I noticed the Oyster Festival in Galway is taking place Sept. 25-28th this year. My husband and I will be flying into Shannon on the 26th and plan to tour the West coast for 2 weeks. I was originally planning on going to Galway first and doing the Burren, Aran islands, etc. but not sure how crazy it will be with the festival.
Unfortunately, neither my husband nor I like oysters so it wouldn't be worth attending. Should we go south first?
I think as long as you avoid Galway for the first two days, you will be OK. If you're flying into Shannon, you'll most likely arrive in the morning and be out of the airport by 11:00 or so. You could easily spend the first two nights in the Co. Clare area (Lahinch, Liscannor, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, etc.) and avoid Galway until the festival was over. Since you have two weeks you might want to start further south, though, in the Killarney area or Dingle, then work your way back up.
Thanks Nancy. My husband is flying in on the 25th and I get in on the 26th - I'm the one with the husband in Iraq so we won't actually be leaving the Shannon/Bunratty area until the 27th so we might be safe then.