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Planning Your Trip to Ireland  Part 12

HINTS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP TO IRELAND

Know before you go:
Get as much information as you can online, then once you arrive, stop in at the Bord Failte (pronounced Fall-cha), the tourist board. There is one in every city and large town that will give you details on all the local attractions and special events. You can even do a book a bed ahead on the spur of the moment if you have no fixed plans and just want to drive and see where you end up.

The Bord Failte also has a guide to every county, with more detailed maps, planned out as driving routes, so you will not miss a thing. Know how many days you have, and give yourself a realistic timetable to make the most of it.

Weather-YES, it rains a lot in Ireland. Bring along appropriate rain fear and footwear. You will want to do a lot of walking and sightseeing. But there is always a pub or restaurant nearby if you get tired of both.

Weather all year round-rare snow, rarely so cold it gets below 32 degrees, which for them is zero celsius. Most of the time it is better than April in Paris! Brr. There is NOTHING romantic about April in Paris unless you are wearing thermals. Definitely bring your thermals if you have them.

Summer is great; it is so far north, especially the northern counties, that you are almost in the land of the midnight sun.

The western counties are the most rainy due to quick, sudden squalls from the Atlantic. But it is rare to have a day without sun except in the dead of winter.

Money-The Euro-About a $1.50 of our money at the moment.  When I lived there, it was 75 cents! Argh! So you will find Ireland price-y, including gas. Remember, they add value added tax to all your purchases, so you might want to keep the receipts and claim back the money at the airport when you depart the country.
For a handy world currency calculator, visit www.xe.com

Accommodation-everything imaginable, every price range.
Clothing-see note above re weather. Dress in layers! Remember also that there is not much central heating! But there are a lot of lovely open fireplaces.

Food, awesome, especially on the sea coasts, but keep the taxes in mind and save all your receipts.
Beer/alcohol-ditto.
Shopping; great. Woolen and linen aren’t the great bargains they once were in the city center stores, but you can often find collectively run craft centers with hand made or unique gifts. Keep all your receipts so you can claim back the VAT.
Driving: right hand drive, left side of the road. Roads are generally well paved, not greatly signposted. Gas-expensive.
Sports: golf, fishing, leisure centers for swimming and a variety of sporting activities, bicycling, walking, hiking, and boating are available in and around all major cities in Ireland. Birdwatching, photography, art holidays=paradise.
Tracing your family tree?
A lot of people ask about this, but unfortunately, at the end of the Irish civil war in 1922, the rebels burned the public record office because it was a symbol to the of colonial opression. So it is not impossible (unless you are an O’Brien or Murphy, there are so many branches of the family), but the records there are have mainly been derived from parish records.
Romance: 10 out of 10-for a relaxing place to get away from it all, from city to country, Ireland is ideal. Fine dining, great hotels and B and Bs, breathtaking scenery and a wealth of shared activities, go at your own pace and do as little or as much as you like.
A country of both overwhelming natural beauty and fascinating towns and cities Ireland is a stunning travel destination, suited to all budgets and interests, and one trip you will never forget. Every picture will be like a Kodak moment. Here’s wishing you plenty of rainbows when you are there, and a pot of gold at the end of every one of them!
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HEADING EAST FROM BELFAST
Traveling along Belfast Lough’s southern shore and down the long arm of Northern Ireland, County Down, you would get to the very tip of the peninsula, which is full of ancient abbey and castle ruins, and then catch a ferry across Strangford Lough to get back to the mainland. The short ferry trip is lovely, as is the town of Strangford, with its many small alley and lovingly preserved old Georgian homes (and some are even older!)

Once back on the mainland you would head to Carrickfergus, which has two castles from the 12th century. It is a lovely old medieval town, and is an antique hunter’s and foodies’ paradise. From there you would head south along the coast back to Dublin, where suburban sprawl hasn’t quite ruined the village type atmosphere of the north Dublin County coast.

TRAVELLING NORTH FROM DUBLIN-JUST REVERSE THIS ROUTE!
The great thing about the places I have mentioned in the north of Ireland are that they are all within easy driving distance of Dublin, simply by heading north rather than south. Leave yourself plenty of time if you are driving to stop and eat and just soak up the atmosphere. You will not regret a trip to Tara or Newgrange, I promise.

FROM DUBLIN WEST TO GALWAY
The middle of the country is very lush and fertile, though it has few towns of huge interest compared with the ones we’ve already mentioned on our circular clockwise tour of Ireland.

Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 13

Continued from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 10

HEADING SOUTH FROM BELFAST
Heading south from Belfast is the relatively modern town of Portadown, where the residents can describe the coming of Cromwell’s men in the 1650s as as though it were yesterday.

Going further south from Belfast about 40 miles, Armagh is an ancient cathedral town, with fascinating museums and ruins. It dates from around the 6th century and has a very special, almost mystical atmosphere. It has a local interpretive center now very like the one at Dublin, Dubliana, and wonderful winding streets, and a great terraced effect to the town as you have to climb to get up to the Cathedral.

There is a great legend associated with Armagh, and it is said that St. Patrick founded the college here, as he moved from east to west from the down of Downpatrick.

HEADING SOUTH FROM ARMAGH
As you are heading back south toward Dublin you could also visit the site of Newgrange, the huge monolithic tomb experts think is even older than Stonehenge, and built in alignment so the sunshine from the winter solstice on the shortest day of the year comes straight up the long passage to illuminate the burial chamber within. Experts estimate that it was built in 7000 BC.

Nearby are similar excavated burial mounds Howth and Knowth, and in fact the whole area, known as the Boyne valley, is an achaeologist’s dream, it is so full of artefacts. All three places are pretty unforgettable, and like nothing you will ever see in America, or even most of Europe.

Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 12

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BELFAST

Heading south once more down the great glens of Antrim, you will reach Belfast, rich in history and museums. In Belfast near the University is the Ulster Museum, which has a wonderful collection of artefacts and art, and an excellent if small restaurant which overlooks an intriguing little ancient graveyard.

The folk museum at Cultra, about 7 miles away, is also well worth visiting, and the adorable town of Crawfordsburn with its sandy beaches, windmill and waterfall.

Also worth visiting in Belfast are the zoo, Cavehill, and Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast City Hall. You can also walk along the great River Lagan, to visit quaint villages and ancient monuments just a stone’s throw away from the city center. Once again, for so large a city, pretty much everything is in walking distance, or a short bus or cab ride away.

Belfast has water on the east side, the Belfast lough, and mountains to the west. On the lough are the Harland and Wolff shipyards, where the great Titanic and its two other ill-fated sister ships were built. It has a museum and is located very near the small but busy Belfast City Airport. (The international airport is about 20 miles away to the west near the town of Antrim).

Belfast also has many fine Georgian buildings in the city center, and the Crown Saloon, an old pub which still retains its Victorian charm. There is also a opera house, fine theatres and dining, a good city center for shopping, and a very sophisticated area around the university.

Every autumn there is a fine arts festival which features top ballet, opera, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as classical musical ensembles from all over the world.

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HEADING EAST FROM THE GIANT’S CAUSEWAY
Going east around the coast of Northern Ireland to the town of Ballycastle, you will see some of the astounding scenery of County Antrim. The glens of Antrim are known for their spectacular beauty, particularly around Cushendall, Cushendun, and Glenarm.

From the charming town of Ballycastle on the coast, you can take a short boat trip out to Rathlin Island, a rare place of wild beauty and of extraordinary ecological value and historical interest.

This island lies 6 miles off the coast of Northeastern Ireland, and only 16 miles from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. It’s eight miles long and less than one mile wide, and shaped like a boot. It is comprised of layers of basalt on limestone on the higher parts. It is surrounded by limestone and basalt sea cliffs reaching 470 ft in places.

Three lighthouses stand as monument to its wild coast, where over 40 recorded shipwrecks lie in the depths nearby. There are underwater cliffs, caves and a marine botanical paradise here.

Robert the Bruce, who won Scotland’s freedom from England in the early 12th century, (the Robert who betrays William Wallace in Braveheart, then changes his mind at the end of the movie and offers battle instead of a truce), spent some time in exile in the caves on Rathlin.

When Robert saw how a spider in the cave with him kept weaving its web over and over again every day no matter how many times Robert destroyed it, Robert decided if the spider could do it, so could he!

Rathlin Island is also a paradise for birds all year round, but becomes a haven for puffins, guillemots and kittiwakes every summer from about May to July when these migratory birds come down from the Arctic to feed, mate, nest, rear their young, teach them to fly, and then head off on their travels.

The male puffin’s beak is only highly colored when he is looking for a girlfriend. They use the beak to burrow into the cliff face to form their nest, where they reat their chicks. A Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds warden is usually on hand to give you a great view of a nest through his high powered telescope at this time of the year.

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Continues from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 8
NORTHERN ROUTE FROM SLIGO BACK TO DUBLIN (THE LONG WAY!)
If you were to head north from Sligo, you would end up at Letterkenny, the main town of the very large County Donegal, a fairly bustling city, and your last chance for any kind of shopping if you decide to head further north.
From Letterkenny you could begin your tour of wild and rugged Donegal country, with its mountains and remarkable sea coasts. All the way in the very very far north is Tory Island, so far off the coast, especially in bad weather, that the natives there say “I’m going to Ireland” when they get on the ferry.
Donegal is one of the last native Irish speaking areas in Ireland, and is home to Clannad and Enya.
You can visit their family pub where it all started, Teach Leo, (Teach is pronounced like tchack) and it means Leo’s house. Leo the proud papa will often let you talk to the kids if you happen to be there–they frequently phone home!
From Letterkenny, you could start heading southeast back to Dublin via the busy market town of Omagh. The whole drive would take you about 4 hours to get back. Just remember that Irish ‘highways’ are a lot smaller than ours! And a lot more bumpy!
HEADING EAST FROM LETTERKENNY
Letterkenny is also one of the gateways to Northern Ireland via the city of Derry (or Londonderry to the British).
Derry is an historic city with a castle which also still has some of its walls intact. It is a young, vibrant city with a lot of college students. It is also the gateway to the famous Giant’s Causeway, a basalt rock formation caused by volcanic activity in the region many thousands of years ago.
Legend has it that you could walk to Scotland via its step-like formations. You can also walk along the coast, taking in the dramatic scenery.
For those of you not afraid of heights, there is also the Carrickarede swining rope bridge, which the local men use to go from the mainland to the small island to empty their lobster pots. Just remember, if you go across, you have to go back the same way, not an easy feat with other people on the bridge and a bit of wind!
From here you can head back to Derry, and via the main roads back down to Dublin. Give yourself about five hours, more if you want to stop in some of the places we mention on the eastern side of this route.
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NORTH FROM GALWAY
COUNTY MAYO
Heading further north is the lovely down of Castlebar, Co. Mayo, quite sophisticated, with fine manor houses and good eating and shopping. It has brilliant seascapes as well, and a great zoo.
Croagh (pronounced CrOHg) Patrick, a mountain associated with St Patrick, is a popular site for religious pilgrims, and about the only place gold has ever been discovered and mined in Ireland.
Like County Galway, the more west you go, the more untouched the countyside. There is a small Irish speaking community around Erris, also great for anyone interested in birdwatching.
COUNTY SLIGO
Further north still on our circuit around Ireland is the glorious sea meets sky scenery of County Sligo. The small city of Sligo, with its many associations wth Irish history and the poet W B Yeats, is a small, charming town with an excellent theatre, The Hawk’s Well. The mountains on either side and the pass to the east of Ireland are full of fabluous Irish legends.
The castles around the area are of the small manor house variety rather than huge Norman type, but still well worth looking at, and there is also the spectacular “Horse’s tail waterfall” not too far out of town.
HEADING EAST FROM SLIGO
You could start heading east from here over into Northern Ireland through the towns of Manorhamilton, Blacklion, and then across the border into Enniskillen, or come through via Belleek as well to get to Enniskillen.
This area is the lake district of Ireland, similar to the one in England. Upper and Lower Lough Erne are 35 square miles and 50 respectively, and dotted with many islands you can explore on day trips or in a rented cruiser.
There are a number of really lovely manor house type castles throughout the region, and an excellent castle and museum at Enniskillen. The fishing and golf here are second to none, and there is a third lake, Lough Melvin, which has some breeds of fish not found anywhere else in Ireland, and thought to be prehistoric.
There are 17 forests or forest parks in the area, plus 2 incredible 18th century manor houses with vast grounds for you to tour.
Continuing on east would eventually take you through Enniskillen, an island in between the two lakes. With its impressive castle and cathedral, museum and manor house, it is well worth a stay.
Then you would continue on through Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown, eventtually hitting the main road that would take you back down to Dublin. You could certainly stop at the Hill of Tara on your way back, or Armagh, an ancient town which we mention in the northern route from Sligo section.
This a very rural part of Ireland, but still full of fabulous churches and buildings, and friendly people who make fabulous food. Enniskillen is about 3 hours drive from Dublin, heading northwest, so you could easily spend a few days on the lakes and in the forests if you’re interested in a real romantic chance to completely get away from it all.
Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 8

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INTO THE WEST
Around the Shannon area, in addition to Limerick and the two castles, there is also the techology town of Ennis, now booming thanks to Ireland being such a huge part of the computer age thanks to Mac computer factories and a very literate, English speaking workforce.
County Clare
Going west out of Ennis, you will visit the unique lunar landscape of the Burren, which is pretty much more granite boulder than grass going all the way to the coast and the spectacular Cliffs of Moher.
When the English began to push into Ireland, they made Catholics leave their land-they were said to be sending them to “Hell or Connaught” (Connaught is the western region of Ireland) because the land was so poor compared to the fertile soil they were being evicted from, that it was considered to be a death sentence. Anyone who has seen the film The Field will have a good idea of what it looks like.
Also famous in County Clare is the town of Ballyvaughan, a sleepy little hamlet with a wonderful international Irish music festival every February and seafood to die for. Then there is the town of Lisdoonvarna, where bachelors and unmwarried women go to be matched.
COUNTY GALWAY
Heading north on the main road from Limerick to you will come to Galway, on the west coast nearly directly opposite the country from Dublin.
Galway is a very vibrant town, a great tourist hub for the more wild parts of Galway County and for the ferries which will take you out to the Aran Islands, where many people still speak Irish and live in a traditional way.
All year round, you’ll find festivals which celebrate the various aspects of Irish culture. The medieval parish church in Galway is the biggest in Ireland, and many medieval stone buildings are still standing throughout the city.
County Galway is full of abbeys, castles, ruins, and the most outstanding seafood and pubs. Oughterard is a lovely town about 8 miles outside of the city if you want to sample the best of earth, sea, river and sky.
The area around Lenane was where they filmed many parts of The Quiet Man, and it is an amazing lough like a fjord, which was why the Vikings decided to settle in this area. There are many Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht to the far west. Clifton is the last point of civilisation, a bustling town full of music, pubs, and fabulous food, before you head still further west to the wilds of Galway.

Continues in Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 7

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NORTH FROM THE RING OF KERRY
Driving back towards Shannon airport is the bustling town of Limerick. Frank McCourt did not write the most flattering things about it in Angela’s Ashes, but he’s a bit of a northern Irishman in temperament, and it has changed a great deal. It has all of the modern conveniences of any Irish city, and some historical sites as well.
Everyone in the world has heard of the Blarney Stone, but there is an amazing castle that goes with it!
Nearby is another magnificent castle, Bunratty, with a folk park attached.
In both castles you can experience a medieval banquet several nights a week, and the mead, a sort of honey wine, is to die for.
At Bunratty, the folk park recaptures what traditional Irish life would have been like in a series of cottages complete with animals. There are some great pubs nearby with terrific menus. Even though you are so close to the city of Limerick, you’ll really feel like you’ve stepped right back in time.
THE SHANNON AREA
As we’ve said, you can always opt to go back to America when your honeymoon is over via Shannon Airport, rather than have to return to Dublin. Just make sure they know you are planning a one-way rental.
This trip around the southern part of Ireland from Dublin to Cork, and from Cork on to Shannon Airport which we have been describing should take you anywhere from a week to two weeks depending on how much stopping you do.
The Shannon river itself is a mighty sight, and now, thanks to some engineering first started in the 1840s during the Irish Potato Famine, and completed in the late 1990s, you can rent a cruiser and go all the way up the river to Northern Ireland, to the lake districts of Upper and Lower Lough Erne. There are many historic and sacred sites to visit along the way.

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Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 6

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WEST FROM CORK
THE RING OF KERRY
But if you have time once you reach Cork why not press on to the far southwest, to the famous Ring of Kerry. It is a ring of roads going around the lovely lakes of Killarney. It is an exceptionally unspoilt blue-green landscape in an already amazingly mon-modernized country.
As you go from Cork to Kerry, you can take a quick stop at the lovely sailing center of Baltimore. Or, you can get a boat to take you out to the Blasket Islands, made famous by the book The Islandman, where the Irish-speaking community kept to the old ways long after the rest of Ireland had started to become modernized.
The Gap of Dunloe is a famous tourist spot in the Ring of Kerry area. As the name suggests, it is a gap between the mountains.The views are incredible, and it has also been made famous, or infamous, for the Irish jaunting car rides you can take there.
I say infamous because they cost a small fortune, and they don’t actually go through the pass, just up to the small bridge where you ford the river, and back again to the pub where you can hire them.
But you CAN drive through the Gap of Dunloe yourself, if you have a good rental car and don’t mind taking your time on a leisurely 10 mile an hour view of the sights.

The gap has very unusual pale white soil, so be warned, and it will muck up your car big time and you might want to head to a car wash before you return it to the rental place if you have time.

The road is steep both going up and coming down, but the view is breathtaking, mountains, lakes, sea and sky. Just take it slowly, and remember which side of the road you are meant to be driving on –you would be amazed at how many people forget.

Driving through the Gap of Dunloe brings you back down around onto the flat plains and lake area again, which also has many little forests. If you look carefully enough, you will be able to see small sitka deer, European red deer, and the native Irish gray deer, about the size of a small moose with impressive antlers.

So going through the Gap is a great drive if you want to see the sights and don’t have any set plans except to wander and see where you end up. There are no really large towns in this area part from Kenmare, but there are numerous places to stay throughout the area. You never have to worry about chancing your luck with a B and B. They are always inspected and so of a very high standard.

There is so much accommodation around the Ring of Kerry, all pretty much at a set price depending on double, single, with or wthout shared bathroom, that you can’t really go very far wrong if you just want to drive around and see what you find. Even people who are not running an official B and B often take tourists in for a bit of extra money.

For more information on this popular tourist spot with foreigners and Irish alike, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gap_of_Dunloe

http://www.killarney.ac/gdtour.html

Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 5