What about Limerick?

RS covers what RS likes, and Limerick isn't on the list. It's the same reason he ignores almost all of northern Spain. But there isn't much to recommend in Limerick, anyway. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park are near Shannon airport, though. I would never use just one guide in planning a trip since different ones focus on different things. I pull info from many sources. You could check the official Ireland tourism website for ideas in that area - www.discoverireland.com.

Thanks, Nancy, for the insights. Good advice to check other sources. Thanks also for the other resource! Too bad about the North of Spain, isn't that Basque country? Should be pretty interesting there!

There is a lot more to northern Spain than the Basque country. :) But RS skips it all, except for Santiago de Compostela and Bilbao. His loss, really - the coast, the Picos de Europa mountains, Oviedo, Burgos.....and on and on. There are lots of resources for Ireland. I like the Michelin Green Guide. Where will you be before/after the Limerick area?

I went on a 13-day jam-packed guided tour of Ireland last summer. Our guide said we weren't going near Limerick because, except for the name, there was nothing very interesting about it.

Rick's guides indeed cover what Rick wants and leave out chunks that are great places to visit. DK Eyewitness, Frommer's and similar guides cover what are generally considered to be the noteworthy. Guides like Lonely Planet seem to cover every conceivable place, with no regard for their intrinsic value to the visitor. Take your choice.

If I hear about a place that's in the area I'm planning to visit and it isn't in one of the guide books I use, I head to the internet.

Thanks, we are only spending one night in Limerick, since it's kind of close to Shannon airport where we come in. Then we will spend about 10 days, mostly on the SW coast. I'm just starting to fine tune the planning, it was a package tour. Thanks for the input!

I always use multiple guidebooks, but I found the RS Ireland book to be even more selective than many of his other books. However, as usual, his info on logistics is wonderful. There are some good guides for driving tours; I believe we used one from Eyewitness. That was a good way to organize sites. Bl;ue Guides provide comprehensive information on history, architecture, art, etc (the full Blue Guides; I think they now also publish shorter books that are more generic). The Blue Guide to Ireland was really helpful in learning about the sites we visited.

Since you'll only have 1 day for Limerick, you won't be able to see much. Most people say don't bother going there unless you have to (for a flight, etc.) but I enjoyed staying in a B&B not far from the airport, a visit to the village at Bunratty Castle, an Angela's Ashes walking tour (booked thru the Tourist Office), and a cooking class (with gourmet food) during a 3-day visit a couple of years ago. Send me a PM if you want specifics. Safe home (the Irish comment when you're travelling)!

I wish people would stop hating on poor lovely Limerick. Ireland named Limerick the City of Culture for 2014. This city has amazing history. Somethings to do in Limerick even if it's just for one day, the Hunt Museum, Saint Mary's Cathedral, King John's Castle (really gives you a great over view of the history), St. John's Cathedral. If your there Saturday or Sunday there is the Milk Market a smaller version of Cork City's English Market. All of this is very easy to walk too and if your burnt out on the tourist things and want to get a bit of shopping done instead you have the Fashion Quater, with its many cafes and shops. Including right outside the Quater one of Ireland four Brown Thomas shops. Limerick is also becoming a very strong foodie city, much like Cork. I would suggest if it's a lovely evening taking a walk along the boardwalk of the Shannon River, its a nice way of saying goodbye to Ireland. I hope this helps.

Thanks Sarah,

Those sound like some nice ideas and we look forward to walking around close to the river, etc.

You have to be careful about mentioning Rick Steves' name on the TripAdvisor Ireland forums. The "destination experts" there are very unhappy with some of Rick's selections and advice.

But I did use the RS book, among others, for my recent trip to Ireland and found that he is very thorough in describing the places he does recommend...I just went elsewhere for advice about other areas I wanted to see.

By the way, Rick (if you're reading this), the Irish folks I correspond with are particularly incensed about your advice to put "L" (learner) plates on rental cars (apparently this is illegal), as well as a cheery little anecdote about a bicycle shop owner that some found offensive.