We have had the opportunity to visit Ireland 3 times so far. There is quite a bit to do here for everyone. We offer a few recommendations for your trip to Ireland. These are not everything that you can do, but a few of the things that we try to do each time we go back.
To make your trip more enjoyable, do some research before you go. Get a book or two and actually give them a read through. You should probably consider where you may to go, where you can stay, and what you might do. There is nothing worse than getting to a destination to find out that they are totally booked up and that you have to drive 30 miles on narrow roads in the middle of nowhere to try the next town. Another piece of advice is to consider the sources of advice that you take. If Aunt Beatrice tells you that County Claire is the best place to visit, you should ask youself if this is the same Aunt Beatrice that gets all dolled up for her Tuesday night Church Bingo. Here are a few Irish Websites that can be of help as well.
Travel Ireland
Irish Times website
During our trip to Ireland a few years back, we did the whirl wind tour of the south. Looking back, we probably should have taken 1 city off of our list. It was a bit hectic but we had fun. During this trip we spent 2 nights in Dublin, 1 in Waterford, Kildare, and Kinsale, and 2 in Killarney.
Dublin had great pub night life. This was some of the best that we witnessed. I highly recommend purchasing a CD of Irish Pub songs and learning the words before your next trip. We traveled south to Waterford where we had mixed experiences. The Waterford Crystal Factory Tour and Showroom were fantastic. Our B-n-B there is OK. We would probably skip staying here again. Kinsale was fantastic. We stayed at the Sovereign House and ate Oysters by the bay. Kinsale is listed a bit more below. Killarney remineded us of the End of the World. Except this end of the world had tourists. Killarney, with the Dingle Peninsula and the Muckross house are on the tourist route. We had fun watching Football and the Rugby world championships while slurping Guinness and Baileys in the pub. We then went to stay in a castle in Kildare. Our room was in one of the towers. This was wild. From here, we went back to Dublin and then back home.
Click on any of the pictures for full image.
Bailey's Vistor Center outside of Dublin
Bailey's just opened up a great tourist center in Dublin. It is a little difficult to get to, but we had fun. We had a chance to eat at one of their restaurants as well. Plan this trip as it does take a few hours to get there, tour, and get back. |
Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle is about 14 miles outside of Dublin. There are tours that go to through the countryside, to the castle, and back to Dublin along the coast. The Tourist Information Office on Suffolk street. From what we remember, the tour is about 4 hours. |
Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate
We highly recommed this tour. A good way to get here is on the City Tour. It is a bus that takes tourists to all the local places of interest (Brewery, Whiskey distillery, etc.) |
We took a short trip up to Kilkenny during the day. We saw the old church, round tower, and the castle. This is where we should have spend more time. It would have been better to stay here than in Waterford.
Old Chruch
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Round Tower
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Kinsale is the Gourmet capital of Ireland. Located about 20 miles south of Cork, Kinsale is a quaint, cosmopolitan, town of artitists, fisherman, food, and wine. The town is nestled in the hills along a bay. It has quite a few quality restaurant's, Bed and Breakfasts, art stores, and pubs. It was off the Old Head of Kinsale that the Lusitania was sunk in 1915 with a loss of over 1,500 lives. We found Kinsale one of the best towns to hang out.
We stayed at the Sovereign House on two different visits to Kinsale and highly recommend it. The Sovereign House offers the most exquisite experience in luxury Bed and Breakfast Guesthouse Accommodation in Kinsale, the gourmet capital of Ireland in picturesque County Cork.
An ideal location for touring this historic area, gently relaxing or partaking in one of the many activities available such as Golf, Sailing, Walking, River or Sea Fishing.
This wonderful Queen Anne house dating from 1706 oozes charm and character and must be visited to appreciate it's exquisite qualities. The superb Jacobean Hallway leads to Drawing Room, Kitchen/Breakfast Room, Dining Room, Reading Room and Study. A period stairway leads to a secret terraced garden at the first return of the stairs.
Click on any of the pictures for full image.
The Grey Hound Pub
Ireland is famous for it's Pubs. The history of the pub is rich. This is where people meet, eat, and drink. Take a close look at the date that this pub was established and realize that is more than 50 years before the U.S. was it's own country. Here is a glipse at a few of the Kinsale pubs. |
The Grey Hound Pub
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The Grey Hound Pub
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The Mad Monk Pub
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Click on any of the pictures for full image.
The Wine Bar | |
Mick
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Mike and Rita
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The Drombeg Stone Circle by Kinsale
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Kildare Castle |
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