Conquer Club

Hiya,

I'm looking to hear from anyone from Ireland or anyone who's been to.

This august will be my 10th anniversary married to my wife & I want to take her there for a vacation.

I have a few questions
When is the best month to go (weather wise)?
She don't like the cold & I don't like extreme heat.

What part to stay in? What parts should we stay away from?
We both love the countryside & want to see the beautiful castles etc. We also want to be able to go to local pubs, hear music, eat some great food etc

Would it be be beneficial to buy a package deal with air hotel, car etc so we can travel as we please? Or is it easy to get around via, cab etc? Also what side of the road do you drive on there?

Thanks for any info you have.

MG

You dont have to worry about extreme cold or extreme heat!! temperature is usually between 15-25 degrees in the summer lol Just make sure ya bring a coat because it is sure to rain lol

If you want to see the countryside you will defo want to rent a car. Best places for the countryside would tend to be to the west of the country. Donegal, Mayo and Cork would all be good spots!! I went to holidays in Mayo last year and we rented out a holiday home, perhaps you could look into that

Just make sure you don't go to limerick

Hope you have a great time!!

As JP said Ireland doesn't really experience extreme weather. The record for hottest temperature in Ireland is approximatly 30 C but thats rare enough, a usual summertime temperature would be in the low 20's. For the rest of the year its normally between 5-15 with it sometimes dropping below freezing in late December and January. If you want to see the countryside and see small pubs then it would be best to head to the west and southwest ie Mayo,Galway,Clare, Kerry and, Cork. Most of these counties have some nice countryside to see along with some castles while also having nice hotels and the likes to base your travel from. Galway city is a lovely city to visit also, its quite small ( around 70,000 people) and has some nice buildings and people. If your interested in Irish culture Connemara which is just west of Galway city is one of the few remaining "Gaeltachts" ( Regions where Irish is the primary language). Clare has a famous "Bunratty Castle" which for most of the year ( I'm not quite sure how wide the window on this is they might even do it all the year but definatly during summertime) has a nice fun day trip that shows off the castle and its grounds and gives a medievil style meal and has a themed show after. It also has some natural wonders in "The Burren" - a region of also entirly limestone with some beautiful plants that manage to grow in the region- and "The cliffs of mohor" -towering cliffs that offer a breathtaking view of the Atlantic ocean from a great height-. In Kerry it would be best to make your way to Killarney which is a real tourist hub in the southwest. In Killarney itself which is a small town (around 10,000 population) there is a huge amount of hotels to stay in and there is lots to do in and around the town itself. From there its also possible to partake in the "Ring of Kerry" - a tourist route around the southern part of the county- this route takes in the most beautiful part of the county and has some extremlly nice senery to view. Dingle town to the west is also a popular tourist spot which has attractions suck as Fungi the dolphin and some old style pubs, Dingle is also on the edge of another Gaeltacht region and therefore also has some exibhts on Irish culture. The West of cork county is also quite senic and nice, similar to the south of Kerry. All of these places are within a days travel of Dublin which I presume you'll be flying into, Galway is very close probably 2 to 2and a half your away along a new motorway, Cork city is much the same. To get to to Clare and Kerry you'll need longer but 4-5 hours should get you anywhere in the country. Driving is almost a nessicity, public transport is available but limited and doesn't expressly serve the need of tourists so some attractions might be hard to get to. If you rent a car you could see a lot of Ireland in a week or 2 weeks. We drive on the left but even in towns the are a limited number of roundabouts and the likes so it shouldn't be too much hassle.

Wow that's a lot of great info. Thank you guys so much for taking the time to answer.

Best time to come weatherwise? How much rain do you like?
The best thing to do in Ireland is to find a cow and tip it over. This is called cow-tipping and has been the national pastime of Ireland for three million years.

DogAlmighty wrote:Best time to come weatherwise? How much rain do you like?
The best thing to do in Ireland is to find a cow and tip it over. This is called cow-tipping and has been the national pastime of Ireland for three million years.

http://www.discoverireland.ie/

DogAlmighty wrote:Best time to come weatherwise? How much rain do you like?
The best thing to do in Ireland is to find a cow and tip it over. This is called cow-tipping and has been the national pastime of Ireland for three million years.

We love rain, as long as it stops long enough to take in some sights. I'm in Texas so I am well aware of how cow tipping goes

We are thinking of coming next march so we can enjoy the St Patrick's festivities in the city as well.

which city, i'd recommend galway... dublin gets a bit messy on the afternoon of st paddys day (although, i live in new zealand now and they were not much better)

Big Long Stick wrote:which city, i'd recommend galway... dublin gets a bit messy on the afternoon of st paddys day (although, i live in new zealand now and they were not much better)

This is one of the things I'm trying to figure out which would dictate where we will stay.

mgconstruction wrote:...We also want to be able to go to local pubs, hear music, eat some great food etc...

Be sure to try an Irish mixed grill - boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, sautéed potatoes & chips.