5 days in Ireland, what do you recommend?

yurtgirl

Hi,
We will be in Ireland in April and want the inside scoop on things to see and do, pubs w/ great Irish music, etc. BUDGET minded, please.....
We are planning a couple days in Dublin, a tour of Newgrange, Ring of Kerry and Bunratty Castle.
Any tips on hostels, trains, busses, security. What not to do, what to do, etc.
Thanks in advance!!!

BEAT

wow, 5 days is such a short amount of time.
If you want to get around cheap then taking the bus is the way to go.
Book your hotels ahead of time to ensure you find a place and get a decent rate.
Where are you flying into and out of? arriving early morning I assume?
I can give you a better schedule of things to see in your alotted time with a few more details.

RyanfromNJ

yurtgirl,
I only spent 6 days there last year... all the time I could take off work, but got a lot done... however, I rented a car... best way to get around if you're on a tight schedule... definitely check out the Ring of Kerry... stay a night in Dingle if ya can... lots of great pubs, music and the locals are the best!!! if ya get a chance though, next time, spend more time... I'm probably heading back in August sometime and am planning on at least 10 days.... hostels are great places to stay... very cheap!!! between 10-20 euro/night... get a good book on Hostels in Ireland... if you're in the US, head to Barnes and Noble and get a few books... they helped me out a bunch!!! good luck!!

idontknowmyname

Go to Newgrange, they have a new visitors centre there and a bus takes you to see Newgrange and a new tomb called Knowth got added to the tour last week, definitely go see it.....its older than the Pyramids

Flukey

www.irishrail.ie will give you the train times. Dublin Heuston for Kerry.

www.buseireann.ie is the main bus company, though there are plenty of private operators.

yurtgirl

we are arriving 4/14 at 7:45 am and leaving 4/19 before noon.

Are Sundays fairly quite and businesses closed in Dublin?

Novo

Most businesses will open on a sunday. A lot of shops though will just be open from 12-6. Sunday would be a bit quieter than other days. I would also recommend Galway as a place to go. Great atmosphere in the city in the pubs and clubs, and if you want some scenery Connemara is a great place to visit. It is very rural.

Gilgamesh

bring your own Alcohol with you for the time you are here, will save you tons

Enii

The Literary Pub Crawl is great craic. I think it departs from The Duke Pub off Grafton street on weekend nights. Make sure you get to the Guinness Storehouse, great view of Dublin from the Gravity Bar. If you want to experience a real old pub, go to the Gravediggers in Glasnevin, also known as Kavanaghs, will cost about 6 euro to take a taxi from town to there. There are plenty if bus tours to do, if you are doing one make sure it goes in to the Phoenix Park, where you can see where the President of ireland lives.

eirmail

you could go to a GAA match on the Sunday you arrive.check out the fixtures on www.gaa.ie

Enii

Or a league of Ireland Football game www.fai.ie. You'll find the Eircom league fixtures on it.

Beruthiel

idontknowmyname wrote:

Go to Newgrange, they have a new visitors centre there and a bus takes you to see Newgrange and a new tomb called Knowth got added to the tour last week, definitely go see it.....its older than the Pyramids

I was in Newgrange last sunday for the first time,(can't believe I didn't go there sooner) you get 10 mins inside where they turn off the lights and simulate the winter solstice, only fantastic and should not be missed!
I intend to go back and see Knowth/Dowth soon

Souperfreak

What is it you are after while visiting?

Scenery?
Romantic?
Adventure?
Drinking and Night Life?
Travelling the country?
Sticking to Dublin?
Shopping?

Pinkchick03

You have to go to kiss the Blarney stone www.blarneycastle.ie it's in co.cork. Yes Bunratty is a must. Your best bet is co. Kerry - it is truly beautiful! 5 days is so short. You're best to cover the west of Ireland ie Kerry, Cork, Galway etc on this trip and come back again to do Dublin and the east!

RyanfromNJ

aw, don't tell her to kiss the blarney stone... luckily, I met enough friendly Irish folk when I was there to tell me what the locals do at night to the stone... I thought it was disgusting at first, then laughed my ass off.... and thought of it this way... if there was a statue here in the states that a bunch of tourists came over on a daily basis to kiss, I would probably do the same thing to it after a few pints!!!!

Pinkchick03

yuck! That is horrible .... never thought anyone would do that! But yes it's a bit funny alright

brettmirl

If you are over in the South East of the country, head for Kilkenny. Great place for historic buildings. Nice castle and grounds. Design Centre across the road. More info here
http://www.kilkenny.ie/toursm1.html
http://www.kilkenny.ie/hist/landmks1.html
http://www.kilkennytourism.ie/
http://www.southeastireland.com/kilkenny/

Foodwise, try get "pub-grub" at night which is proper dinner served at the bar instead of a restaurant. You usually get decent food (good portions) for a lot less than what you would pay in a restaurant.

As everyone else said so far, Kerry is lovely. Dingle in particular is a fav place of mine.

Cork City is European Capital of Culture this year -
http://www.cork2005.ie/home/default.asp?
so there are plenty of events on for that.

West Cork is beautiful too.
http://www.westcork.ie/
PLaces like Clonakilty, Kinsale, Bantry, etc are worth checking out if you have the time. During the summer months the place is full of tourists.

Galway is good too. There is always a good "buzz" about the place.

yurtgirl

thanks! we have so much info now.......
and you're right. 5 days isn't enough time..

Lisapeep

If you're in the West of the country, a visit to the Aran Islands, just off the Galway coast, won't disappoint. Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran islands has a fantastic cliffside fort on it called Dun Aengus - it's really stunning!

Regular ferry services run from the mainland and more details can be found here: http://www.visitaranislands.com/ It will also give you a chance to experience the Gaeltacht or irish speaking region of the country.

Also this website www.hostelz.com will help you find and book hostels throughout the country.