Ireland

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mrslehan2013
mrslehan2013 Posts: 105
in Chit-Chat
Has anyone ever been to Ireland? My parents are treating my fiance and I to a trip to Irealand for our wedding present. We are looking for places to go but have no idea where to start! Ideas please!! We especially are looking forward to hole in the wall pubs, shops, etc.

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  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
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    In for hot Irish guys. Hopefully.
  • goldenboy2532
    goldenboy2532 Posts: 856
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    We went to Ireland last September to watch our beloved Irish play Navy in Dublin. We stayed in the dock lands and everything in Dublin was very accessible through their public transit. Word of warning though. Dublin is relatively small and you will run out of things to do if staying longer than 4 days or so. I would recommend splitting up your trip and getting out into the country and hill sides of Ireland. We stayed in Ireland for 4 days and then flew to London and stayed for 5 days, and we wished we would of had a longer stay in London since everything is so spread out compared to Dublin. Feel free to PM with any questions that you may have. Another FYI, we enjoy renting apartments during our vacations as we can cook our own food and I always get one with a balcony to enjoy the outdoors. I would highly recommend this over a hotel.

    @iuliamad - Sorry to disappoint lol
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    Temple Bar area is for the tourists....keep walking and ask the locals where the good ones are... Since you are wanting to go to pubs (drinking)....check out Guinness brewery and the Jameson distillery. It was amazing how different Guinness tasted in Dublin vs the States (even different in London) and it was well worth it!
  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
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    Go to Galway! I lived there for a year and loved it. I love Ireland, it's a beautiful country.
  • goldenboy2532
    goldenboy2532 Posts: 856
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    Temple Bar area is for the tourists....keep walking and ask the locals where the good ones are... Since you are wanting to go to pubs (drinking)....check out Guinness brewery and the Jameson distillery. It was amazing how different Guinness tasted in Dublin vs the States (even different in London) and it was well worth it!

    Beware, the Guiness Brewery is not an actual brewery anymore.
  • TAMayorga
    TAMayorga Posts: 341 Member
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    I've been a couple of times and my mom's been around 6 times. Here are some of the websites she goes on to plan her trips:

    IrelandYes

    IrishFireside

    Fodor's/forums/Europe/Ireland will give you lots of chatter
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
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    I'll be going in July after we go to Germany. Looking forward to it!
  • Colli78
    Colli78 Posts: 135
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    When I went we flew into Shannon and rented a car and drove the western country side. We stayed in bed and breakfasts and stayed away from tour groups. Staying in bed and breakfasts instead of hotels made it a lot more fun. You got to talk with the hosts of the house and find out more about the county you were staying in. Plus they knew all the great "local" spots. The driving part isn't hard, but it does take a little bit of getting used to, especially with the steering wheel being on what we think of as the passenger side of the car. Definitely see the Cliffs of Moher. The site is beautiful! And, tour the castles. That's a LOT of fun!
  • missbrie11
    missbrie11 Posts: 108 Member
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    Went to Dublin last year for a weekend, and absolutely loved it. I agree with the poster above, though -- it's pretty small, and you can see almost everything in a couple days. I'd recommend Temple Bar area, Trinity College/Book of Kells display, Guinness Brewery, St. Patrick's Cathedral...

    I've heard Belfast is incredible, too, as is the Irish countryside. The Cliffs of Moher are beautiful!!

    Have a great trip :)
  • ohmelgosh79
    ohmelgosh79 Posts: 118 Member
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    In for hot Irish guys. Hopefully.
  • nmtGurl
    nmtGurl Posts: 159 Member
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    I've been to Ireland 4 times. It's tough to say what is the best to see. It is so beautiful no matter where you go. Castles and pubs everywhere, so you'll have plenty to choose from.

    The Galway area, I got to practice my Irish, which was fun. In the city, I went to the Quays pub, where the interior was imported from a French medieval church. The different levels, stained glass, carved wood, and Gothic arches were pretty cool. Cahir Castle was the best castle tour I've ever been on. The Cliffs of Moher are impressive, Doolin was great for traditional Irish music, Dublin has lots of shopping and museums. Rock of Cashel, Ring of Kerry, Muckross House, The Vee,....ahhhh, this is tough!!

    And if you stay in B&Bs and don't mind paying a little more, ask for your room "en suite." That way you get your own private bathroom and don't have to share with other people.

    I haven't been to Ireland in a while and miss it immensely! Where ever you go, I hope you have a great time!
  • claire_donegal84
    claire_donegal84 Posts: 47 Member
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    Has anyone ever been to Ireland? My parents are treating my fiance and I to a trip to Irealand for our wedding present. We are looking for places to go but have no idea where to start! Ideas please!! We especially are looking forward to hole in the wall pubs, shops, etc.

    I live in Donegal in the North West. It really is so stunningly beautiful up here. Just google image 'glenveagh national park' (10mins from my house :) and Beaches like 'Portsalon' and 'Bunbeg' and 'Dunfanaghy'.... there's gorgeous little places to visit like Gweedore and Killybegs.... oh you must make it to Donegal! You'll love it!!
  • Jaylello
    Jaylello Posts: 212 Member
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    From Ireland

    I would avoid spending much time in Dublin, it is the same as any big European. I would go to Galway as it's an excellent base for all your Irish adventures. Message me if you want to know any info on things to do as I used to work as a tourist info guy in Galway city :bigsmile:
  • xDMartinHx
    xDMartinHx Posts: 1,002 Member
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    I live in the south of Ireland. way down south in Cork.
  • bobbiboo24
    bobbiboo24 Posts: 44 Member
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    I'm from Ireland and you should avoid Dublin!! It doesn't feel Irish to me! It Go West to Galway. It's beautiful there. Vibrant town. Great countryside. Definitely a must! (And if you really need to go to Dublin, it's less than 2 hours away on the train!!) :)
  • Ant___
    Ant___ Posts: 38 Member
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    In for hot Irish guys. Hopefully.

    Well I've got the Irish bit covered! , i'm from Belfast

    Belfast and Dublin are good craic, but wouldn't look to spend stacks of time in either, typical cities really, Dublin will cost you a small fortune as well if you're spending any length of time in it.
    (personally i love Dublin though and will be down there a few times a year at least)

    Kerry/Galway are great as mentioned, plenty of nice sites to see, castles and what not,
    the key when visiting Ireland is to never really be anywhere more than a few days, we're a fecking tiny country!

    To put it in perspective for the Americans on here, Our entire country would fit inside the state of Indiana, so you really need to tour around imo.
  • EponaBlue
    EponaBlue Posts: 96 Member
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    In for hot Irish guys. Hopefully.

    :bigsmile:
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
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    So jealous of all of you! I just want to visit the motherland--is that too much to ask?! :sad:

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