Okay to be last minute during Ireland's high season?

Departing Shannon IS that much easier. It's a small airport, very easy to get to, lots of B&Bs (and Bunratty Castle) within minutes, as well as Durty Nelly's pub. You could spend the time you would save by not circling back to see some things in more depth along the way.

You won't find much train service in the west of Ireland, but there are lots of public buses. (Personally, I always drive so I'm not very familiar with them.)

Killarney in high season is a madhouse, from what I understand (I stick to shoulder season). You might have difficulty finding housing there without a reservation. You can obtain a B&B guide or check out discoverireland.com to look at B&Bs and start sending emails to book something before you go. You will find information there about tours, too.

How far south are you planning on going? Galway is almost directly west of Dublin.

Marjorie,
I love to travel spontaneously, but I have to say we were driving, had the option of wandering the countryside until we found a place or stayed WAY off the beaten path. Trying to find places for 2 is really iffy during the high season when you are only near the places that everyone else is. Good luck.

First, congrats on your pending trip. How many are in your group? If you are planning to drive you do not want to wait until the last minute to make plans. I have planned SO many family trips over the last 10 years that I have learned SO much. The secret is not to over plan. You have to be able to go w/the flow. The other side of the coin is that you do need to do some planning.

My suggestion would to fly into Dubs & fly out of Shannon. Book car rental thru a major American Company. If you get your tickets via Aer Lingus you can get a special rate from Hertz via the Aer Lingus; which have better deals then even dealing w/the Hertz Euro websites. Anyway, I have done this on my last few trips, plus you pay in US Dollar not Euro. The earlier you book the cheaper. If you rent upgrade to automatic. It makes driving on leftside of the road and is worth the few extra dollars.

You do not want to drive in Dubs, so you should book the pickup for 1 or 2 days after you arrive.

Cont.... The reason being is that most rental carriers will pick you up to take you back to Dubs aerport to pick up your rental. If you are not planning on staying in Dubs, go ahead and pick up your vehicle the day you arrive. Your plans of making your way South( go thru Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Clare & Galway) around the south of Ireland to the west is perfect for a trip of this nature. Killarney can get a bit busy during the high season, however, the trick if you really want to do the Ring of kerry is go opposite direction of the bus tours. Really all you need to see is Muckross house & Torc Falls. Before you get to Baera Peninsula there is a small peninsula that at the end has 'Mizen Head' - this is the peninsula you should check out... very rustic & fantastic. Dingle is fantastic. O'Flahertys Pub is fantastic. Interesting note: the Garda station in Dingle is painted PINK. There are alot of b&b's that do not cater to bus tours. ....I got lost more to say but noroom

I don't agree with claregirl's statement that the earlier you book a car rental the cheaper the price will be. I usually book very early and then watch the prices. Since there is no penalty for canceling a reservation, you can rebook if a better price comes along. On my last two trips to Ireland, I have ended up rebooking for a much better price closer to my trip.

Marjorie:

I will have to disagree w/Nancy @ I have booked many different rentals w/many differnt 'rental' companies and Ireland both US carriere, Irish carriers & local irish businesses and the earlier you book the best deal you get, because you get the car YOU need and not what they want to give you when you arrive. (That is a totally different story).

So now that I have been dually informed by Nancy that you do not want to drive... I looked in the responses you have received so far and NONE actually gave you any 'alternative' information that you could use.

You may want to check this wonderful web site: www.buseireann.ie/site/home. Which is Bus Eireann's, which is Irelands national bus service & you can get rail information as well. When you get to the home page just play around w/it. The student travel site has tour info. If you want to use Irish bus system to get around. Slan leat!

Thanks everyone. I was more concerned about finding individual tours per area, using public bus and train between big cities and within, having success, if I didn't go on a CIE tour. Do I need to reserve those plans tightly? I plan to reserve lodging, as well research the sights and treasures of each place, so not to waste opportunity.

Wish I could drive, but serendipitous touring is not how I imagine the crowded, narrow roads, driving the "wrong side," sometimes backwards during high season.

Marjorie: The link I posted should help you. If you have any problems navigating that site, please send me note. I will see what I can find for you. The roads are really not that crowded unless you are in a city centre or locations like ring of kerry..etc.. I feel your pain I would not want you trapped on a CIE tour. Three weeks in ireland to do your type of trip is great. There are so many B&B's all over Ireland that if you booked a night or so in Dublin (depending on your dublin plans). You can always book ahead. When not staying w/friends and family I used to book ahead at the local tourist office. You can also contact Irish Tourist Board and have them send you the 2008 B&B book. Let me know if your interested and I will locate their toll-free number. *note: My last trip I got a cheap cell phone (vodafone) for 30 euros that included 20 euro already loaded & used it at our lesiure to book B&B and/or hotels. It was fantastic. It has been passed around the family.

Good tips, Claire, re the phone and B&B listing. Tx