To my Irish friends & anyone interested in British Airways

[Spittybug]

Greetings. My wife and I have booked a 2 week vacation to Ireland for the beginning of October. We have lots of BA miles courtesy of my previous travels and our BA Visa card. The lovely British government apparently lays down rules about the redemption of mileage points for tickets. Our "free" tickets would have cost us >$600 apiece in taxes and fuel surcharges. However, by booking partner Aer Lingus, we paid a total of about $200 and only 60,000 BA miles to go East coast to Ireland. Yes, we have to get from Houston to the East coast, but that's not bad.

Anyway, I would solicit your suggestions on where we should go and what we should see to truly appreciate Ireland. We are WELL traveled and appreciate the good local culture. I'm a beer fan, so pubs are definitely on the agenda. We will fly into Dublin and out of Shannon. Sometime in between we will quickly hop over to Birmingham to visit my aunt in Leamington Spa area of UK. We like castles, good old world towns, B&Bs, beautiful vistas, cultural sites, etc. Shopping or fashion is not at all necessary.

Suggestions are requested!
Thanks.

[Dangermouse]

Yes, the airport fees in Ireland are much less than the UK.

Obviously, Owen, the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is a must see place for you. History of Guinness, how it is brewed etc, etc. Dublin is a beautiful city also, seeped in history.

The Jameson Whiskey Distillery is in Dublin too and I'm sure does tours. I haven't been to that one, but if your travels take you to the North, I would recommend a tour of Bushmills Whiskey Distillery, the oldest in the world from 1608, in the small town of Bushmills, near the Giants Causeway.

If you make it to Belfast, the Titanic Exhibition is very good (#2 visited attraction in all-Ireland after the Guinness Storehouse last year), as is the Crown Bar, one of the most famous pubs in Ireland in downtown Belfast, near a few good hotels. Of course a pilgrimage to Dunmurry would be in order, not that you will be able to see much.

Shannon is to the West of the island and any small village will have the most typical older type pubs. I presume you will be hiring a car. One of the most famous castle is Ashford castle, also on the West side, and one that you can actually stay overnight in, as did a Mr. R. Reagan in the 80s

Sign up at delorean.ie if you haven't already, and those guys can give you more pointers on events that may be going on in October.

If you are lucky, you could experience Ryanair from Dublin to Birmingham

And remember, Ireland (Republic of) uses the Euro, but England and N. Ireland use the Pound.

[kenny]

Dermot has hit pretty much all the items I would have mentioned, Guinness tour is a must and easy to access in Dublin.
Go to the cliffs of moher near Shannon and go to village beside the cliffs for a pint in an old world village pub. If you are travelling around the country let us know and we can point you towards local attractions. There is a lot to do i
For a small country.

[stevie67cars]

The Cliffs of Moher are a must as Kenny said, the Burren area of Co. Clare is idyllic too- if you are travelling round the country i would recommend Slieve League in Donegal, absolutely beautiful. Killybegs in Donegal is a lovely wee town too. If you are in Armagh Slieve Gullion is a beautiful part of the county too- give me a shout if you are, I live 10 mins away, will take you for a pint! :smile:

Edit- If you are in Dublin, Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) is a must visit too!

Stephen

[dustybarn]

Newgrange. Cahir (whose castle was a film location for "Excalibur"). Bunratty. Connemara (the landscape is almost alien). The Slieve Bloom Mountains.

[Roman Legion]

If you plan to go down to Tipperary, I'd suggest checking out Rock of Cashel. My family still lives all over the area and I haven't been there since 1993, but would love to see it again one day. Have a fun trip.

[jwrayth]

If you have time whilst you are in England, check out Kenilworth Castle or Warwick Castle. Both only a short hop from Lem, and well worth stopping by if the weather is good! If you opt for Kenilworth and you like a drink, be sure to stop in "The Kenilworth" for some fantastic cocktails.

Not too far from Lem there is also the Heritage Motor Center in Gaydon, that currently has a Time-Machine DeLorean on loan from one of the members of the DeLorean Owners Club UK. Entry price is a bit steep if you're only going to be their briefly, but if you've got the time to enjoy it for the proper time then it's well worth it!

[jwrayth]

Sorry for the double post, but my girlfriend insisted I follow up with highlights from her trip to Ireland last summer;

In Dublin:
-Pubbing and live music (places like the Porterhouse Brewing Company, Temple Bar and Oliver St John Gogarty), or tea/coffee at Bewley's
-The Guinness Storehouse: a massive museum dedicated to Guinness, complete with massive giftshop, an area where you can learn to pour your own pint, a cafeteria area for lunch, and a bar with panoramic views of the city. Accessible by public transport and definitely worth a visit.
-Visiting museums and university in Dublin (Trinity College Library and Kilmainham Gaol were both excellent, and can be reached via public transport)

Other parts of Ireland:
-Ring of Kerry - a beautiful driving route, though be VERY CAREFUL with wide cars as the roads can be narrow and large tour buses regularly travel there. Dingle is a cute and quirky place to stop along the way.
-Cliffs of Moher - great views and a trail along the cliffs, with a large pay-for parking area nearby
-Galway: There are lots of beautiful buildings to visit, and the night life is good. McDonagh's Fish & Chip Shop was a fairly inexpensive but very tasty and satisfying meal out :)
-A night out in Kilarney - again, very good for pubs and live music in the evenings
-Rock of Cashel, which is picturesque and has pay-for parking near the sites. Good to visit if you like seeing historic sites.
-Glendalough National Park is also good if you like historic sites, and particularly if you like medieval history. A somewhat remote but beautiful location that would make for an enjoyable drive.