trip to Ireland leaving in 2 weeks!

Well John this morning is the most gorgeous morning in Dublin, brilliant sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, not a puff of breeze, frost on the grass, fantastic. What will tomorrow be like??????? Howth is a good place to stay, lovely harbour out there, and excellent access to the city centre via the Dart. In Dublin, Trinity College, Number 29, Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin Castle are all good places to visit. On your second night you can stay in Galway, or Doolin, if you're taking in the Cliffs of Moher. All very doable! Enjoy your trip!

Thank youvery much for the input! I was thinking that Doolin might be a good place to stop before driving down to the Cliffs of Mohr! My hope was that it would give us a nice drive down to Dingle. My only concern was that, after recouping from the long plane ride from the states, we would surely get a very late start from Trim on Wed morning and that the trip to Doolin might be a long one. I am traveling with my brother and neice and know that they are depending on me to schedule the trip. Thanks again for the input. I am really looking forward to the trip, but am dreading the cold damp, coming from warm dry Arizona.

My biggest concern would be jumping off the plane and into a car, but if you're confident that you'll be in your right mind Bru na Boinne is relatively close (~1 hour) mostly on the freeway and Trim is not too far (<1 hour) past there on country roads. If you get off the plane and you're not sure you're up for a full day of sightseeing you could go straight to Trim and all your stuff and see what you're up for - maybe just some castle and town touring and then do Bru na Boinne the next day since it's open... just a thought. The Newgrange/Knowth is an amazing site for prehistorical structures and the museum exhibits are informative. You'll need to get there and arrange tour times but in March it shouldn't be too busy I don't think. If you do go there ask for driving directions to Trim at the information desk - they have Trim and Bru na Boinne site maps pre-printed and they helped me a lot. Trim is a cute little town - especially the older town around the castle - and the castle tour is worth doing. I personally found Galway to be a decent place to spend the night but not much else to recommend it. There are no street signs in Galway and its a medieval city with small, one way streets so prepare for some adventure if you drive there. On the other hand there are string of nice BnBs as you approach town so it's a very easy place to roll into and crash for the night. Doolin will be much more likely to have the 'Irish-ness' you came to see over Galway. Dingle is great - enjoy it and make time for the Blasket Island museum on the tour/drive. Rock of Cashel is impressive, but touristy. The BnB we stayed at had views of the Rock at night from our window so that was neat. And the castle at Cahir, right next door, get really good reviews for its size and completeness. Have a great trip!
=Tod

Thanks Tod. Arriving in Dublin at 7:30 am, and then driving was a concern for me too! But we couldn't think of what else to do, since we can't arrive at the b&b in Trim before the afternoon. That's why I decided to sightsee at Bru na Boinne first, after catching breakfast somewhere enroute. I figured that we would sightsee, and then get to the b&b as early as we can checkin to rest. Luckily my much younger neice will be driving and she says that she is up to it. Thanks for the added info about the museum to visit when we get to the coast. We are staying at Joy's Rockside House in Cashel, it seems to be very close to the Rock. Thanks again.
John

I'm not sure I have a better suggestion - the area around the airport is really recent and industrial - big box stores and things like that - so there's not much I can suggest beyond getting out of there. As I remember it the drive is pretty easy - mostly freeway once you get out of the airport and pretty well signed. The coast route is great - if smaller and less well maintained roads - from Galway down to the cliffs. Take the ferry and avoid Limerick as you head to Dingle. I had never done a ferry but it was straightforward and a mini-adventure. If you have binoculars they are worth bringing for the cliffs among other things. I'm pretty sure Joy's is where we stayed - our room had a view of the Rock which is lit up at night. Take advantage and go as early or late as you can to avoid crowds. There is also and Abbey down in the field behind it that I wish I had time to go and explore some. Sounds like a great trip - have fun!
=Tod

Look into having a meal at Chez Hans in Cashel.