My research indicates that the NW is beautiful, rugged country, but it is glossed over in Steves' 2009 Ireland book? Is it not as impressive as the other areas?
How does it compare to the West and South? I am considering passing through the SE quickly since Waterford is closed and I want to get to the West (and maybe the NW?). Am I missing out on the Southern towns?
"Why doesn't Rick Steves focus on the Irish NW counties?"
There are MANY places in Europe that I have asked the same thing about. But as I have gradually realized, Rick Steves' books tend to focus most on areas he knows best. Don't worry, just because Mr. Steves doesn't include it in his books does not mean it is not worth visiting.
Rick's books are different from some other guidebooks: his are deliberately not intended to cover all areas of a country. He focuses on the areas that in his opinion are his favorites. You may well want to explore other areas not mentioned in his books.
And that's why it's important, when planning a vacation, not to rely on one travel writer for your entire trip. Read a few travel guidebooks and get information from the area's tourist board. That's why they are there. Write to them in advance and they'll send lots of free stuff.
IMO Northern Ireland is just as great as the Republic. It doesn't have as many old castle ruins, but it offers other wonderful experiences. On our second trip to Ireland, we spent all of our time in the north and most of that was in County Donegal. I read your other post with your itinerary. You might want to skip the north on this trip and make it a destination on your next visit. If you decide to keep your itinerary, you will get a good sampling. If you're interested and think you will have the time, I can send you a PM on a couple hikes/walks in the north.
NW Ireland is beautiful. It's where my family is from. It's never been quite as populous so things are pretty country-side-ish, and there aren't maybe quite as many sites. I think the tour company's tend to focus on things closest to Dublin and Kerry, so there aren't alot of guided tours - even at some famous sites.
It's kind of a good thing if you ask me. In the NW, of Eire, you really feel like your in Ireland, and can go a while in high summer without seeing another American tourist.
Could also be the NW tends to get the brunt of the weather, even in Julytember and Augtober. lol
PS - The Frommer's Ireland 2009 is quite a bit more informative about NW Ireland than Rick's book(s). We got it from the library, and are glad we did.
The Lonely Planet book might be good too.
I agree with Frank. We like getting Rick's books because he doesn't give you all the information about each city in each country. So we get his book plus another -- his gives us the highlights, and the other gives us information on the places in between, and we make our decisions from there.
I spent a week in Bunbeg in NW Donegal and never saw another American. Amazing scenery,deserted beaches and scenery as awe inspiring as any in Ireland.
It does however lack one thing--tour buses.
My daughter has just returned from her fourth time in Ireland. This time she wanted to see the North and North West. Spent time in the area of Enniskillen and Westport. Was absolutely rapt in what she saw. She thought the scenery in Co.Fermangh
was breathtaking. She visited the only fijord in Ireland on a cruise from Westport. Has not stopped singing the praises of this part of Ireland since she returned.
Rick's books are like greatest hits albums. Most of his recommendations are reliable places to visit for Americans with limited travel time (usually relying on public transportation).
The best thing about Rick's books IMO are that he gives very useful basic information to beginning travelers (or to people like me who forget everything I know two weeks after I get back) and they are updated much more often than most guidebooks.
His books aren't an exhaustive look at everything worth seeing or even all the major sites in a country, you have to look for other travel guides for that. I think it's a conscious choice on his part to have more current information on fewer sites than dated information on an exhaustive list of sites.
Thanks for the feedback! I am hoping to spend some time driving through (and maybe hiking) the NW en route to Northern Ireland.
Any suggestions on what to see along the way?
Jessica,
Rick's books tend to focus on the sites (historic and otherwise) that most North Americans are typically interested in seeing. As a result some lesser known but very nice areas are only covered minimally or not at all.
Since Rick's books are updated every year, there's a somewhat pragmatic reason for not expanding the books to cover more areas and more cities. In order to update the books, either Rick or one of his Guides has to visit the lodgings and other facilites in each area at least once a year to make sure the information in the books is current. This takes time and of course money (this sort of thing always comes down to money!). Even with a Staff of about 70 in Edmonds and numerous European colleagues and Guides, I'm sure this is an enormous effort!
Incidentally, Rick is currently in Europe doing Guide Book research, so there will be some new information in next year's editions.
If I'm looking for information on travel in a particular area, and the details aren't in Rick's books, I resort to the internet and other Guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, Let's Go, Rough Guides or Frommer's. This tends to provide a fairly good "composite" of information for planning trips.
Cheers!
mr tom, Northern Ireland isn't the same as NW Ireland. Rick does write a lot about The North and I agree with both you and Rick that it is certainly a worthwhile place to visit. In the NW, my daughter has driven as far north as Ballyhillian. She said the roads were a little scary even for Ireland. Jessica, my impression is that, with regard to Ireland, is that Rick doesn't think it's worth the time to drive a long way to look at a view and because there is really nothing else there, turn around and drive back. IMO if you're driving from Dublin, visit Powerscourt, Glendalough and Sally Gap on your way to Cashel and from there head into the West. I think all of Ireland is beautiful.
Rick tries to help us get the most out of our trips and with any good guide book writer you're going to get some opinions. I like the Thames Valley and Kent. Neither are mentioned in GB 2009. I fairly certain there are a lot of us who have favourite places that are not on Ricks list.
My apologies for not coordinating what I read and what I stated. Eyes and brain aren't connected like they used to be. I think it is caused by too many pints of Guinness. It still stands that both the NW and Northern Ireland are great places, just a lot different than the west and SW. It's true that the NW is rugged and it's also void of most tourists.
