1

Kinsale close to Cork city
on the coast, for more info see WIKIPEDIA.ORG / KINSALE
Go to Google MAPS for starters
From Atlanta you can fly direct to Dublin
with DELTA.COM /
The time of year is realy upto you
Will you be renting a vehicle ?
Dublin airport to Kinsale is 180 miles
roughly a 3 hour drive.
Irish weather : MET.IE /
Make sure you go to the town of Cobh (say cove)
and visit the towns heritage centre next to the railway station.
good luck.

2

Thanks, yofletch. I've already done some basic research. Google and Wikipedia have made the world a smaller place.

And yet, I still feel more comfortable actually getting to communicate with someone who really knows the area. You've given me some great suggestions! I appreciate your time and advice! Pam

3

Cobh's a good shout. Consider also Mitzin point for dramatic coastline, Rock of Cashel (old ruins) or Ring of Kerry (more dramatic coastline). In the latter case, a hire car would be essential. Note that fuel prices are roughly double the US price.

If you want you could go for St Patricks day in March, but the weather's a bit nicer (in general) from May through to end of September. However, whilst snow is unlikely outside of winter - rain, sun, hail and wind can all occur at any time throughout the year.

4

So the prize consists only of accommodation? What type - hotel / B&B / self catering etc? Where exactly? If you have to be back for set evening meal times, for example, you will be more limited in where you can go / how late you can stay out etc.

Best check when you can stay, as sometimes prize stays are only available at non high season times ie not St Patrick's Day, Easter, May Day Bank Holidays, July / August school holidays etc. However, June is often a good month for travel - long daylight hours, few tourists etc. September is also good, although daylight hours are shorter.

Car hire - depends on how happy you are about driving on left side of road, many very narrow roads, road signs in a mixture of miles and km (newer looking signs are usually km), roundabouts etc. If you want to hire an automatic (gear changing) car, then reserve in advance, as most people drive manual vehicles in Republic of Ireland.

5

FUEL PRICES at the pump
see.........PUMPS.IE / cheaper brands to look for : AMBER, APPLEGREEN, GREAT GAS and TESCO
TRAFFIC reports
see.....AAROADWATCH.IE /
The major roads between the larger cities are very good
as you get further away from the cities and more rural
standards drop
see Google IMAGES type in "IRISH ROADS"
Youtube to see and learn how to properly negotaite a roundabout ( rotary )
enjoy.

6

Great and I wish you a better than great holiday!
I don't know the area very well, but I know the wonderful people from Cork and how they will surely welcome you!
I do suggest that you wait until March or April, at the least!

7

I had relatives there until they moved house a couple of years ago. As said above, it is about 10 miles from Cork airport - turn right out of the airport for Kinsale and turn left for Cork city. By Irish standards, it is quite a well developed resort area with a lot of organised activity (by which I mean so much of Ireland is plain natural beauty, whereas Kinsale has had a more than average amount of human intervention!) so I'm sure you'll find plenty to enjoy.

Getting around Ireland is definitely easier with car hire than by public transport, though you will find buses between Kinsale and Cork for example. I expect you've already found http://kinsale.ie/ . As for time of year, obviously it is nicer in the warmer summer months, but it is a popular place with the Irish so gets busy. However the south coast of Ireland is quite mild and spring and autumn might be good time to consider, but whenever you come bring a raincoat and umbrella!

8

Thanks so much for the great feedback! Interesting stuff! I'm starting to feel more confident!

Our trip includes a 3 bedroom flat on Shearwater, off Pier Road overlooking Kinsale Harbor. Is anyone familiar with that area? Is it within walking distance to 'town' - shops, restaurants, pubs?

Don't think we can fly directly to Cork Airport - European flights only, maybe. Think Shannon or Dublin best bets from Atlanta.

Apparently it's about 3 hour drive- in good traffic- from either airport to Kinsale. That's after a minimum 16 hours+ travel. ugh. Maybe we could fly through Europe to land in Cork. Good idea?? ?

Our trip includes choice of limo service to and from Shannon or Dublin Airport or car rental for the week. I was thinking the limo service but it sounds like we would still need a car to get around.

I'm also curious about mobile phone service. We have I-phones serviced by Verizon but am reading we should get a 'disposable' phone in Ireland. Thoughts?

I've requested the end of May but haven't heard if space is available. I can't truly begin airfare search till I know travel dates.
I'm thinking we should include one day for travel each way. Will that be enough time?

Anyone have any thoughts on any of this?

wow. No wonder people use travel agents to take care of all the "stuff".

Thanks to all y'all for being my mini-travel agents! We'll drink an Irish beer(or two) to you!

9

Fly to Paris and from there to Cork. Kinsale is a lovely little town, geared to visitors and well known for its restaurants and food. Go for seafood.
Journey from Dublin easier than from Shannon, motor way all the way now but a bit much just after landing from the States. Consider bus or train from Dublin and pick up a car in Cork.
Lots of places to see around that part of Co Cork, Skibereen, Clonakilty, Glegarriff just off the top of my head. All towns are small can be walked around in a couple of hours so no need to do tight planning unless you really want to travel further out than Cork area.

10

Please don't drive after a 16 hour flight - limosine service would be safer for everyone concerned! Then hire when you're rested a bit, or use public transport to get around.

You only need a disposable SIM card, not a whole phone - but there are still some payphones in Ireland, so you might not need one at all. Holiday flats sometimes have payphones inside, that will accept incoming calls. Otherwise, make sure there is reception for the network you choose in the flat.

11

1st, When you take multiple flights to reach your destination
there is always the chance that your luggage will end up
somewhere else.
2nd stick with the one flight to Dublin and spend your 1st and 2nd night
in Dublin recovering from the jet-lag before you pick up your rental
and head for Kinsale.
You can see the "SHEAR-WATER" apartments for yourself by using
the feature on Google MAPS ....STREET-VIEW
the named apartments are clearly marked opposite the yacht club
for instuctions on how to use STREET-VIEW type into Youtube
for a demo.
Best days of any week to fly are a Tuesday or Wednesday
Hotels in Dublin consider
SANDYMOUNTHOTEL.IE / or
D4HOTELS.IE /
To be able to use an irish sim-card you need a phone
that is unlocked then you can go to the nearest
TESCO store / supermarket and purchase their
sim-card and credit
see.....TESCO.IE / PAY AS YOU GO SIM-CARD

12

This is great stuff! I love it.

Great info on the SIM card. I must look into that.

Still confused about which airport to use. I don't want to pay for rooms for in Dublin to get over our jet-lag.
I would prefer to get to Kinsale where we have accommodations waiting for us.

However a 3 or so hour drive from Dublin or Shannon sounds utterly exhausting after traveling for almost 24 hours. Maybe a limo from the airport and then rent a car once we get to Kinsale. I've read car rental insurance rates are extremely expensive.
Does anyone know if this is true?

Keep it coming! This is so much fun!

13

Dublin airport to Kinsale see......BUSEIREANN.IE / JOURNEY PLANNER
1st bus 07:30 arrive in Kinsale 12:35 bus no: X8
with a change in Cork city
2nd bus no: 249
"monthly return" cost for adult E 47.50 (as of Oct,23 2012)
one-way fare E28.50
journey time 5 hours

14

It might just be worth visiting a travel agent in US to see whether they can arrange to book you through to Cork by air - there are plenty of flights from Dublin to Cork, and it might be you can arrange a through booking so your luggage gets booked through even though you have to change planes. Going to Paris as someone suggested seems like a long way round to get to Cork!!