,

I'm new here, so hello!

I have visited Ireland many times. I love it - particularly the wilder parts of the west coast - but I haven't been for about 10 years.

My new partner are planning a visit next year. He's never been and I want to show him the best bits but I'm conscious that our time there is limited (10 days tops).

Where would you go to find
a) varied coastline with long beaches and rocky coves
b) relatively green i.e. not too much barren hillside
c) as much off the tourist route as possible - and the less golf clubs the better!
d) interesting towns rather than holiday developments

I would be so pleased if someone could give me some ideas. We aim to travel round, but it would be great to stay in one place for a while to explore an interesting area.

Catherine

A few words in the subject line would have helped as that is how posters click through. Anyway, welcome to TT.

I would suggest Donegal. Like the more popular parts of the west coast (wild, rocky) but less touristy. Its pretty green over there.

Yes, I know that Mark - not sure how that happened apart from I'm using a cr*ppy old work computer which is very jumpy. Should I repost?

Thanks for the suggestion. Any particular area or town in mind in Donegal?

Donegal town is nice and Derry, while not Donegal Co., is also nice in a different kind of way. You could so much of Ulster in ten days or Donegal and down into Mayo. Enniskillen is also nice.

If you don't get many responses, you might want to repost.

Any bets it's Smedders Mrs???

Dingle area could be another option.

The North West is for you!

Sligo, Donegal, all that area, right up to Mizen Head.

You mean Malin Head surely! Mizen Head is the South West! (seaneendubh :) West Cork is stunning as is the Dingle Peninsula. West Cork has a lush green landscape and beautiful towns and villages. It doesn't get the Northerly winds which make a big difference and it has the best seafood in the country. Google Earth it! Sells itself.

The SW is a lot greener then the NW. I've lived in both. Plus soonish the winds turn from S to NW and Donegal / Sligo get the brunt of this. (im a surfer) The towns and villages of the NW don't come close to the SW. Kinsale, Clonakilty, Schull, Kenmare, Dingle, Brandon, Sneem etc.

(Sligo is not a nice town!)

anywhere along the south-west and west coast from Kinsale, Cork to Donegal
use the likes of Youtube
while your at it Youtube the following :
AT YOUR SERVICE PART1
and then PART 2 and PART 3

You mean Malin Head surely! Mizen Head is the South West! (seaneendubh :)
</quote>

D'oh!!

North west Donegal is best answer for you .

For the rocky coves bit, try the Waterford coast perhaps? Also slightly less buffeted by Atlantic/polar winds than Donegal or the northwest and very green. Also, it's full of nice little villages like Lismore, Stradbally and other places.

This isn't so useful for your coastline preference, but if you're driving around anyway I'd recommend the Midlands. For an interesting small town, there's Athlone, the home of Ireland's (maybe Europe's) oldest pub, Sean's Bar. 30 min south from there are the monastery ruins of Clonmacnoise, and another hour south is Birr Castle. And depending on where in the Midlands you stay, you could be in a prime star-gazing location. I stayed just outside of Longford town and I'd never seen the Milky Way so bright. However, staying in Longford meant that everything was a bit of a drive (~2 hrs to Dublin). Trains are more limited than they are along the east coast. But when the weather is good, driving the rural highways is beautiful and unbelievably green.

Edited by: lsalomon

Isalomon, Sorry my friend but Athlone (garrison towns are best avoided) is not a great town and Seáns bar is not the oldest bar in Ireland. The oldest bar in Ireland debate is ongoing? There are many that claim to be the oldest including "The Brazen Head" in Dublin which dates back to 1198. And certainly some of the so called oldest bars do not have the oldest interiors. In that respect check out Dick Macks in Dingle, Tigh Neactain in Galway and Hargadons in Sligo amongst many others.

The midlands for most of us who live in Ireland is quite flat and boring and lacking in culture to be quite honest! But hey if you enjoyed it then great stuff! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, fair enough :)

stiofan, as an Athlone man, I can reassure you that Seans Bar is the oldest pub in Ireland at this time. Radiocarbon dating by TCD proves the mud-and-wattle structure of the building is centuries older than any of it's rivals. It has the Guinness Book of Records cert on the wall.

The Brazen Head is arguably the oldest NAME for a pub, but the building itself is a typical coach-house from the 18th century.

As for lacking in culture - oh dear oh dear oh dear. Should I start with the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre, or Clonmacnoise, or any of the monastic settlements in Lough Ree? Sure, it's not on the beaten track followed by 90% of visitors, but you can't dismiss an entire region...

And BTW, as the brother, son, grandson, and great-grandson of professional soldiers, I feel offended that you advise visitors to avoid 'garrison towns'. Why? Do you think Athlone is full of drunken squaddies wandering around beating up unsuspecting tourists? I can assure you, any soldier coming to the attention of the Gardai would get very sharp treatment the next day in the barracks from his CO and it would be held against him if he wanted to re-enlist at the end of his contract.

Hi seaneendubh, Not saying it's members of the defence forces themselves, but I've done stints in Dundalk, Sligo and Newbridge and they all had the same problems. Athlone can be rough, I have been there plenty of times. I had a friend living adjacent to the castle and indeed Seans Bar but left for Galway to get to a decent social scene. Sorry Sean but I wont apologise on how I and countless more Irish people feel about garrison towns. We have a difference of opinion on this. Maybe different courses for different horses?

They have a different overall feel to them. Maybe this is down to history? (local people not to blame) Most of them were very much British Army towns before independence. So there is very much a class structured feel to them with I'm sorry to say a thug element today. I understand and respect your point on the Irish defence forces and Clonmacnoise is a good site indeed as is the river Shannon of course.