. I just went on-line and found some of those B&B's near Bunratty. We have an early morning flight, and a quiet, and highly rated B&B 10 minutes from the airport sounds like a pretty good option.

Haven't personally stayed there, but check out Kells Country House near Shannon. Prices seems reasonable, and they get good reviews on Trip Advisor. If you use them, please share your experience.

Not sure who is in your group, whether you are a married couple without or without kids, or friends traveling together. My wife and I found Ennis to be a nice town to end in, half an hour from Shannon. To paraphrase Rick it does not cater to the tourist dollar but doesn't shun it either. There are few if any tourist sites in the town, but back in 2002 we went to Cruise's pub and enjoyed traditional music for a couple of nights. Even the pub patrons would burst into song. I was looking on the web and it may have since gone upscale, but it was a magic memory for us. It was a pretty amazing cultural experience, and not at all staged for the tourists (only a few of us in the room). I made the mistake, which did not turn out to be a mistake, of sitting in the seats up by the musical group which I guess are supposed to be for their friends. They ended up sort of befriending me for the evening, probably bemused at the goofy overly forward American. I walked my wife the sensible one went home to bed at the Grey Gables B&B (today 4* on TripAdvisor), then went back to the pub and even though the pubs closed at 11pm, my local friends spirited me away to an after hours place with the windows papered over. (Maybe there was an exception to the 11pm rule for a private party, not sure). Turns out it was someone's engagement party, but folks were very welcoming of the lone American in the room. The next morning our B&B proprietor praised my wife as the sensible one who went to bed early, having heard me coming in late. We still laugh about it, because though my energy for late nights is not as great as it was then, she is still the sensible one. I was pretty tired for the drive to the airport and the flight home, but it was worth it. Anyway, that's Ireland for you. Lots of magic moments, hope you find yours!

What a wonderful evening you had. Thank you for sharing.

We stayed at the "Old Ground Hotel" in Ennis, when we flew into Shannon last year. It was very nice and Irish.

My suggestion would be to arrive in Bunratty early enough to tour the folk park. It may be a bit touristy, but interesting. Book your last night at Dunaree B&B on the Low Road, if you have a vehicle. The hosts there are great! It's not within walking distance of the castle. Bunratty Castle has the Medieval Banquet nite, but we find the Trad. Irish Nite that more enjoyable. It's held there in the Folk Park, I think at 7 p.m., and has dinner and pretty good entertainment with step dancing and singers. Then after the show we walk across the street to Durty Nelly's. It is one heck of a fun place. It has its share of tourists but we've always managed to buddy up with some locals and had some good craic. We always manage to stay till closing. Trip to Shannon Airport is about 15 mins.
Anyway, I thought I'd throw my 2 cents worth in. Have a great time. We're headed there in September for our 5th trip.

Thank you!

I would always vote for Limerick as a last night before a flight from Shannon. A very easy drive (20 minutes?), and plenty of taxis if you don't have a rental. You have some great hotel choices (my vote at the moment would go to the Absolute Hotel), an award-winning gastro-pub with nightly trad sessions (the Locke Seafood Pub and Oyster Bar), and if you can stay longer than a day, the Hunt Museum, one of Ireland's hidden gems. The people of Limerick are very warm and welcoming. Wherever you end up, check and see what is going to be open restaurant-wise Easter Sunday night, since Easter Monday is also a holiday in Ireland and some places might be closed.