travelling with kids and a history buff, western ireland, one week

Generally, when the music starts in the pubs the kids are no longer welcome. Many pubs have posted times past which kids must be gone, and the music usually starts late-ish. You don't say when you are traveling, but if it's during the high tourist season you are more likely to find pubs with early music or which welcome kids at those times.

I'd recommend getting a home base for a week out west or south. It's cheaper, and it'll give your kids more room to run around. We rented a cottage near Doolin this summer for 2 families, mine with 2 kids, and my sister's with 5. We picked Doolin since it was close to the Cliffs, the Burren, and the Aran Islands.

There's lots of traditional music in Doolin, and we found a couple of pubs there that didn't run the kids out as long as we weren't there too late, like leaving before 10pm. One did have a sign that no kids were welcome after 8.

As far as running outside goes, the Burren is a great place to let the kids climb around on the rocky terrain. And on Inisheer, the closest Aran Island to Doolin, there's an awesome playground with a zipline. Lots of great ruins on the island, too.

Thanks for the advice. We will be there in high summer--end of June, beginning of July. Does anyone recommend either the Dingle or Kerry loops, or would they just be torturous car rides for the kids? Thanks for the heads up on the music. We don't really want the kids in the pubs after about 9, but we'd like them to see a little of the music.

I agree that your list is much too long for one week. Remember that you'll basically lose one day on the plane. I agree with the poster who suggested heading west. Dublin is nice but there's plenty of pubs and music and history in the west and lots more room for your kids to run around.

Doolin would be convenient to the Cliffs and Aran Islands. Dingle is a wonderful small town. Kenmare and Kinsale on the south coast are also lovely.

As for the drives, both are wonderful but I'm not sure how much kids would love them. The scenery is fantastic, but would that hold their interest? You know them better than we do. I'm sure they'd love the boat trip to the Skelligs, but the only challenge with that is that it doesn't run if the weather isn't good (which can happen in Ireland, even in the summer).

I guess I'd suggest Dingle, because it's shorter so you can always head back to town if the kids aren't into it. Plus, the town itself is a great home base with lots of pubs, music, and Irish charm. There's a great ice cream shop on Main street, and a great beach at Inch, which is not far from Dingle.

Best of luck.

I agree that your list is much too long for one week. Remember that you'll basically lose one day on the plane. I agree with the poster who suggested heading west. Dublin is nice but there's plenty of pubs and music and history in the west and lots more room for your kids to run around.

Doolin would be convenient to the Cliffs and Aran Islands. Dingle is a wonderful small town. Kenmare and Kinsale on the south coast are also lovely.

As for the drives, both are wonderful but I'm not sure how much kids would love them. The scenery is fantastic, but would that hold their interest? You know them better than we do. I'm sure they'd love the boat trip to the Skelligs, but the only challenge with that is that it doesn't run if the weather isn't good (which can happen in Ireland, even in the summer).

I guess I'd suggest Dingle, because it's shorter so you can always head back to town if the kids aren't into it. Plus, the town itself is a great home base with lots of pubs, music, and Irish charm. There's a great ice cream shop on Main street, and a great beach at Inch, which is not far from Dingle.

Best of luck.

Just returned from Ireland yesterday - the south west is beautiful - we drove through Ardmore and there is a nice beach where you could let the kids run wild for a while and on the Dingle Pens. there was at least one beach where you could stop but not much running around area without being afraid that they will fall off the edge ! are you driving yourself? we did not see anywhere with early music...

Oh, those late night musicians! I thought I saw in a guidebook how some pubs have music starting at 6:30 now and then. That would be nice. Anyway, I think Dingle is looking better and better, along with County Clare. We will be driving. I hope my husband does most of it!

For what it's worth, Dingle was my favorite place on our trip, and I did enjoy everywhere we went. Driving the Dingle Peninsula took only a few hours (with lots of stops). The ROK is much bigger. I saw history, ruins, a museum and beautiful scenery. I did not see any early music in the pubs, but admittedly I wasn't looking. I did see early music in pubs in Dublin.

Because you mentioned the driving, be aware that an extra driver (you) will cost extra on your rental. The second driver isn't free, like they are here.

Yes, additional drivers cost extra, but you have to pay it. Even if you don't expect to drive much, you'll want to have the option. And you don't want to drive without paying the fee because god forbid someone hits you your insurance won't pay since the second driver wasn't allowed to drive.

Also, definitely get the Super CDW insurance that brings the deductible down to minimal levels (about $100). It's very expensive, but unfortunately very necessary in Ireland. So worth it not to have to worry that scratches or accidents are going to cost you thousands.

I was just in Dingle last week and I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the pub, but I believe there was one that had music starting at 8:00. Otherwise they all started at 9:30. It being September, I never saw any kids in the pubs--mostly geezers. :-)

Are you flying out of Shannon? If so, stay in Bunratty and do the Traditional Irish night at the folk park. It is held in the Corn Barn and includes dinner and a show. It starts at 7:00pm and is open to the kids. Stay in one of the B&B's and book your tickets through your B&B host to save about 15 euros per person. While pretty touristy, it is very well staged and a great way to cap off your vacation.

I just wanted to comment on having an extra driver. We found the extra charge was just too much to pay. We decided that I would be the driver and my husband would be the passenger. It worked out fine. We never had such a long day of driving that I needed to be relieved. I highly recommend GPS!

You just don't have enough time to do Skellig Michael. It would take most of one day for the drive, then the boat trip and the time on the island. Beside that the boat ride can be very rough and the steep stairs up to the top of the island might give any mother a heart attack worrying about kids.

Go to Dingle ( our favorite!) and take the eco boat trip there around the Blaskets -- you will see Fungie the dolphin-- and puffins and maybe some other wild dolphins too. Take the Slea head drive and stop at all the places along the way -- bee hive huts etc. You kids will love scrambling around on the rocks.

Kenmare is a cute town too and my kids loved the Kisanne sheep farm between Kenmare and Kilarney and also the Staigue Fort on the south side of the ROK loop.