non-response to email inquiries

If contacting by phone or email and they dont have rooms ask if they have friends that do. We have found that they work together very well and will help you out.

I'm not sure Susan why that would be, I'd be pretty certain it's not an IT/email problem. Some of the B&B's may be small, not expecting visitors at this time of the year and hence not paying much attention to the emails. Some B&B's may also be closed for the winter. All I can suggest is that you call them or send a follow-up email.

I would recommend you calling, it doesn't cost that much and would be worth your time and money.

I always get the best response by picking up the phone. Email is impersonal and not as likely to get a timely response as a phone call. If they don't have rooms, they'll tell you on the phone but often just skip your email. If they close in the off-season, you will find out by calling but never know why they don't answer your email. When you call, they are also more likely to refer you to another B&B or otherwise help you find accomodations if they don't have a room available.

Yes, phone them. Some of them will be closed for the winter and the owners may well have gone away themselves.

Susan, It might actually be an e-mail problem. When planning our recent trip to England some businesses could get through on my sbcglobal e-mail and some couldn't. I ended up using juno for those, but only after I called and found out what the problem was. Go ahead and call.

Skype is a very cheap way to call overseas. You will need a microphone to do it. Most laptops have one built in. If you have a stand alone and no microphone, ebay has cheap microphone/earphone combo's. If in a hurry, then Wal-mart, Best Buy or Radio Shack. By calling, you can do as suggested above. If they are closed, then ask for suggestions. Also, what email are you using? Some block overseas replies. You might try setting up a Yahoo or Hotmail account to use for this.

I had problems emailing a particular business in Dublin earlier this year. They were receiving mine, but theirs were not reaching me. It seems to have had something to do with my comcast.net email address. Apparently it's not uncommon. As others have recommended, sometimes the phone is the best option.

Could it be b/c they've gone out of business due to the horrendous Irish economy? People are ending businesses and abandoning property there. Just a guess.

One simple thing to check is if your Spam Filter is blocking their e-mail back to you. Nearly all email services, whether you set it or not, will block emails fom unknown or suspect addresses. You should always add the email to your contact list or mark as safe. If you have a separate "Junk" email folder, you will want to look in there, my account will filter out emails, but gives me the opportunity to review them via the junk folder.

Thanks to each one for the input!

Susan, If you still haven't secured B&Bs on the Dingle Peninsula, I can highly recommend the following: 1) Ceann Tra Heights in Ventry (Ceann Tra) a few miles west of Dingle Town: Mary Carroll, phone +353 (066) 915-9866; website: dingle-vacation.com; e-mail: [email protected] 2) Kirrary B&B in the heart of Dingle Town: Eileen Collins, e-mail: [email protected]. Phone: +353 066-915-1606. Her husband, the retired police chief of the town and an amateur local historian, appeared in one of Rick's shows on Ireland. Eileen cooks up wonderful, hot breakfasts and rents bikes too. No website.

They don't mail you back because they are full for that time period. Been there done that.
Thanks - Bill