IRELAND

Ready Made Trip to Ireland

IRELAND’S hidden !ms

7-10 days

Classic Trip Dublin - Galway - Killarney - Kilkenny Susan Byron

Classic Trip:

Ready Made Trip to Ireland

Brief Description

Welcome to Ireland and thank you for choosing to purchase my Ready Made Trip to Ireland. In this brochure you will find everything you need to know (with all the relevant website links) re planning your own vacation to Ireland. I am very conscious of the overwhelm people feel re getting it ‘just right’ especially when the flights are expensive and it might be your one and only opportunity to visit this country. But you need not worry if you follow my recommendations below as you will have a wonderful time and most importantly an authentic experience of the Ireland.

Less, really is more in Ireland and I guarantee you will see more magnificent scenery, historical sights and Irish culture in 7-10 days following my guidelines than you would if you were here for a month without a plan. The itinerary outlined below is exactly the kind vacation I would go on myself and includes all of my favourites and more, places even Irish people do not know about and certainly the regular tourist never gets to see.

The accommodation listed is top quality in every sense of the word, most especially in terms of uniqueness and Irish hospitality and at the right price, of course! It covers a range of different lodgings including hotels, guest houses, small country manors, a few castles and even a lighthouse thrown in for good measure!

My advice if you have not already booked your flights is to read through the brochure first, hopefully I will have convinced you to squeeze in as much vacation time in Ireland as possible, so you can include one of the optional 2 day supplements (or both) if you really want to be good to yourself.

The itinerary follows the most logical sequence possible, see map (the main route is outlined in red with the two optional supplements outlined in blue and green) to avoid unnecessary time on the road or cultural overlaps, while including most of the major sights that show up regularly on visitors wish lists.

You will find Everything You Need to Know Before You Go in terms of practicalities listed at the back of this brochure but if you have any problems at all or need more help and advice please feel free to phone or email me and I will be more than happy to help you, all the best Susan Byron

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Table of Contents

Ready Made Trip to Ireland

7 Day Itinerary Day 1 & 2 Day 3 & 4 Day 5 & 6 Day 7

Dublin

Galway (Connemara and Clare) Kerry (Ring of Kerry or Dingle) Kilkenny (A) or Waterford (B)

pg.4 pg.12 pg.17 pg.22

Dublin

Sligo/ Mayo (Achill Island & Westport) Galway (Connemara & Clare)

Kerry (Ring of Kerry or Dingle)

Waterford

Kilkenny

pg.4 pg.26 pg.12 pg.17 pg.22 pg.24

pg. 4 pg.12 pg.17 pg.29 pg.22 pg.24

10 Day Itinerary option 1 Day 1 & 2 Day 3 & 4 Day 5 & 6 Day 7 & 8 Day9

Day 10

10 Day Itinerary option 2 Day 1 & 2 Day 3 & 4 Day 5 & 6 Day 7 & 8 Day9

Day 10

Dublin

Galway (Connemara & Clare) Kerry (Ring of Kerry or Dingle) West Cork / Kinsale

Waterford

Kilkenny

Day 3 & 4 Sligo/Mayo

Day 1 & 2 Day 5 & 6 Day 3 & 4 Day 3 & 4 Galway

Day 7 & 8 Day 5 & 6 Day 5 & 6 Killarney

Dublin Day 10 Day 7 OptionA Day 10 Kilkenny

Day 9 Day 7 OptionB Day 9 Day 7 & 8 West Waterford City Cork/ Kinsale 2

Classic Trip:

Day to Day Itinerary

Ready Made Trip to Ireland

Sightseeing

Dublin City

The Guinness Storehouse

Christ Church Cathedral

Day 1/ 1/ 1 Dublin 2 nights

Arrive in Dublin Airport, pick up your rental car or take a taxi to your hotel, check in, freshen up and get ready to explore Dublin City. “The best things in life are free” so they say and certainly that is the case in Dublin, all of the museums and galleries are free with people watching our spectator sport of choice. You won’t be too long sitting on a bench in St Stephen’s Green or on a high stool in a bar, before someone will strike up a conversation with you especially if there is a rugby or GAA match going on at the same time! A few preliminaries though, it is a good idea to prebook a taxi with Airport Taxis as there is often a long queue especially at peak times and you do not want to waste precious vacation time standing in line, besides you can agree the fare and pre pay the exact amount with your credit card further reducing any stress.

Sightseeing in Dublin

No doubt you will already have your own list of ‘must sees’ in Dublin, like the Book of Kells and the Guinness Storehouse, but can I respectively suggest that you take a tour of the city first to get your bearings and then come back to see those later. The handiest way to do this is to take a hop on / hop off Sight Seeing Tour which leaves from Cathal Brugha Street or any one of the other 24 stops en route. Tickets cost €19 per adult (children under 14 are free) and are valid for 48 hours, you can get a 15% discount by booking online or you can purchase your ticket on the bus. Your ticket also entitles you to take a shorter secondary route around the newer parts of Dublin’s Docklands including the Bord Gais Energy Theatre and the U2 Graffiti Wall on Windmill Lane.

The whole tour lasts about 2 hours and takes you down O’Connell Street around by Trinity College, St Stephen’s Green and on up to the Phoenix Park which is the largest enclosed park in Europe via Christchurch Cathedral and the Guinness Storehouse. You could get off and visit Farmleigh which once belonged to the Guinness family or Aras an Uachtaran home of the President of Ireland, which only opens to the public on saturdays or remain on the bus until you come back to city centre passing Collin’s Barracks which is your stop for Old Jameson Distillery by the way and then decide where you want to go and see next.

If your time is limited, I would suggest visiting Dublin Castle as this is where the Viking’s founded Dublin in a place called Dubh Linn (Black Pool) which is under the knot garden at the back of the castle. A guided tour of the castle costs €4.50 and takes you on a walk through the elaborate staterooms which will be instantly recognizable from media coverage of occasions like the Queen of England’s visit in 2012. At the end of the tour you will also be taken underground to view the medieval ramparts so it is very good value. You can visit the Chapel Royal, where ‘The Tudors’ was filmed and / or the Chester Beatty Library which is free, with perhaps coffee or lunch in the Silk Road Café which is run by Arabian chefs, the menu having been inspired by oriental manuscripts in the library.

Right next door to Dublin Castle is Dublin City Hall which has is a very beautiful Georgian building with a grand rotunda where civil weddings are held so you might be lucky and catch a glimpse of a happy couple!

A little further up on the right hand side is Christchurch Cathedral and Dublinia which is good for families, with a scaled model of medieval Dublin plus mock ups of all the various trades and guilds. From there you can access via the overhead bridge (there is a great little café with a lovely stained glass window at the top) Christchurch Cathedral and the crypt which is the largest in Ireland, keep an eye out for the mummified cat and mouse!

Just down from Dublinia is the Brazen Head Pub which claims to be the oldest in Ireland, but there are plenty of others that say the same! They have free music every night with a good traditional Irish music session (or seisúin) every sunday afternoons. Or you might like to try their Irish Story Telling Night one of evenings you are in Dublin.

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Accommodation

Ready Made Trip to Ireland Classic Trip:

Accommodation in Dublin Midrange Hotels Dublin City Centre Dublin is certainly not cheap, especially in high season with occupancy rates running at 98% although the following 3 hotels offer good value for money all year round. They are each slightly off beaten track but with good access to either the Luas Tramway System or the Dublin City Sightseeing Buses.They are also much quieter than the city centre hotels and offer very good deals for 2 nights accommodation including an evening meal on the night of your choice which can be most welcome after a long trans Atlantic flight !

Clontarf Castle

Clontarf Castle Hotel is an actual castle with a great story to tell about the last High King of Ireland, Brian Boru who was killed nearby at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. With an eclectic medieval lobby, comfortable, modern bedrooms, free parking and good food, the locals like it too! On the North side of the city, about 10 minutes from Dublin Airport, it offers free parking and the added bonus of a city tour bus pick up each morning at 9.10 am.

www.clontarfcastle.ie

*Offers from €199 per person sharing for a 2 night stay midweek including an evening meal in the Fahrenheit Restaurant which was recently awarded an AA Rosette for culinary excellence.

Hilton Kilmainham

www.hiltondublinkilmainha m.com

The Hilton Kilmainham is a modern hotel on the outskirts of Dublin offers excellent value for money and is in a great location opposite Kilmainham Gaol (a visitor attraction not an active prison) it is also within walking distance of the Guinness Storehouse. The sight seeing tour buses stop outside and the hotel is just a few minutes walk from a Luas tram stop. Smart and friendly with nice rooms or suites with a skyline view and a rooftop spa it is a really good option. *Offers from €129 per person sharing for a 2 night stay midweek including an evening meal in the Cinnamon Restaurant.*

Trinity City Hotel

Trinity City Hotel is ideally located opposite Trinity College in the centre of Dublin. Quirky, but comfortable it is an ideal base for exploring the city on foot and close to all the action if you fancy heading up to Temple Bar in the evening. Perfect too, if you want to delay picking up your rental car as there is a car hire depot close by. www.trinitycityhotel.com/ en/

*Offers include a 2 night visitor package for 2 people tour bus tickets and free entry to the Guinness Storehouse starting from €149 per room per night.

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Accommodation

Ready Made Trip to Ireland Classic Trip:

Accommodation in Dublin Midrange Hotels Outside of Town These are another good option particularly if you want to delay picking up your rental car for a couple of days and take the train into the city centre to do some sightseeing and / or explore the localities North and South of the City.

Waterside House Hotel

www.watersidehousehotel.ie

The Grand Malahide

The Waterside House Hotel in Donabate is in a beautiful coastal location overlooking Lambay Island with a free bus transfer to and from Dublin Airport and the local train station. *Offers include 2 night packages in a Seaview Room (life is too short not to enjoy a sea view on vacation) including dinner one evening in the award winning Samphire Restaurant starting from €130 per room per night.*

The Grand Hotel in Malahide is in another very good location about 2 minutes walk from the village and 5 mins to the train station for easy access into the city centre. While fully modernised, it also has a very nice leisure centre, it has retained its old fashioned charm with silver service in the Coast Restaurant. *Offers include 2 night packages including dinner one evening starting from €140 per room per night.*

www.thegrand.ie

The Royal Marine

http://www.royalmarine.ie

The Royal Marine in Dunlaoghaire is another old fashioned coastal hotel, it has been there since 1828, this time on the South side of Dublin overlooking Dun Laoghaire Harbour. *Offers include an “Older and Wiser Package” which includes 3 nights accommodation and 3 evening meals in the bar for €130 per room, per night which is hard to beat. A great base for exploring Dublin City, the train station is about 3 minutes walk away and / or Dalkey a little further down the line where Bono and the other Irish superstars live. Killruddery House in Bray, Powerscourt House & Gardens in Enniskerry and Glendalough in the Wicklow mountains are all within easy reach of this hotel.

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Accommodation

Ready Made Trip to Ireland Classic Trip:

Accommodation in Dublin Luxury Hotels Dublin City Centre There are lots of luxurious establishments in Dublin itself and to be honest a few of the well known older ones like the Gresham Hotel on O’Connell Street are a little tired and the new ones such as the Marker in the Docklands have yet to prove themselves. The Westbury, Westin and Conrad are equally as good, so you will be pretty spoiled for choice if you have deep pockets. I just prefer the Irish-ness and the locations of the following.

The Merrion Hotel

http://www.merrionhotel.com

The Merrion Hotel on Merrion Road is in the nicest area of Dublin just a few minutes stroll from St Stephen’s Green and Dublin’s premier shopping area of Grafton Street. Beautifully appointed this hotel comprises several former Georgian houses seamlessly blending the old with the new. A well kept secret is the beautiful water garden to the rear of the hotel where you can enjoy a new sun downers menu in peace and quite. The Merrion Hotel’s “piece de resistance” is their Art Afternoon Tea which is without question the best in Ireland which is available to non-residents although pre-booking is essential.

An overnight stay in a standard double room costs from €180 €230 per room including breakfast.

The Marriott Hotel

http://www.marriott.com/ hotels/travel/dubbr-theshelbourne-dublin-arenaissance-hotel/

Morrison Hotel

http://www.morrisonhotel.ie

The Shelbourne Hotel on St Stephen’s Green is an iconic Dublin Hotel and even though it has been bought out by the Marriot Hotel Group, this famous Dublin hotel seems to be in good hands. Still seriously stylish, it is THE place to people watch and has managed to retained its quintessential Dublin charm. If you are interested in tracing your roots you might like to avail of their Genealogy Package with includes an overnight stay and the services of a Genealogy Butler, the only one of its kind in the world, for an hour from €349 per person sharing.

The Morrison Hotel on Ormond Quay was originally designed by Irish fashion designer John Rocca but has since been bought pout by a Russian consortium and given a complete revamp. It is definitely very Sex in the City stylewise and could not be closer to all the action with Temple Bar a stone’s throw across the river Liffey via the famous Halfpenny Bridge, Ireland’s first toll bridge!

A 2 night stay in a suite with a river view costs from €379 with breakfast or €459 including dinner one evening.

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Accommodation

Ready Made Trip to Ireland Classic Trip:

Accommodation in Dublin Luxury Hotels Outside of Town but within handy driving distance (30 minutes) or a short train ride.

I particularly like Carton House and often stay there myself as it is faultless and extremely good value for money. The K Club is another luxury golf resort that fell from grace during the Celtic Tiger but now offers excellent value for money and a wide range of extra sightseeing possibilities in the Kildare area. Similarly the Powerscourt Hotel is in a show stopping location overlooking the Sugar Loaf mountain and a great base for touring Glendalough and the Wicklow mountains.

Carton House

www.cartonhouse.com

Powerscourt Hotel

www.powerscourthotel.co m/index.html

The K Club

http://www.kclub.ie

Carton House, Maynooth, County Kildare is a 5000 acre walled estate that used to belong to the Guinness family but is now a luxury hotel with a championship golf course and spa. Dinner in the Linden Tree Restaurant is included in the bed and breakfast package which ranges from €250 per room for one night to €370 for two nights depending on the season. This is my own home from home when I am visiting Dublin, I switch off the minute I drive through those magnificent gates ! Great value, elegant, peaceful and quiet, it is the perfect place to unwind at either the start or finish of your holiday.

Powerscourt Hotel, Enniskerry, County Wicklow is out of this world, stunning scenery, a beautiful estate and the best ESPA in Ireland with his and hers infinity pools and a relaxation suite overlooking the Sugar Loaf mountain. Situated on the actual Powerscourt Estate with world famous gardens and its own parkland golf course. It is also perfect for touring nearby Glendalough and Russborough House and scenic routes throughout Wicklow which is known as the garden county of Ireland. Rates from €200 per person sharing per night in a mountain view room for bed and breakfast with dinner as an optional extra in either the Sika Restaurant or McGill’s Bar. The K Club The K Club in Straffan, County Kildare is another beautiful estate on the outskirts of Dublin with cavernous, chintzy bedrooms and elegant reception rooms with a private collection of Irish Art. The River Room Restaurant is delightfully old fashioned and a particularly good dining experience with a view of the river and gardens with perfectly cooked, locally sourced Irish meat, fish and game in season. Castletown House and the Irish National Stud as well as the Kildare Village Outlet which stocks luxury English and European labels are all close by, with discount cards and VIP shopping facilities available. Rates vary from about €149 per person sharing for dinner, bed and breakfast midweek which goes up to €179 at weekends, off peak.

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Classic Trip:

Day to Day Itinerary

Ready Made Trip to Ireland

Sightseeing

Malahide Castle

Newgrange - Brú na Bóinne

Powerscourt Gardens

Day 2/ 2/ 2 Choice of 4 options Option A - Visit North County Dublin by taking a short drive out to visit Malahide Castle, take a tour of the castle and visit the banqueting hall where 14 members of the Talbot family sat down to have breakfast on 12th of July 1690 not knowing they would be dead by nightfall in the Battle of the Boyne. The gardens are renowned and there is particularly nice photography and gardening exhibition of the last Lord Talbot’s twin pursuits.

Return via the seaside village of Howth, where you can take a leisurely walk along the pier or a more bracing ramble around Howth Head. A busy fishing port famous for Dublin Bay Prawns, you might like to sample some in one of the many fish restaurants. Octopussy’s serves seafood tapas and is more casual than the Oar House which are both owned by the same seafaring and fishing family the Dorans, or the totally reliable King Sitric which celebrated 40 years in business last year would be one of my own favourites . Although I have a soft spot for the Abbey Tavern a little further up the hill towards the village. My Mum worked there as a young bride newly returned from England to start her married life in Ireland. Nostalgia aside, it still has the original gas lamps, slate floors and turf fires and the food is robust, Irish and good. They do an Irish night in the evenings throughout the summer which includes a 4 course meal and an Irish Coffee for €49 which needs to be pre-booked.

A popular, alternative option to the above is to visit the Boyne Valley in County Meath taking in Brú na Bóinne or Newgrange, a neolithic monument which predates the Pyramids and is still precisely aligned to the winter solstice some 6000 years later. You can buy a combination ticket to see Newgrange itself (access is by shuttle bus only) and / or the other passage tombs at Knowth which have some lovely Celtic art inscribed on the kerb stones there.

Afterwards you might like to stop off in Conyngham Arms Hotel for lunch in the garden or by the fireside in the very pretty village of Slane. If you stroll down to the bridge, turn right at the crossroads, noting the four Georgian houses that used to belong to four sisters, you will get a very nice view up the Boyne river as far as Slane Castle. Or if you turn left at the same crossroads and go up the hill towards Collon you can see the spot where St Patrick famously lit the first Pascal fire in defiance of the High Kings of Tara, kick starting Christianity in Ireland.

You could also visit Tara which is believed to have been twice the size of Stonehenge in its day, on the way back to Dublin or continue on to Trim Castle (about 30 minutes away) This is where the movie ‘Brave Heart’ was filmed and is the largest Norman castle in Ireland, access to the castle itself is by guided tour which costs €4, although admission to the grounds is free. The 360 degree view from the ramparts, 80’ high, is amazing as you can see the Hill of Slane and Tara off in the distance. During the summer they sometimes screen ‘Brave Heart’ on the castle walls and there is a big hot air ballooning festival there every year at Easter.

Option B - Visit South County Dublin and Wicklow with perhaps a coffee stop at Poppies in the lovely

village of Enniskerry on the way to Powerscourt House and Gardens. Probably the most famous formal gardens in Ireland, they feature in practically every brochure. Deservedly so, with tiered lawns descending to the Triton pond with its 30‘ fountain casting rainbows on the Sugar Loaf mountain in the background.

Children (& adults) will love the Museum of Childhood and Tara’s Palace, a replica of Titania’s Palace which was the most famous doll’s house in the world when it was built in Ireland in the 1900s, that sadly was lost to the Irish nation several years ago. You could have lunch or on the terrace (with the best view in Ireland) in the Avoca restaurant, followed by a browse around the shops and design centre.

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Classic Trip:

Day to Day Itinerary

Ready Made Trip to Ireland

Sightseeing Or you could continue on to visit one of Ireland’s most famous monastic sites at Glendalough. St Kevin founded his monastery here in the 6th century, at the head of this isolated (then) U shaped glacial valley. It is a very busy site so a good tip is to postpone visiting till late in the evening when all the tour buses have gone as entry is unrestricted and it is as peaceful as it should be for a holy place.

Option C - Might including touring West County Dublin with a drive out Castletown House, one of the finest stately homes in the country which was saved from destruction by Desmond Guinness, last Knight of Glin, who founded the Georgian Society of Ireland as a result. The Long Gallery and the Print Room are particularly interesting, which involved scrapbooking on a grand scale by the ladies of the house in the 18th century. The Berkely Costume and Toy Collection is a new addition to Castletown House having recently been donated by Countess Anne Griffin Bernstorff.

Further out into County Kildare is the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens where all the great equine legends of Irish horse racing were (and still are) being born and bred. You can tour the stables, view Arkle’s skeleton! and watch re-runs of those famous horse races. If you go in springtime you will be in for a treat as the Japanese gardens will be at their most colourful. Try to have lunch in the tearooms at the Pagoda, the food is excellent and the setting exquisite with cherry blossom drifting down from the trees.

Or, you might prefer to ‘study the form’ as they say in the Museum of Style Icons at Newbridge Silverware which has a great collection of celebrity costumes and memorabilia which is constantly being expanded.

Newbridge used to only produce high quality cutlery but has since branched into jewellery, gifts and luxury home wares which you can buy at generous discounts from the factory showrooms.

NB please note that you can avail of tax free gift shopping all over Ireland by simply picking up an Horizon Card. If you get your card swiped with every purchase you will be entitled to a vat refund of 23% where applicable prior to departure.

Option D - Depending on how you feel and how the weather is behaving you might like to take a luxury

boat trip around Dublin Bay with GoSailing.ie for a unique perspective on our beloved capital city. Although the Ethiad Airways Croke Park Skywalk would easily rival that, not for the faint hearted of course, but teenagers seem to love it !

Or you might like to take a trip out to Lambay Island which has only recently been opened to the public.

Bought by Cecil Baring, in 1906 for £5250, he commissioned Sir Edwin Lutyens to build a family home for him there incorporating the existing castle, zealously guarding his privacy. His grandson the current Lord Revelstoke recognizes the need for sustainability and is allowing restricted access via Skerries Sea Tours which publishes sailing times according to the tides and the weather on their facebook page, which needs be pre-booked.

For landlubbers and close to Croke Park is Butler’s Chocolate which offers a Willy Wonka style chocolate experience with a white coated, factory walk and while not an uniquely Irish experience, it’s lots of fun especially as it includes all the chocolate you can eat, do try the orange pralines. Or perhaps you might like a specialized Walking Tour of the City. I am not a big fan of the Literary Pub Crawls advertised, which are more alcoholic than intellectual, to be honest. The James Joyce Centre offers a couple of different options which are much better, check their website for events and times as they are run by volunteers, ditto the student tours of Trinity College. You can do an architectural tour of the city with the RIAI (Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland) or if you fancy something completely alternative book a mystery walk or bike tour with Le Cool Experience which takes you around the latest hip and happening spaces, cafés, markets and pop up shops around the city.

And finally just for fun why not take a look at Storymap.ie or better again download the app, which is an ingenious idea by a couple of young Dublin lads who have set out to record the stories and legends of Dublin. Ireland is a nation of story tellers and we can be quite liberal with the facts, sure why would you let the truth get in the way of a good story? But this is so good and so entertaining, it will give you a real insight into our city and more importantly the characters who live there, proud Dubliners till our dying day.

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