My brother and I are contemplating a trip to Ireland in October or November of this year. We have about 6 days (including travel) and would likely fly into and out of Dublin. We are most interested in soaking up the culture and avoiding the touristy stuff. Ideally, we like to drink a few pints in some authentic Irish pubs, listen to local music (traditional and modern, big fans of the Pogues as well as the Dubliners), and take in the beautiful history and scenery of the cities, towns, and coast. Can anyone recommend a pseudo itinerary that includes something like 2 nights in Dublin, then a night here or there, another here, and then back in Dublin before flying out? We'll have a car unless someone recommends a better option. Thanks for any and all advice!
Hi - welcome to Thorn Tree.
My little bit of 'Where to go - what to see'....
Get over to the West coast or up to Northern Donegal, if you can.
For me, there are very few finer places on the planet.
Just a little taster....
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Ireland/North/Donegal/
PS.... Take a brolly ! !
Search TT for dubpubs06 or dubpubs05 but the most popular/best trad music places in Dublin are The Cobblestone, O'Donoghues (Merrion Row, the Dubliners were founded there), The Temple Bar pub (Saturday afternoons is average music but can be a fun crowd) and McNiells (Capel St) does a good show on Saturday night but I haven't attended since they moved it upstairs (and that last one is strictly my opinion).
Search TT for St MIchan's for things to do. Add Marsh's Library to the list, it is a lesser visited treat right next to St Patrick's Cathedral (and Fallon's pub nearby is a great authentic Irish boozer).
In terms of coastal lovely stuff, you could try Howth or Dalkey, both accessible by train or bus.
IMO try two or three days in Dublin and two or three days in Galway with the latter including a visit to/night in Doolin where they have good live music (it is widely accepted). I'd suggest renting a car post-Dublin. Consider flying out of Shannon rather than out of Dublin.
Batty's right about northern Donegal but IMO it would be a schlep with a limited time allotment.
Augy, the two touristy places you need to avoid are: the Blarney Stone and the City of Killarney. Re the B. Stone: kissing a stone that dozens of tourists have already kissed that same morning. Enough said. Re City of Killarney: it's the City you should avoid, not the region. The region of Killarney (especially the national park) is a no-miss: awesome scenery. But the City of Killarney is like half the tourist cities in Florida, and that's no compliment. In County Kerry we avoided the tourist traps in the City of Killarney and instead we stayed at the Coachman's Inn in the small town of Kenmare. Coachman's Inn had good Irish music in their pub, and a pub across the street -- Crowley's -- had even better music than that. In Dublin we met great new Irish friends at Davy Byrne's off of Grafton Street. Enjoy your trip, it's a terrific country.
You can reach Cooley Peninsula, Carlingford Lough and Mountains of Mourne in an hour from Dublin. The Area is not yet that touristy.
The Region has awesome hillwalking and viewpoints that are some of the best in Ireland. PJ O' Hares is a good authentic Pub in Carlingford. I have put together some informations here.
Cooley Gullion & Mourne
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