Best/Worst Counties to visit

TSMGUY

Been living in this kip of a county (Laois) for some years now and I'm returning to the UK soon if everything goes according to plan. Any counties I should visit before I leave? Only really been to Dublin (and Galway on a school trip a while back for about 4 hrs).

Not a "my county is better/worse than yours" thread, just want to make the most of my remaining weeks/months here.

Burial.

Kerry and West Cork are mandatory visits.

Lia_lia

Kerry. Nevermind Cork.

Jim Bob Scratcher

Mayo is worth a visit.

Oscar Bravo

Westport,Mayo, go there for a weekend. enjoy the pubs and atmosphere

TSMGUY

Kerry and Mayo? I'm not sure if this is some elaborate dairy/condiment joke going on, but I'll do some research.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Cork and Kerry are beautiful counties. Sligo and Donegal are worth a trip too for the scenery and landscape. The rest you can forget about, especially Longford which we (Ireland) are going to try and give away in a bonus ball raffle...if we get enough interest.

Jim Bob Scratcher

TSMGUY wrote: »

Kerry and Mayo? I'm not sure if this is some elaborate dairy/condiment joke going on, but I'll do some research.

Westport is a nice spot.

TSMGUY

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Cork and Kerry are beautiful counties. Sligo and Donegal are worth a trip too for the scenery and landscape. The rest you can forget about, especially Longford which we (Ireland) are going to try and give away in a bonus ball raffle...if we get enough interest.

Donegal might be a stretch from what I've heard! Only positive thing I've heard about Donegal is they have good cod.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I've never met anyone sane from Donegal in my life.

PARlance

TSMGUY wrote: »

Donegal might be a stretch from what I've heard! Only positive thing I've heard about Donegal is they have good cod.

Sure who doesn't like a good cod.

TSMGUY

LexieOnRale wrote: »

I've never met anyone sane from Donegal in my life.

I've never met anyone from Donegal in my life......

Jimbob1977

The coastal counties tend to be the most scenic

Highly recommend Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, Antrim and Wicklow

Specific favourites..... West Cork, Kerry peninsulas, Giant's Causeway and Glendalough

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

Caoimhgh1n

County Waterford is fabulous, so many scenic places.

Donegal is lovely.

Kerry and Clare are beautiful.

Kilkenny is lovely, the castle and park there are lovely.

The_Kew_Tour

Cork city can be strange place and I'm from Cork, but Cork county is beautiful.

Kerry Clare and Galway my favourites.

Even like parts of Dublin are beautiful.

Carlow and Longford should be nuked

Thepoet85

Depends on what you want.

I'm from Donegal so biased, but it's amazing here, more to do with the fact that we're generally forgotten about and left to ourselves. It's a wild and beautiful county, and the scenery isn't bad either

cursai

Why don't you just leave straight away

TSMGUY

cursai wrote: »

Why don't you just leave straight away

waiting on my passport. It seems to be taking forever....

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

RobertKK

I hadn't walked around Dublin city for many a year, and did it on a warm summers day recently. I thought the place was looking well.
I haven't been to lots of counties but I also like Cork county.
The seaside in Wexford is also very nice on a good day.
I am from Kilkenny, but it is a place I love more than anywhere in the world, I think Kikenny city is beautiful and the hills around it are very scenic.
I also like Clare.

pawrick

Clare is my go to country for weekend break.

For a longer trip a nice neat driving plan Laois would be to go towards Kinvarra in Galway and on in to Clare from there before getting the ferry to Kerry. Lots to see along the way in Clare, take the coast or through the middle of the burren, stop off in a few B&B's along the way. Ring of Kerry then and on to West Cork and finish up in the city. Motorway back to laois and could stop off in Cashel or Kilkenny on the way.

TSMGUY

pawrick wrote: »

Clare is my go to country for weekend break.

For a longer trip a nice neat driving plan Laois would be to go towards Kinvarra in Galway and on in to Clare from there before getting the ferry to Kerry. Lots to see along the way in Clare, take the coast or through the middle of the burren, stop off in a few B&B's along the way. Ring of Kerry then and on to West Cork and finish up in the city. Motorway back to laois and could stop off in Cashel or Kilkenny on the way.

I don't have a car:(

Jesus.

TSMGUY wrote: »

Been living in this kip of a county (Laois) for some years now and I'm returning to the UK soon

What's wrong with Laois?

J Mysterio

Italy/ Saudi Arabia

doolox

The midlands is where its at for peace and tranquility.

Also try Cavan, Monaghan etc for one night stays.

At this time of year Galway and west coast are too packed and busy and expensive.

Also good are Wexford and Waterford.

TSMGUY

Jesus. wrote: »

What's wrong with Laois?

What's right with it!

The Glens of Antrim. Just gorgeous, really gorgeous. Ignore the official guides and drive along the coast (nearer the coast than the official "coastal route"). I saw my first ever 'clachan' settlement pattern on that drive, my first red squirrel in Glenariff Forest Park and a cemetery that's the resting place of the Mac Dónaill medieval and early modern galloglass family with inscriptions testifying to their battles. It was like stepping back centuries. The people in Cushendall and Cushendun were also super friendly. The sole downside is that there was no quality 4 or 5 star hotel in the Glens. The idyllic Cushendun hotel is long closed. Ballygally Castle on the way into the Glens would be the best hotel nearby.

pawrick

TSMGUY wrote: »

I don't have a car:(

Get the train to Dublin, from there to Belfast. Visit the titanic exhibition, have a wander around. Howth / Malahide and Dun Laoighre are nice places to visit for a few hours and get a bite to eat while also being accessible by train.

Don't laugh but being from Athlone I kinda have to mention it as it's another easy place to get to quickly from Laois and easy to reach if you dont have a car. Boat trips up and down the shannon from the town centre visiting Clonmacnoise if you want some history or Hudson bay for some water activities and plenty of restaurants and pubs for food and drink. Kilkenny is also worth a visit, nice castle and also on a train line.

HoggyRS

Carlow for the session. Love it

TSMGUY

TSMGUY wrote: »

Only positive thing I've heard about Donegal is they have good cod.

And even that's a lie; "Donegal Catch" is mostly caught far, far away from Donegal but shhh.

Noveight

I've always been fond of Clare, Donegal and Kerry. Hard to beat a good coastline

Thepoet85

Deleted User wrote:

And even that's a lie; "Donegal Catch" is mostly caught far, far away from Donegal but shhh.

Even that's a lie, what else are we lying about?

machiavellianme

TSMGUY wrote: »

What's right with it!

The slieve blooms are lovely to visit, emo court, heywood gardens and the Rock of Dunamaise are also worth a trip. Nothing wrong with a canal walk in vicars town either or a day out at the steam engines in stradbally.

Clampdown

Thepoet85 wrote: »

Even that's a lie, what else are we lying about?

That some plonker is planning to build our own Las Vegas in the hills, for a start.

Also, it has a reputation for having super nice people. I find there is just as many ignorant people here as any bogger area, with plenty of judgemental, gossipy, clique-y eejits. They pretend to be nice to tourists because that's the only economy left.

Stigura

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Longford which we (Ireland) are going to try and give away in a bonus ball raffle...if we get enough interest.

The 'Winner' would never come forward! :pac:

TSMGUY

machiavellianme wrote: »

The slieve blooms are lovely to visit, emo court, heywood gardens and the Rock of Dunamaise are also worth a trip. Nothing wrong with a canal walk in vicars town either or a day out at the steam engines in stradbally.

LOL I think I'll pass.....

Mike Guide 69

machiavellianme wrote: »

The slieve blooms are lovely to visit, emo court, heywood gardens and the Rock of Dunamaise are also worth a trip. Nothing wrong with a canal walk in vicars town either or a day out at the steam engines in stradbally.

I second that, went to Emo Court there, was lovely, really scenic, around the Slieve Blooms and Clonaslee direction is nice. Steam engine show in Stradbally might'nt sound exciting but its enjoyable. I know the county can be limited in its attractions, but theres enough in it, to keep your average punter happy :P

Thepoet85

Clampdown wrote:

Also, it has a reputation for having super nice people. I find there is just as many ignorant people here as any bogger area, with plenty of judgemental, gossipy, clique-y eejits. They pretend to be nice to tourists because that's the only economy left.

There are nice people and arseholes everywhere, Donegal was no different. I thought he wanted somewhere scenic.

Arsemageddon

What a stunningly original topic for a thread!

TSMGUY

Arsemageddon wrote: »

What a stunningly original topic for a thread!

I'd apologize if your name wasn't Arsemageddon

IllBeGrand

Laois is the type of place you have to make your own life in. Has it much for tourists? No. Are a lot of the towns kips? Yeah.

I love it though. I live semi rurally. Beautiful countryside to enjoy. Great motorway network to get to any of Irelands cities. Nice restaurants and cafes around if you know where to go. Close to Kilkenny and some other nice towns.

If you are not from here or want a lot of amenities... yeah it's crap and it's not a city. If you want a quiet country life, it's perfect!

fryup

tipperary - the people are cold & clanish

jojofizzio

Lia_lia wrote: »

Kerry. Nevermind Cork.

Cork.Never mind Kerry

Zxclnic

Why not give County Louth a whirl OP, in particular the beautiful seaside village of Termonfeckin where you'll find a close-knit community of friendly people, resolutely determined not to be swayed or influenced by the up to the minute fashions and de rigueur cultural mores of fashionable Dundalk, Drogheda or Dunleer!

TSMGUY

Zxclnic wrote: »

Why not give County Louth a whirl OP, in particular the beautiful seaside village of Termonfeckin where you'll find a close-knit community of friendly people, resolutely determined not to be swayed or influenced by the up to the minute fashions and de rigueur cultural mores of fashionable Dundalk, Drogheda or Dunleer!

LOL

Meangadh

I'm not from Laois, but I really like it as a place to visit. Sure, it hasn't exactly got a huge buzz about the place like you'd get in a big city, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Durrow and Abbeyleix are lovely small towns with great pubs, cafés and restaurants. Some of the best/nicest hotels in the country are in Laois- Castle Durrow, The Heritage at Killenard, and the ridiculously opulent Ballyfin Demesne. Emo Court and gardens are really lovely, and you've the Slieve Blooms. Some decent shops in Portlaoise- not exactly a picturesque town, sure, but still could pass a few hours there. And you've Electric Picnic every year in Stradbally.

It's an hour from Dublin, and right next to Kilkenny which almost always has something going on. And in my experience, Laois people are mostly dead sound. I'm not quite sure what you want from a place OP, but I would imagine that you not having a car probably doesn't help.

(In answer to your question though- my favourites are Kerry, Galway, Clare, Donegal, Kilkenny, Wexford.)

TSMGUY

Meangadh wrote: »

I'm not from Laois, but I really like it as a place to visit. Sure, it hasn't exactly got a huge buzz about the place like you'd get in a big city, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Durrow and Abbeyleix are lovely small towns with great pubs, cafés and restaurants. Some of the best/nicest hotels in the country are in Laois- Castle Durrow, The Heritage at Killenard, and the ridiculously opulent Ballyfin Demesne. Emo Court and gardens are really lovely, and you've the Slieve Blooms. Some decent shops in Portlaoise- not exactly a picturesque town, sure, but still could pass a few hours there. And you've Electric Picnic every year in Stradbally.

It's an hour from Dublin, and right next to Kilkenny which almost always has something going on. And in my experience, Laois people are mostly dead sound. I'm not quite sure what you want from a place OP, but I would imagine that you not having a car probably doesn't help.

(In answer to your question though- my favourites are Kerry, Galway, Clare, Donegal, Kilkenny, Wexford.)

I'm mystified by all the people ITT defending Laois. Understandably I'm 19 and a quiet life is the last thing I want so maybe interpretations will vary, but there's really nothing redeeming about it, especially in 2016. It's just decades behind of everywhere else.

Thanks for answering though.

The Backwards Man

TSMGUY wrote: »

Donegal might be a stretch from what I've heard! Only positive thing I've heard about Donegal is they have good cod.

Come stay with me for a week, I'll put you right on that score.

Meangadh

TSMGUY wrote: »

I'm mystified by all the people ITT defending Laois. Understandably I'm 19 and a quiet life is the last thing I want so maybe interpretations will vary, but there's really nothing redeeming about it, especially in 2016. It's just decades behind of everywhere else.

Thanks for answering though.

Well, I think the things I named in my post more than redeem the place. But you really are so young, so I understand if those things don't appeal to you- at the end of the day, most 19 year olds want a bit of adventure, and a rural county isn't going to do that. Doesn't mean there's something wrong with the place, it just doesn't serve your needs right now. Maybe it never will, but it doesn't mean that it's an awful place- it just isn't meant for you.

Zxclnic

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Come stay with me for a week, I'll put you right on that score.

In Louth that's called flirting.