We will be staying in Dublin,Kilkenny,Cork,Dingle,Limerick. We will be going by train or bus since we are too "old" to drive there. We would like to visit the Rock of Cashel but cannot figure out the most reasonable way to get there. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Shoreline, WA, USA
39 posts
Hi pat, FYI We just drove down from cashel the castle is encased in scaffolding. We took a couple photos from the parking lot. There buses from Kilkenny per ricks Ireland book, 3 per day 2.5 hours. Don't eat at the rock house cafe, it is next to the parking lot it was horrid. Good luck Doris
Posted by
OP
The Dalles, Oregon, USA
12 posts
Thank you Very Much Doris. From Kilkenny it will be. Hopefully by May the buildings are not so much incased. It must feel remote? Pat
Posted by
San Diego, CA, USA
237 posts
It had scaffolding on it - just some - in May of last year so I'm not sure how quickly the process is moving. We stayed in the BnB literally down the hill from the Rock so we got to see it right when it opened but it was mobbed by the time we left. It is an impressive site with history but it is super touristed. There's a ruined abbey in field you can see from there that seemed completely ignored if you're looking for a quieter visit if you have an extra 45 minutes or so to walk over there. We ate dinner at the Fox's bar - on the main street just down from the street that turns off to the Rock and it was fine. It was recommended by our BnB owner - just a typical decent Irish pub with food. Hope that helps,
=Tod
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
The abbey that Tod mentions, Hore Abbey, is only about a mile west of the Rock of Cashel. You can easily walk over there - it's an ideal place to take pictures of the Rock and it's also a very interesting site to visit....We had an excellent dinner in Cashel at a restaurant just east of the Rock. The restaurant, Chez Hans, used to be a church - it's a place for a gourmet meal, not a casual one...The same family owns the more casual Cafe Hans which is nearby....What do you mean by "too old to drive"? We rented a car in Ireland, April, 2012. No problem about age - DH was 65.
Posted by
OP
The Dalles, Oregon, USA
12 posts
Thanks to all of you...the info really helps! Pat
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
I believe buseirenn runs day tours by coach to Cashel from Cork (possibly Kilkenny too). I've only done their day tour to Newgrange from Dublin but it was a nicely paced day. Although the driver isn't a guide, he did give us all the information we needed to visit the sights we stopped at, waited while we toured, and brought us back to our starting point at the end of the day. We also thought the tour was a good value. We picked up our tickets the evening before at the bus station in downtown Dublin, no other reservations were needed.
Posted by
Portarlington, Ireland
7 posts
Hi Pat, This is the national bus service. You can find timetables & pricing from virtually everywhere in the country. Hope this helps! Have a great time!!
http://www.buseireann.ie/