Monday June 6th is a Bank Holiday so that weekend traffic will be heavier than usual on routes in and out of Dublin and major towns. Accomodation might be harder to find. Think about deciding that Fri to Tues first and work around that.
11
frida1
Remember that driving on scenic Irish road will take much longer than you're probably used to. A common rule of thumb is to plan 35 miles/hour, not including stops. And you will want to make a lot of stops.
Esp. on the bank holiday, you may want to try to book accommodations ahead. In any case, it's a good idea to call ahead at least the morning you plan to arrive or the night before to secure a place. Carry a B&B booklet available from the tourist office such as Town and Country, and you will have lots to choose from. In my experience, most B&B's are at least ok, and often very good, but driving around looking for one after a long day isn't always fun.
The Irish schedule tends not to start early in the day, and many B&Bs don't serve breakfast before 8:00, but will put something out if you want an early start. If you're planning to look for traditional music in pubs, it usually doesn't start before 9:30-10: pm.
Have a great trip!
13
cabird
Hello! Sorry, trying to wrap up everything at work :)
Thank you very much for this information! Linfield - great write up - we had little to no idea what to do in N Ireland outside of the Causeway. Your information will prove very useful.
Also, yofletch - thank you for sharing the videos - what a beautiful area! I keep hearing amazing things about Connemara.
So what we have decided so far is to head south from Dublin to Wicklow and spend the night there, then work our way around the coast. Because the Bank weekend falls in the middle, I am hoping to be in Galway at that point. I will take everyone's advice and book ahead of time.
One more looming question - automatic or stick?
So my fiance said that he can drive manual cars (I am ok) but is nervous considering the alternate side of the road and the different signs, etc.
However, renting a manual car will be 155 euros plus 350 euros for insurance. The automatic, however, is 400 euros for the car and then an additional 350 for the insurance. It would be a huge money saver to go with the manual. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you acclimate quickly to the different road patterns or should be cough up the money?
Again, thank you, you are all amazing!
14
philipd
If you are not used to a manual car, it will take a little time to get used to, but in general, in Irish roads, manual is better (rural roads are safer if you have the extra control of a manual, thats one reason why automatic cars are not so popular in Ireland). What you could try to do is book the manual and then try to talk them into a cheap upgrade when you arrive. I would strongly recommend booking a GPS as navigation is very difficult in Ireland if you are not used to the roads - just beware that GPS maps are often out of date and sometimes don't show the minor road network.
15
frida1
We've not had trouble with manual, although we drive automatic is the states. For the money, I say go with the manual.
16
yofletch
Visiting Cork :
go to COBH say COVE
stop by the towns heritage centre
see ... "Queenstown Story"
more info ...WIKIPEDIA.ORG / COBH
DON'T go to Blarney it's a tourist trap.
City accomodation look at TRAVELODGE.IE /
this hotel chain is NOT connected to the U.S.
hotels of the same name.
see.....SHANNONFERRIES.COM / MAP
visit Foynes say FINES in County Limerick
checkout the FLYINGBOATMUSEUM.COM /
in County Clare stop in the town of Doolin
O'CONNORS public house for a bite to eat
and some trad music in the evenings
some reading available now online :
1, McCarthy's Bar 2, Round Ireland with a fridge
3, In search of the craic
Edited by: yofletch
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