I have spent the last two weeks travelling around Ireland. The first week was a golf trip that I take every year. The second week was with my wife. A few observations:
For three days we had a driver (Actually a different driver each day). The company was About Ireland Taxi Tours. The owner is Robert McAuliffe. Website is www.aboutirelandtaxitours.ie. Telephone +353862352223. They were fabulous! Knowledgeable, friendly, interesting, the drivers made the journey to be more fun than the destination. If any of your readers are looking for drivers to enhance their travelling experience, this company is one that I would highly recommend.
We took a day trip to the Aran Islands. Instead of taking the ferry we decided to take the plane. It was great! Although only about a ten minute flight, it was so much fun. The bus picked us up outside the Victoria hotel and took us to Connemara airport. It was very easy. Highly recommended. It was probably the high point of the trip.
We spent two nights each in Cork and Galway in addition to visiting Dublin. In one of Ricks' books, he doesn't seem to think very highly of Cork. I don't understand why. We found both cities to be relatively clean and with very vibrant nightlife. Granted they didn't have Guinness or Jameson or the Temple Bar, but the entertainment and relative ease of walking around we found to be much more enjoyable than in Dublin. Also Dublin was not as clean as Cork or Galway Even our drivers recommended more time in those two cities and less in Dublin
I always enjoy and value the information that I find in your travel forums. The people in Ireland are very warm, hospitable and friendly. I think that it would be impossible to go to Ireland and not enjoy it. In spite of the weather!