Tips for Ireland?

[infromsea]

Hey crew,

Spouse and I fly into Ireland (Dublin) in a few weeks.

Any tips/tricks/ideas to share?

Must hit:
- Jameson Brewery
- Bushmills Brewery (see the trend?)
- Giants causeway

That's almost it for the "must haves". We love to hike, love to drink good beer, love to dance, love to listen to music, love to read, love to spend the AM drinking an Irish coffee in front of a roaring fire...

Not worried about the cost (thank you FIRE).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Tim

[reeshau]

Are you driving up to the North?  If so, do you have your car arranged?  If you are driving, purposely avoid the "A"/ "M" roads, at least one way.  Great scenery on the backroads, with adventurous / fun driving.  Lots of local places for a lunch stop, too.

Have a Guinness, too.  The Gravity Bar could ensure it's a good pint, but any public within 1 km should be great.  Guiness is very different in Ireland than in the US (or anywhere else)

Bookstores-aplenty in Dublin.  Tower Records, too.  It can be quite a throwback, retail-wise.

There are lots of interesting places to eat in Dublin; most are expensive.  We love KC Peaches.  They have cafe sandwiches, pizza, and sweets.  They also have hot and cold buffets.  The biggest location is across from Trinity College, which gives you an idea of their prices.

If you ask a local for travel ideas, particularly day trips, you might get a narrow view.  You can cross the island in 4 hours.  We made the Rock of Cashel a day trip from Dublin, with plenty of time there--no sweat.  (2 hour drive)

On your way up to Giant's Causeway, there's the Brú na Bóinne and Newgrange.  Lots of GoT sites, too, if you like the show.

The scenery on the Wild Atlantic Way tops everything, but you will be getting dicey weather this late in the year.

[sonofsven]

If you want to see one beautiful page from a very old book (800AD), the Book of Kells at Trinity University.
I loved the west coast: Galway, Doolin, The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Dingle Peninsula.
We brought bikes and rode straight across from Dublin to Galway on the old canal tow paths, which was fun.

[mustachian816]

Have you read the Rick Steve's Ireland travel book yet?  If you're not familiar with his books, he does an excellent job at helping you avoid the cheesy tourist traps and has lots of insider tips for where to eat, see and stay for getting a more authentic "local" experience.

Here's his suggested 3-week itinerary:
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/ireland/itinerary

The Dingle peninsula is a must-see for that small-town Irish countryside experience.

[reeshau]

One other overall tip:  Dublin is at the same latitude as Edmunton, Alberta.  You'll be past the equinox, so expect short daylight hours.  Around the summer solstice, sunset can be around 11 pm.  Expect days to be correspondingly short, depending on how close to the winter solstice you will be.

Rain is frequent in Dublin, but also is usually in short bursts.  That said, there can be significant storms in the fall and winter.  Snow is very rare in Dublin, but you can get significant snowfall elsewhere, particularly in the West and the middle of the Country, and at elevation.

[infromsea]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!

We are going to hit Dublin for a night, attend a meetup for another group we are involved with, pick up a rental the next AM and head to Belfast for the Titanic museum (SO is intrigued). 

From there, we'll hit bushmills, causeway etc. Only have a hotel room for the first night, from then on it's take it as it comes!

I look forward to getting lost (I've been all over the world, just not here) and finding those back roads mentioned, I find that leads to the best people, the best food, and the best adventures.

I'm going to pick up the Rick Steve's book (We've seen a couple of his specials but they can only cover so much/are a bit dated) and you can bet we'll be enjoying the Guinness and full Irish breakfast just about every day!

We are taking lots of layers so we can layer up and down, will have rain coats, umbrellas and good shoes with lots of extra socks. This will be the SOs first time on that side of the globe, should be a hoot!

Thanks again!

[MetalCap]

Love Ireland!

I definitely second the Cliffs of Moher and the town pub in Doolin out west. Galway's a fun time too.
We really enjoyed Port Rush, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle, and Bushmills up north. Bushmills was the best drinking we had on the island.

In Belfast check out Crown Bar for lunch one day. It's a Victorian jewel box and unlike any other place you'll eat at.

[HawkeyeNFO]

If you rent a car, expect a pushy sales effort to add expensive insurance at the rental counter.  Check with your credit card and your primary insurance to make sure you are already covered.  Take a ton of pics of the car when you pick it up and also when you drop it off.

That said, I DO recommend getting a car and getting out to the countryside.  Be ready for some very narrow roads but the scenery is outstanding.  I'd love to go back to Ireland!

[brandon1827]

Lots of fun things to do in and around the city. I would highly recommend Beshoff Bros (not really in Dublin...but Howth isn't far) best fish n chips on the Island for sure. St. Stephens is a lovely stroll, Trinity College Library & Book of Kells is amazing. Grafton St. is a nice stroll with shops and restaurants...most likely will see buskers or other street performers. Obviously there are loads of amazing places to visit in the country...Kylemore Abbey, Dark Hedges, Glendalough...the list is endless. Have fun!

[reeshau]

One more car rental tip: like everywhere else in Europe, cars will be manual transmission by default.  You might be fine with that, but remember you are driving on the left, sitting on the right...and so, shifting with you left hand.  If that changes your mind, make sure and specify an automatic.

Another tip: with gas prices so high, you will probably be offered a "free size upgrade," as everyone wants smaller vehicles.  It worked out for us this summer, but if you are counting on something smaller, you might need to push back.

[Villanelle]

I really enjoyed the Gap of Dunloe, if you will get out that way (Killarney).  If you are into castles, there was one nearby (Ross Castle, maybe?), though we didn't tour it so I can't say much about it.  But the Gap was beautiful.  We took a tour bus from near our Airbnb, then had a choice of either walking the gap or taking a horse drawn buggy, then a short boat ride that ended at the Castle.  The scenery was spectacular.

I found Waterford to be hugely disappointing and kind of a waste of a day.  Unless you are super into crystal, there's not much to do there. 

I was worried about the driving.  We lived in a right hand drive country for a while, but the shifting thing seems difficult.  I didn't drive at all but DH had no issues at all with it, but it is something to be aware of.  If you aren't pretty comfortable with a manual, the extra difficulty of left hand shifting might feel like a lot. 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Shifting the gears is tricky for about 5 minutes, if you're already used to a stick.  After that it's no big deal.  Never does seem natural though.

[Ozlady]

I really enjoyed the Gap of Dunloe, if you will get out that way (Killarney).  If you are into castles, there was one nearby (Ross Castle, maybe?), though we didn't tour it so I can't say much about it.  But the Gap was beautiful.  We took a tour bus from near our Airbnb, then had a choice of either walking the gap or taking a horse drawn buggy, then a short boat ride that ended at the Castle.  The scenery was spectacular.

I found Waterford to be hugely disappointing and kind of a waste of a day.  Unless you are super into crystal, there's not much to do there. 

I was worried about the driving.  We lived in a right hand drive country for a while, but the shifting thing seems difficult.  I didn't drive at all but DH had no issues at all with it, but it is something to be aware of.  If you aren't pretty comfortable with a manual, the extra difficulty of left hand shifting might feel like a lot.

I just came back from Ireland..and can second the Gap of Dunloe...really spectacular and special (it is part of the Ring of Kerry loop!)

[infromsea]

Thanks again for all the tips!

Just a few last things to and we are ready to go (tell the bank we are on travel, check on cell phone plan etc.).

I'm actually looking forward to the driving part. I love to drive, have driven a manual for years, in many forms, love a good backroad etc.

The hardest part might be keeping my SO calm as I navigate. I've driven all over the work and subscribe to the "drive like the locals" mentality when possible, she's sure to be gripping the door handle tight! (She does that here in the states and I'm a decent driver, difference in depth perception etc...).

One cool thing about the tech we enjoy these days, I've been watching "how to drive in Ireland" videos including round-a-bouts and I'm going to have her watch a few to reduce some of the "watch out!" alarms I'll surely hear, it's been helpful for me and I've already caught myself going "where the hell is that guy going in the wrong lane?" a couple of times, the videos will hopefully help me acclimate a little quicker.

[reeshau]

Do make sure to grab offline maps for your drive.  You can't quite fit the whole island into a single map (with Google maps) but it comes close.

You will have spaces, driving on back roads, with no cell coverage.  Even with the local providers.

Oh--and, the toll tag "deal" from the rental agencies are a rip off.  25 euro for the privilege of paying the tolls anyway.  Toll booths aren't too frequent.  The only toll road that is tag only is the M50 ring road in Dublin, and you can pay online within 24 hours.

[Turtle]

Thanks again for all the tips!

Just a few last things to and we are ready to go (tell the bank we are on travel, check on cell phone plan etc.).

I'm actually looking forward to the driving part. I love to drive, have driven a manual for years, in many forms, love a good backroad etc.

The hardest part might be keeping my SO calm as I navigate. I've driven all over the work and subscribe to the "drive like the locals" mentality when possible, she's sure to be gripping the door handle tight! (She does that here in the states and I'm a decent driver, difference in depth perception etc...).

One cool thing about the tech we enjoy these days, I've been watching "how to drive in Ireland" videos including round-a-bouts and I'm going to have her watch a few to reduce some of the "watch out!" alarms I'll surely hear, it's been helpful for me and I've already caught myself going "where the hell is that guy going in the wrong lane?" a couple of times, the videos will hopefully help me acclimate a little quicker.

Good idea using the YouTube videos.  I'll have to remember that tip.

It's also helpful to look up Google street view for the places that you know you'll be going.  That way you'll already be familiar with the local driving landmarks.