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Ireland trip #62016 03/23/09 04:00 PM
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wvlights0 Offline OP
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My sister has chosen our next trip, and we are going to Ireland. For some reason I find that intimidating. I have read some of the posts here about Ireland trips, and amazing numbers of lighthouses seen and would like any and all suggestions. Our only priorities so far are: a linen mill, scenery, culture and lighthouses!


Laura
Re: Ireland trip #62017 03/23/09 09:11 PM
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wheland Offline
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Laura,

The possibillities are almost endless. You need to be a bit more specific as to how long you'll be there will you be willing to drive yourself (if you or your sister can drive a standard transmission you can get a great price on a rental- automatics are a bit pricey).

I found driving on the other side of the road to not be that much of a challenge after just a short bit of time. you get used to it.

I went the self-catering cottage route on my trip. We rented a 4 bedroom 2 story house near Cork and drove to and from the places we wanted to see in the area.

We spent our last two nights in a hotel near the Dublin airport- very inexpensive and the bus system is great.

B&B's are another way to go for accomadations. Depending on the time of year you can go without reservations and usually find something. With the economic downturn hitting Ireland so hard it's hard to say what effect it wil have on tourism.

Basically the only lighthouse that is open for climbing on a regular basis in Ireland is Hook Head. It is well worth going to and there are several other lighthouses you can see on the way to or from Hook Head- of course depending on which direction you come from. The restaurant at teh lighthouse has very good food and it wasn't too expensive- although expect food costs to be a bit on the high side again with the downturn this may be altered a bit as well.

The Ring of Kerry is a great thing to do- it has the scenery, culture (some towns that have Gaelic as the main language) and some lighthouses as well.

Some people reccomend if you are driving yourself that you fly into say Shannon and out of Dublin- or the reverse- so you don't do any backtracking.

Airlines are running great rates to Ireland and at this point some of the fares last through June and if things don't pick up they may last longer.

Blarney has the Castle, the Blarney Stone and the Mills as well. The grounds of Blarney Castle are very nice. Powerscourt outside of Dublin has beautiful gardens and other attractions.

Dublin has Trinity College- with the Book Of Kells among other attractions. There is also Dublin Castle, the Guinness Brewery and many other fine things to do in Dublin.

I did get to see a number of Lighthouses but my trip was with others that were not interested in seeing every lighthouse so it was a bit hit and miss for lighthouses.

I personally would reccomend skipping Northern Ireland at this point- things may settle down again quickly but there are enough things to do in Ireland that you won't miss going north.

Dennis

Re: Ireland trip #62018 03/23/09 10:01 PM
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wvlights0 Offline OP
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We will be there for 7 to 9 days and we can both drive a stick, but I'm not sure how long its been for my sister. We had thought Northern Ireland would probably be best to stay out of. I was leery of a "road trip" in a different country, but you make it sound possible. How often was language a problem? Our trip won't be till 2010, so who knows what the rates will be then. I have no idea what the Book of Kells is, I'll have to check it out. We both have some tour books coming, and an atlas. Thanks, Dennis.


Laura
Re: Ireland trip #62019 03/24/09 11:29 AM
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wheland Offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by wvlights0:
We will be there for 7 to 9 days and we can both drive a stick, but I'm not sure how long its been for my sister. We had thought Northern Ireland would probably be best to stay out of. I was leery of a "road trip" in a different country, but you make it sound possible. How often was language a problem? Our trip won't be till 2010, so who knows what the rates will be then. I have no idea what the Book of Kells is, I'll have to check it out. We both have some tour books coming, and an atlas. Thanks, Dennis.
7-9 days will give you plenty of time to get a nice feel of Ireland. You'll have time to spend 2-3 days in Dublin and have plenty of time to explore the country side.

I definitely recommend the self-catering cottage route if you want to have a home base to explore from. You can get a very good deal on the house and it definitely cuts down on the cost of meals.

Driving a stick will save you a bit of cash on that. Since you have plenty of time try and get a bit of practice- especially if it's been awhile since you've driven a stick.

I'm not saying not to be cautious in the driving part. It works best if you have two people- that way one can act as a navigator and the Failsafe. I did Ireland with my brother, his wife and my wife.

We set up some simple driving rules- the ladies sat in the back and could look right, left and backwards but could not look forward or make any comments on the driving.

The guys sat up front with one driving and the other navigating and acting as the failsafe- saying left, Left LEFT ! whenever it was required. Luckily it was not required often. We both adjusted quickly.

The other thing about driving that I would say is a must- a GPS. If you have one already and it can be loaded with the maps of Ireland take it that way you are used to the interface. If you don't have one rent one here and take it or get one with the rental car (the most expensive route) as the road signs can be a bit confusing at times (most are in Gaelic and English) particularly at driving speed.

The Book Of Kells is a manuscript handwritten / painted by Celtic monks around the year 800. It includes the four gospels of the new testament and other items.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells

Feel free to ask any questions- either here or directly.

Dennis

Re: Ireland trip #62020 03/24/09 03:07 PM
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wvlights0 Offline OP
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I was enjoying your description of the driving rules but wondering what a Failsafe was, and then you explained! biglaugh I'll have to work on the GPS, my portable one died in Ocracoke last summer, but it sounds like a very good idea. I checked out the Book of Kells yesterday and we will have to see that. Its considered Ireland's greatest national treasure. What was the best castle you saw?


Laura
Re: Ireland trip #62021 03/24/09 11:39 PM
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Laura,

We didn't get to see too many actual castles.

We got to Blarney Castle which is not in the best shape and to Dublin Castle which unfortunately was closing for the day as we got there.

We were able to walk around the inner courtyard but not get into it. From what we saw and what I've seen in photos and from the Today show it's a site well worth seeing, though.

We spent some time in Cobh and toured the Cathedral there as well as the Heritage Center. Cobh is Cork's harbor and is the last port the titanic pulled into before sinking. There is also one of the many lighthouses of Ireland there as well.

We spent some time in a very nice village called Kin sale as well- it has several lighthouses in or near it as well. It is also considered the gourmet capital of Ireland.

Dennis

Re: Ireland trip #62022 03/27/09 12:48 AM
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Ellie Offline
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Laura:

Glen and I went to Ireland nine times. We always went with a tour group out of Skippack, PA. There were a lot of repeats so we would opt out of like doing the Ring of Kerry for the third time and going off somewhere on our own. The first time we did that was a time when we had a free day in Dublin. We hired a taxi for three hours. At first, he didn't know anything about lighthouses but as we looked them up, he remembered places his father had taken them when we were kids. I have a narrative on that trip that I can send you if you are interested.

Ellie

Re: Ireland trip #62023 03/27/09 11:49 AM
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wvlights0 Offline OP
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I sent you an email this morning Ellie. Thanks!


Laura

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