Packing for RS tour to Ireland

You never know about Ireland weather, even in June. Plan for rain no matter when you go. Conditions can change several times in a day, but rarely is the weather extreme. As the Irish say, "there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing." Daily averages throughout the year range between 40 and 70°F. Temperatures below 32 or over 80° are a cause for headlines. While sunshine may be rare, summer days are very long. It is not uncommon to have a gray day, eat dinner, and enjoy hours of sunshine afterward.

Valle, I took that tour last Sept./Oct. and for the most part we had fairly good weather. However there were a couple of days with some rain, so a light waterproof jacket is a good idea. Rick has a compact travel Umbrella on his website, and I sometimes took that along in my Daypack.

In October the evenings were a bit cool at times, but not sure whether that will be the case in June. Of course, GOOD walking shoes are essential!

Speaking from a "male perspective", you might want to pack something slightly more dressy, at least for the group dinners.

Hope you have a fantastic time on the tour!

Dress in layers, plan for rain and pray for sunshine.....we just returned from nine days in Ireland and most everywhere we went --- casual clothing worked fine...I took one pair of dressy slacks and didn't wear them......

Enjoy your trip....the country and the people are lovely!!!

I took that tour last summer (2007) and had remarkably
good (mild and dry) weather considering that they had been having a long stretch of rainy weather. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I never travel without my lightweight rain gear. Do take some. As far as dress up clothes go, after 5 RS tours and given my budget, my wife and I do not take dress-up clothes. There were numerous opportunities during our tour to get dressed-up to go to some NICE restaurants but we did not do so. So, let your budget be your guide.

Can you let me how the trip goes? I am going for the first time on RS to Ireland for 14 days in October. I am considered about the packing and what clothing.. and what type of additional side trips there are that is not on the schedule.. I want to stay a week in Dublin before the tour and curious and what you think of that and what insights you have upon your return.

Thanks and have a great trip..
Maggie

Margaret, unless the tour itself doesn't include Dublin, you might not find a lot to do IN Dublin for a week. And you might not want to consider daytrips outside of Dublin if places like Newgrange and Glendalough are on your tour.

I just got back from two weeks in Ireland. You'll probably have a bit warmer weather than we did, but only slightly. Ireland doesn't get really hot like here in the US, even in summer. So I'd make sure you bring layers, including a few long sleeve shirts and a sweater.

As others have mentioned, a windbreaker is useful, especially for the rainy days (though we were lucky enough to avoid the rain for the most part).

Enjoy your trip!

I just got back from the RS Ireland tour. We lucked out and had only a couple days of rain. However it was also very, very windy on some days, so an umbrella will do you zero good. Take a lightweight waterproof jacket with hood and lots of layers. You can and will have four seasons in one day. It was never "hot" but the people from Arizona and Georgia thought it was frigid (I'm from the NW, it felt mild to me). Our group dinners were in nice but not fancy restaurants - I always felt comfortable in my khakis. If you want to dress up or plan to eat on your own at fancy spots, then by all means bring skirts, etc, but nearly no one wore their "fancy" stuff except the last night (and it was because they had packed them and were determined to wear them). PM me if you want to discuss more.

I took the RS Ireland tour last October, and would highly recommend at least a few days in Dublin prior to the tour (it also provides some time to get over jet lag). Although the RS tour provides some time and walking tours in Dublin, there are several important sites that aren't included. One of the most memorable sites I visited was the Kilmainham Gaol, as it has a lot of significance in Irish history. I also found the Guinness Storehouse quite interesting, although I agree with Ricks advice on that particular site (it's mostly just a description of how the brew process works (the "free" pint in the Gravity Bar is a nice touch at the end though). Experiencing the fun in the Temple Bar area on weekend nights is also one of the my best memories of Dublin. As I recall, Glendalough is NOT included in the tour either, so time would have to be allowed for that if one wants to visit.

Cheers!