Advice on Ireland.

[LostGirl]

Hi Guys

DH and I want to visit Ireland around May next year, and all we know is we want to spend a few nights in the ever popular Dublin. Beyond that we know nothing!!!!

We want to spend 7 nights, so fly in to Dublin, spend a few nights there (think I like the look of Cassidys Hotel) and then move on to the the Country for the remainder of the week. Has anyone got any helpful advice for somewhere fairly central where we could drive out from to interesting places each day. I do know I want to visit the Irish National Stud :smile:

Any advice gratefully received.

Vikki

[marioner]

Not sure where to advise nearby as a lot of my family live in the west, but be careful where you stay in Dublin, some parts are well rough, well in fact a lot of it is.

[TinkTatoo]

Check out this trip report (http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=1029034#post1029034) from SusieK who toured Ireland in 2006

[Ash83]

I have family that stay in Clonmel ( Co.Tipperary) and love that area. There's cashel castle nearby and we often used to take trips to Waterford from there. It is about 2hrs from Dublin but i find it a nice enough drive!

Ash x

[K Walshe]

Well i live in the west myself but its at least a 4hr drive to mayo from dublin to a town called castlebar where i live but there is a lovly town called westport 1/2 hours drive away from where i live which attracts loads of tourists every year which id say you would enjoy and i like myself.

[disneydoll]

We always go ireland around 4 times every year, We have a holiday home over there in a small seaside town called Ballybunion thats four hours away from Dublin. In the summer I went and lived over there for 2 months working in my aunties ice cream palour. Its a lovely town very popular in the summer and with the golfers throughout the year. Very traditional irish town , I've never been Dublin only drove through it. :D

Laura x

[LostGirl]

Guys

U lot are great :smile: Thanks for the helpful advice.

Vikki

[flikflak]

Hiya

If you were to base yourself in Dublin then you could easily do the city tours and the usual Guinness, Jameson, Kilmainham jail tours in two or three days . Then spend a day out in Kildare at the national stud and Japanese Gardens. I would head down to Kilkenny for another day. Then over to Newgrange for another day out to see the prehistoric monuments.

If it was a nice day I would head to one of the towns near the sea on the train from Dublin. Either go south to Dun Laoghaire or Bray or go north to Howth or malahide for a walk along the beach and some lunch.

Powerscourt is also day trip from Dublin and is a stately home with beautiful gardens.

I would say if you stayed in a hotel that was a bit out of the city centre then you would be easily placed to get into town on public transport and then if you hired a car for a few days you would not have to battle with the traffic trying to get in and out of the city centre on your day trips. I say this from personal experince as I live right into and sometimes it takes an age just to get out to the motorway!