One Week in Ireland

[movie zombie]

i didn't make any reservations, but as a single woman traveling alone i didn't find it hard to locate safe/good accomodations. i'd recommend staying in some little town in The Burren or along the coast with access to The Burren, in otherwords, somewhere between dingle and galway. i stayed here: http://www.rockyviewfarmhouse.com/index.html i believe they do book up during tourist season. i was traveling on the "shoulder" so had no problems finding places.

i stayed with them in april, 1999. one of the best parts of my ireland trip and they're great to talk to, also. i'd stay with them again.

imo, staying in galway is going to limit your excursions and experiences outside of the city.

also, have you considered going out to arran island? i couldn't as the weather was bad and they don't run trips in april. obviously, my interests are with the ancient sites and archaeology...... but i believe it will be open and going when you're there in june.

mz

ps i read this one: Trinity, a Novel of Ireland by Leon Uris. will definitely give you a sense of what was what and why things are the way they are.

 

[zoebartlett]

We found that Galway was a good place to use as home base while we were there. Granted, we did spend a lot of time wandering around the city itself, but we did a few day trips without an problems. It looks like MZ and I had different experiences with this one.

I''m so glad that Connemara and Kylemore Abbey are back on your itinerary. It''s definitely worth it if you have the time. You won''t be disappointed! I may have already mentioned this but the gift shop there has many beautiful pieces of pottery that the nuns make. We bought a gorgeous pitcher and I think of our trip whenever I look at it. I know you collect pottery too, and I''m sure they have mugs.

As far as sticking to itineraries go, we had one but we also knew that we wanted to take our time getting to each place because of the things we''d see along the way.

Here''s a funny story about how open and welcoming people are in Ireland. When we were in Dublin, we went to one pub and we met a guy there named Neil. He worked for Vodaphone and he gave us his card. He said that if we needed a place to stay, he''d help us out. He hung out with us the whole night (kind of uninvited but that was part of the charm!). When his friends showed up, they hung out with us too. He bought us a Guiness, and he had the bartender put Chambord in mine, which didn''t really help the Guiness go down. I''m not much of a drinker, and I don''t like really dark beer. Anyway, we had a blast. Neil''s friends were great and we felt like we''d known them for more than just a few hours. When my husband and I were leaving, Neil grabbed my husband''s arm and pulled him aside. I overheard him ask how long we had been together. Then he yelled, "Well then why don''t you marry her, for f*** sake?!" It was hilarious. I don''t know many strangers who would be open. It''s been a few years since were there and we STILL talk about Neil.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 4/9/2010 3:57:52 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
We found that Galway was a good place to use as home base while we were there. Granted, we did spend a lot of time wandering around the city itself, but we did a few day trips without an problems. It looks like MZ and I had different experiences with this one.

I''m so glad that Connemara and Kylemore Abbey are back on your itinerary. It''s definitely worth it if you have the time. You won''t be disappointed! I may have already mentioned this but the gift shop there has many beautiful pieces of pottery that the nuns make. We bought a gorgeous pitcher and I think of our trip whenever I look at it. I know you collect pottery too, and I''m sure they have mugs.

As far as sticking to itineraries go, we had one but we also knew that we wanted to take our time getting to each place because of the things we''d see along the way.

Here''s a funny story about how open and welcoming people are in Ireland. When we were in Dublin, we went to one pub and we met a guy there named Neil. He worked for Vodaphone and he gave us his card. He said that if we needed a place to stay, he''d help us out. He hung out with us the whole night (kind of uninvited but that was part of the charm!). When his friends showed up, they hung out with us too. He bought us a Guiness, and he had the bartender put Chambord in mine, which didn''t really help the Guiness go down. I''m not much of a drinker, and I don''t like really dark beer. Anyway, we had a blast. Neil''s friends were great and we felt like we''d known them for more than just a few hours. When my husband and I were leaving, Neil grabbed my husband''s arm and pulled him aside. I overheard him ask how long we had been together. Then he yelled, ''Well then why don''t you marry her, for f*** sake?!'' It was hilarious. I don''t know many strangers who would be open. It''s been a few years since were there and we STILL talk about Neil.

Great story!

One of mine is when we were leaving, we we''re supposed to leave the car at the airport (Dublin). Well, we got there, and parked it (nearly empty tank, because that''s they way they asked for it - kinda weird) but when we got to the Dan Dooley Rent-a-car desk, no one was there. Well, we had a flight to catch, so I''m a bit perturbed as you might imagine. I kinda panicked for a bit, but finally went over to the Avis desk to see if the other guys had even been there at all. He said, "Hang on, let me call him. (calls) Oh yes, the guy had to go pick up a car." (WT?) He''ll be back in a bit." I''m like, "Well, I NEED to return this key." Him , "Well, you can leave it with me, we do this all the time." Me, a bit dubious, "Well, call him and see to humor me." So he did, and replied that it would be OK to go out to the car, put the key in a piece of paper and shove it into the tailpipe of the car."

I don''t think they would be that laid-back in the States. I called their corporate number when I got back because I was paranoid that somehow they wouldn''t get the key and would charge me or something, and the lady (American) who answered was like, ''Oh, yeah...the Irish, they do that all the time. (You could here the grin in her voice) Everything is fine, really." And it was.

The Irish people are truly the best.

 

[sunseeker101]

Great stories folks

Haven, how about some poetry/music for quicker reference? A couple of Shameless Heineys for the West: Postscript, In Gallarus Oratory; Yeats for Connemara: The Fisherman; a spurious Heiney for Wicklow/Glendalough

: St Kevin and the Blackbird. For music that''s instantly listenable I''d go for the Cheiftains'' later efforts (Tears of Stone etc.), or some of the ''old style'' (sean nós) tunes. Some examples: Iarla 1 and Iarla 2. An idea of the type of expression in these songs here, though to listen to this one it''s an amazon purchase here. Anyway, hope that helps. It''s about time homesickness made for something useful

 

[Haven]

Oh, I love the stories!

sunseeker--Thank you for the recommendations! I''m definitely going to check them all out!

SO, we''ve purchased our plane tickets, and I have rooms booked for us in Dublin (ABC Guesthouse) and Dingle (Greenmount House). I''ve contacted Ardawn House to see if we can stay there while we''re in Galway. All I have to do now is figure out our car hire (which is proving more difficult than I expected) and then we''re ready to go!

I''m so excited, have I mentioned that yet?

I bought Guinness (and Fat Tire and Sam Adam''s Summer Ale) for DH''s little 40th birthday party last night at the house, and I have to admit, I wasn''t that into it. BUT, I''m looking forward to comparing it to the real thing in Ireland.

Keep the great stories coming, ladies! And thanks again for all of your help thus far!

 

[ksinger]

Date: 4/11/2010 6:31:01 PM
Author: Haven
Oh, I love the stories!

sunseeker--Thank you for the recommendations! I''m definitely going to check them all out!

SO, we''ve purchased our plane tickets, and I have rooms booked for us in Dublin (ABC Guesthouse) and Dingle (Greenmount House). I''ve contacted Ardawn House to see if we can stay there while we''re in Galway. All I have to do now is figure out our car hire (which is proving more difficult than I expected) and then we''re ready to go!

I''m so excited, have I mentioned that yet?

I bought Guinness (and Fat Tire and Sam Adam''s Summer Ale) for DH''s little 40th birthday party last night at the house, and I have to admit, I wasn''t that into it. BUT, I''m looking forward to comparing it to the real thing in Ireland.

Keep the great stories coming, ladies! And thanks again for all of your help thus far!

Psst! When I was in Galway, ads for Guinness were in short supply, while Murphy''s was preeminent at every pub. I liked it much better than Guinness - it seemed smoother and creamier - so give it a try. Understand of course, I''m NOT a big fan of most stouts, but given a choice, I''d take Murphy''s....

And don''t be in a hurry for that pint. Drawing a brew there is serious and requires TIME, so be patient!

 

[Porridge]

Sorry I''m late back with my advice, but it seems you have everything planned by now! I think bee* and the others have most things covered

I''ll focus on Galway cos that''s the place I know best. One recommendation I would make is for The G Hotel in Galway. It can be quite pricey but there are special offers everywhere at the moment, thanks to the recession, so definitely worth checking it out. It was designed by the famous Irish milliner Philip Treacy. It''s a really stunningly designed hotel, about 15 mins walk from the city centre. Alternatively the Hotel Meyrick (used to be the Great Southern) is bang in the city centre and is a gorgeous hotel.

I don''t know what dates you''re going, here''s a website that has most events listed.

For a real Irish experience, you''ll have to head to the pubs. I recommend Neachtains on Quay Street for the best pint of Guinness. Actually, most of the best pubs are on Quay Street, so you won''t have to go far. There is generally a trad band in either The King''s Head or The Quays, both are worth going to for a few pints. There will definitely be some sort of live music going on in The Roisin Dubh over on Dominic Street. Brilliant pub. Here''s a good pub guide. For the best fish and chips in the country, hands down, go across the road to Mc Donaghs. Mmmmmmmm....
The next day, to cure the hangover, go for a walk on the Salthill prom. If ye feel like a drive, head out towards Spiddal from Salthill.

If you have time and are staying in Shannon on the last night, I very much recommend The Banquet at Bunratty Castle. It is very well done and loads of fun. The castle is worth a look around anyway during the day, it is very well kept and there is loads to see. If not, you will have plenty of time to get to Shannon Airport from Galway. Leave by about 9:30 or 10:00 to be in plenty of time. Shannon Airport isn''t very big.

Oh, and definitely get a sat nav with your rental car!!

 

[winternight]

I''ve been looking over this thread since my husband wants to go to Ireland in late May early June of this year. So I might have to start my own thread with questions, but thanks for posting everyone!

Btw. I love the photos of the G hotel -- I love Treacy''s hats, so I think that is a place I''m going to have to stay if we go to Galway.

 

[Haven]

ksinger--I hear that the Guinness pour takes a long time! I''m actually oddly excited to see the artful pouring while we''re there. I''m going to check out Murphy''s too, if I can find it. Thanks!

porridge--Thank you for coming back! That''s great information, I''m going to add it to my print out to take with me. Those hotels in Galway look gorgeous, but pricey. My sister contacted them, we''ll see! Thank you so much for taking the time to share all that info!

winternight--We''ll be going end of May/early June too! Have you booked your flights yet? Prices *just* dropped the last few days, so we bought yesterday. (But we''re flying out of Chicago and into Dublin, then out of Shannon, so I was only looking for those fares.)