Roads less travelled in Ireland

What are you seeking opinions on, exactly? Feasibility? Timing? Whether it's a good idea or a bad one? What you might miss? You don't mention when you intend to travel, which might make a difference in the answers you get. Also, how long is your trip? Again, that might influence the answers you get. A little more information would help us.

The trip is in mid June, and I want to know if we're making a mistake by skipping a lot of the typical stopping points like Ring of Kerry, Blarney, Dublin, etc. Like I said, our goal is to see more of the true, everyday Ireland as opposed to places crowded with tourists.

We just returned from our 18 day driving trip of Ireland. Let me begin with a question: If you were visiting California, would you choose to see the Central Valley or San Francisco down to Big Sur? Assuming you would choose the later, here's my advice, starting from Dublin airport and heading north: New Grange early morning (we stayed in Drogheda, a good stop for your first night), head to Donegal - best scenery is west of Killybegs, including Slieve League, northern peninsulas are pretty but LOTS of holiday homes, we enjoyed staying at Rossmore Manor in Donegal town (Donegal was not as remote as we expected.).........Sligo and Mayo were OK, but not spectacular (we drove around Lough Gill, stopped at Carrowmore and Ceide Fields).........Connemara is gorgeous, one of the highlights of the trip, and does feel remote in parts. Don't miss the Delphi Valley - Clifden is a nice little town, so is Roundstone, and we enjoyed Ballynahinch Castle if you want to splurge a bit.......The Burren is fascinating, we've never been to Doolin or Cliffs of Moher, but we enjoyed the Bunratty Castle Banquet even if it is touristy!......Dingle town gets lots of hype but it really is charming, full of good shops and restaurants, and Slea Head is beautiful......Killarney National Park is beautiful, consider doing the Jaunting car trip through Gap of Dunloe, drive the south side of the Ring of Kerry out to Valentia Island, the north side of Ring of Beara, visit Gleninchquin Park which looks like Rivendell! Kenmare is another charming town full of nice shops and restaurants. Skibberean's famine cemetery is very moving.......Rock of Cashel takes about two hours, best views from ruined Hore Abbey nearby. Chez Hans restaurant is worth every penny!.....Kilkenny is like York lite! but we loved Glendalough........These are all just our opinions, I'm sure others will disagree!

The Dingle peninsula is just as interesting as the Ring of Kerry but without all the tour buses. We loved Dingle in general -- the pubs, the music, was great. One of our favorites was the Falconry school in Ashford Castle, in Cong. We stayed entirely in the western part of Ireland - Galway was the only 'big city' on our agenda.

The Dingle peninsula is just as interesting as the Ring of Kerry but without all the tour buses. We loved Dingle in general -- the pubs, the music, was great. One of our favorites was the Falconry school in Ashford Castle, in Cong. We stayed entirely in the western part of Ireland - Galway was the only 'big city' on our agenda.

Your plan is fine, Jennifer. As someone has already mentioned, Dingle is arguably prettier than the Ring of Kerry. You don't need to do both, although I did and did not regret it. I was not that crazy about Dublin, so I don't think you're missing much there. I was surprised at how much I liked Blarney, but it certainly isn't a must see. It's not like you can see everything, so pick the places that interest you most, and don't worry about it.

For me, being in Ireland was like being a kid in a huge candy store! You really can't go wrong with any of the sights listed above. You just need to read about them, pick about 3 main sights for each full tour day, with a couple of alternates...including rainy weather options, and go with it.....knowing that YOU WILL RETURN someday to check out what ever you may have missed. Have been there 3 times in 6 years for 2 weeks at a time, and have just booked our 4th trip to Northern Ireland/Scotland. D

Fondly recall my drive to Glendalough via the Sally Gap and from Glendalough taking a less traveled road to a blip of a village called Knockananna then all the way to Kilkenny. Might have seen 3 cars. Did see sheep, more sheep, and gorgeous scenery. One the best sojourns of my life.

We spent 2 weeks driving through Ireland. We skipped some of the touristy spots, went to a charming town called Bantry, which was down near Cork. We loved the Dingle area, but one of the best drives was from Bantry to Killarney, it was so beautiful. We drove through Kenmare, which is a good place to spend some time. Don't miss Killarney National Park, the Muckross Estate, the buggy ride to Torc Waterfall, Muckross Abbey, that was one of our best days. The Galway area is fabulous too! Had a great day taking back roads to get to Kylemore Abbey, one of the best places in Ireland, and then went on to Ashford Castle. We enjoyed Dublin, the double decker bus was a great way to see it! Dublin Castle was good and The Queen of Tarts was a great place to have breakfast before doing the castle. Guiness Tour was facinating, but skip the tour of the jail. Powers Court Waterfall and GArden is an hour outside Dublin, but was a wonderful trip!

If you want to avoid touristy areas, I could not agree less with Dana. Killarney is one of the most touristed areas in all of Ireland. It is beautiful, yes, but not what you appear to be looking for. There are lots of beautiful places that would suit you better. As for Dublin, don't waste part of your partial day going to Guinness Storehouse. It's just a lot of advertising and an expensive "free" pint at the end. My favorite things in Dublin were the Georgian house tour (see the RS Ireland guidebook for details) and Kilmainham Gaol (if you are interested in Irish history).

My favorite experience in Ireland, bar none, is an evening in a small-town (or at least smaller town) pub. The people in Ireland are amazingly friendly, you have to work not to have a conversation with the locals. It's like visiting family and everyone wants to catch up on what you've been up to. My technique is to get lodging then ask where a session will be that evening. The local amateur musicians (usually blue-collar workers by day) are really talented. Be aware that someone will probably buy you a drink, it's considered rude not to, then, buy them the next round (even if you were only planning to have one). I'm a sipper not a drinker, so I just watch for theirs to be empty - then buy them one. If you haven't had Guiness in Ireland, you haven't had Guiness. It leaves the brewery still fermenting (or so I've been told) and doesn't travel well. In Ireland, it's creamy and smooth - like drinking a cream soda.

Look into Healy Pass on the West Coast.

We loved Kilkenny, Rock of Cashel and Dingle - I thought they were all really great. There were tourists, but none of them were crowded. I would also suggest Newgrange just north of Dublin. Not only is it incredibly cool, they limit the number of people who can go in each day, so it's never crowded. I would suggest giving Dublin at least a full day - yes, it's a city, but it's a small city with a ton of charm and character. We loved the Kilhomen Jail (I'm pretty certain I butchered the spelling).

We prefer Dingle way over Ring of Kerry by far. Also loved Rock of Cashel and agree with other posters, skip Guiness and if at all possible see Kilmainhaim Gaol, we thought highlight of Dublin trip, even better than the Book of Kells. Blarney Castle grounds are very pretty but you can certainly skip it. We also were not impressed with Waterford and that was back in the day when they had the full glass blowing, I don't think they do that anymore. Try to see Cliffs of Moher and if at all possible Newgrange, that was great history. You will enjoy the trip. Great country.

If you are going to Donegal, you can see Sleive League Cliffs....even taller and more impressive than Cliffs of Moher. And as far as I know....no fee charged at S.L. and def not overcrowded with tourists!

Jennifer,
I've gone to Ireland twice and both times I've gone on the Ring of Kerry. Halfway around, you can take a small detour to Portmagee. It's a very small town on the sea coast. Takes about 2 minutes to walk from one side to the other and, if you've ever seen "Local Hero", that's what it looks like. Be sure to stop in the grocery store/bait shop/post office for an ice cream.