If you don’t pick up your rental car at Dublin Airport, consider getting the Aircoach as your transport to and from the airport to various stops in Dublin city. Nice buses and pretty cheap to boot (unless there are a bunch of you). Just check to see if the city stops are convenient to where you are staying in Dublin.
It also goes to several other Irish cities as well.
Skellig Ring! We also loved County Mayo.
I went years ago and it was a wonderful trip! We went the week after St. Patrick’s Day and really enjoyed spending time in pubs. Most people have posted what we enjoyed but I’ll also add that we loved driving through The Burren. It reminded me of the surface of the moon. Very surreal landscape! It’s nearby Shannon and the Cliffs of Moher.
Second the motion RE: lunching in the pubs. Simple, good cheap Irish fare. And if you wish, Guinness is available in half-pints, if you want a taste but not drink an entire pint. Order at your table, pay at the bar when you leave.
Agree on don’t need car in Dublin, so don’t pick up until you are leaving. What we did was fly to Dublin, immediately drive to Galway, several days in Galway, then Aran, Doolin, and Dingle, then back to Dublin where we ditched the rental and stayed several days.
This was a two week vacation, so obviously you can’t do it all. I love Dublin, but I love Galway more. Maybe two or three days in Dublin, four or five out west. Can see Galway, and day trips to Aran and the Cliffs of Moher. (I loved spending several days on Inishmore, but that probably won’t fit your timetable.)
In Dublin – the BEST pub is The Celt. I promise you. No one I know who’s gone has ever disagreed. Traditional Irish music in a cave-like setting. The time we were there the group playing announced there was a special guest. I was fervently hoping it would be Bono. It wasn’t, lol, but it was one of the Irish Tenors, and the evening was sublime.
I also recommend the Guinness factory, and Kilmainham Gaol for a sobering experience of Irish history.
Galway is like a non-stop street festival–music and food everywhere. I just loved walking around and being there. It’s almost got a New Orleans feel.
The west coast is as far as I am concerned, the most beautiful place on earth.
Dublin Castle is kind of a companion piece to Kilmainham Gaol–home of the occupying British government, and home of the government of the new republic. Going through one of the buildings, seeing the state dining room, throne room, etc., we enter a sparsely furnished room. It was where one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising was “nursed” back to health just enough so they could execute him at Kilmainham. They had to tie him to a chair for the firing squad as he couldn’t stand. Connelly, I think. Very sobering room in the middle of palatial splendor.
In the stairway they had portraits of British viceroys. We recognized one as Cornwallis, of Yorktown fame. I guess after surrendering to the Americans he landed on his feet!!
You can get an e-sim for your phone. That’s what we did back in October when we were in Dublin and Galway. Worked out well for us. We used Airalo. My husband set it up so I can’t give you the particulars but I think it was pretty easy: https://www.airalo.com
You can always use Google Maps in offline mode. Works anywhere. You do not ever need cell service. You just download the maps in advance. Download areas & navigate offline - Android - Google Maps Help
Download areas & navigate offline - iPhone & iPad - Google Maps Help
We did not drive in Ireland this time. Had plans to stay in Galway and Dublin and just didn’t see the need for that added stress. There’s nice bus service between Dublin and Galway. We used CityLink.
I have driven in Scotland before, though. It does take some getting used to. It is easiest to drive from the airport to the motorway (divided highway like an interstate). You might think you’d want to start out on a little road first, but don’t do it. Go straight for the motorway then all you have to get used to is having the steering wheel on the other side of the car because you are on a divided highway you don’t have to worry about what side of the road to be on, You should stay in the left lane, though, since that’s the slow lane, but not a big deal if you forget and get in the right lane because it’s going the same direction also. They are more strict about the fast lane (right lane) being for passing (overtaking) and not for just cruising along. Also, people don’t speed much in Ireland and it is expected that you would go the speed limit or slower, kind of the opposite of the US.
Also, since we didn’t drive in Ireland I don’t know if it’s the same there as in Scotland, but in Scotland they have “single track roads” which are little one lane roads with two way traffic. They have passing places for you to pull off and let the car coming in the opposite direction go through.
One other thing to note on Irish roads is they are often bordered by hedges that cover stone walls and there is no shoulder. So stay on the road!
In Dublin we enjoyed the Book of Kells. We are fans of the Secret of Kells movie so it was a must do for us. We also enjoyed just wandering around.
In Galway we enjoyed the Latin Quarter and all the little shops there. Also liked the walk to Salthill although it was very windy and cold.
We did a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher that was fabulous.
Nice train service also
You said you like history,I’d recommend doing a little reading of Irish history before you go. Not a lot is necessary, but knowing some basic facts will help you follow along on tours and may make Irish folk music more understandable. There are also some really good documentaries available for free on youtube.
In Dublin, make sure to visit https://kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/ You can only go in if you have a tour ticket. You can buy them online starting about a month before. Make sure you do so because sometimes it’s hard to get them on short notice. Kilmainham was a common jail but it is also where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held. A number of the leaders were executed in the courtyard there. It will give you a better understanding of Irish history.
https://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/ St Patrick’s Cathedral. This is “C of I” or Church of Ireland, i.e., Protestant. The history of this building is the history of the church in Ireland. (It was built as a Catholic Church and was taken over by the crown like Catholic Churches in England.) It’s an interesting building and it’s associated with Dean Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels. Not only was he the dean of the cathedral, he’s buried there as are many others, most more famous in their day than ours. Sort of the Irish version of Westminster Abbey.
I hesitate to recommend the medieval banquets because I did them a LONG time ago. Maybe someone else has gone more recently. I went to 2 of them way back when and really enjoyed them.
One turned into one of the most memorable nights I’ve spend in Ireland. We went to one of the smaller ones. It turned out that almost all–not all, but almost all–of the other guests were members of the same tour group and to put it mildly they did not enter into the spirit of the thing. We stood out as being genuinely interested. Well, we stopped by the local hotel–where we were NOT staying–for a drink after the show. Almost all the Irish cast were in there having an after performance drink. When we entered, they recognized us and gave us a heartfelt welcome. They spent the next couple of hours telling us all the anecdotes of what had happened at various performances --we were a fresh audience. It got to be well after legal closing time, but the landlord turned off the lights and had candles at the table and we were given strict instructions to claim we were staying at the hotel if the police happened in–hotel guests can drink much later than outsiders. As Americans, we were likely to be believed. It was like going to a second show because the actors were such marvelous story tellers.
Anyway, we went to two of them and because they were in different castles the atmosphere and the shows were different.
Here’s a link Award Winning Medieval Banquet | Medieval Banquet Ireland | Book Now | Shannon Heritage DAC.
We took our first trip to Dublin w/college age kids this summer and were able to tour the city with Irish friends. We stayed in a hotel near Trinity College which we found centrally located to the sights of Dublin. Dublin is such a walkable city and we did not miss having a car. But the highlight of the trip was our full day tour to Northern Ireland with Wild Rover Tours which included stops in Belfast with a personal black cab tour of the hotspots during the Troubles, the amazingly picturesque Dunluce Castle which served as Castle Greyjoy in Game of Thrones and finally the Giants Causeway. Another day we took a short commuter train ride from Dublin and enjoyed lunch in the cute town of Dalkey and found a resident ferryman to take our group on a quick trip to Dalkey Island. Highly recommend that as well!
I drove in Ireland. Loved it, but I’m weird. We dubbed the one-lane, two-way roads the “Matthew Crawley Memorial Parkway.” Have also driven on the left in AUS and NZ, so am fairly comfortable with it by now. I know how to drive a manual, but get an automatic so I don’t have to think about yet another thing while driving.
If you go to the Cliffs of Moher…a CCer recommended Pat Sweeney to us before our trip in 2013. He is AWESOME and an excellent guide. He coordinated with the 39 land owners along the cliff path to grant easements for the path. His family has been there forever and his knowledge of the land and history is superb. http://www.doolincliffwalk.com/
Slea Head Drive is marvelous – kind of like the Pacific Coast Highway.
Another thread to consider: Uk/Ireland 2018
We did the Bunratty Castle medieval dinner & show. Very touristy, not our thing. Live and learn. But the mead was good!
We did a weekend in Belfast. Beautiful, tragic, riveting. Did a Black Taxi tour of the murals, went to the gaol, did a walking tour focused on the Troubles, and even saw a march while we were there. This was the Troubles tour we did; the guide was involved during the Troubles, though we could never figure out which side. He now works with young people to build bridges between the factions. The No.1 Belfast Troubles Walking Tour | A History of Terror | DC Tours
Glendalough and Kilkenny are an easy trip from Dublin. Can get there via tour or bus.
Rock of Cashel is hauntingly beautiful; was there on a foggy day and it was perfect. H had to go to Basel for work in the middle of our trip, so that day I drove to Cashel and then to Cahir and Clonmel, where my dad’s paternal side hails from. Found the old inn my Keating relatives used to run in the 1800s! My cousin had a travelogue letter that a 2nd cousin wrote in 1911 to our great grandmother that described her trip to County Tipperary. I used the letter as my guide for the places I visited that day.
Went to Muckross and did the house tour, didn’t do the hike (H was napping in the car).
We have never been to Dublin!
That’s the only one of the three we didn’t do! still, I know they all may be much more touristy than they were way back when we did them.
I’ve never made it to the Rock of Cashel. My great-grandfather was born there–the house he was born in was on the Moor.
My goodness, these are all such fantastic suggestions. I’m feeling torn about the rental car right now. I realize that 7 days isn’t nearly enough for touring everything, and I’m starting to think we could base ourselves in both Dublin and Galway, and take day trips to various places. Something like this:
There’s clearly so much we will miss, but I also don’t want to spend so much time racing from thing to thing. Maybe this is good for a first visit and we’ll go back to hit more of the southern coast on another trip.
If you are looking to tour Trinity College in Dublin, here’s a hack to get a free tour and free tickets to see the Book of Kells–sign up for a prospective students tour! We got a great tour of the college with a student guide while tourists were paying good money for crowded tours. Once you sign up for the student led tour, you’ll receive an email with a link to sign up for free timed tickets to see the Book of Kells. Here’s the Trinity College tour sign up link: Visit our Campus - Study - Trinity College Dublin
I think you are getting a good shape onto your trip.
In Dublin, consider getting a hop-on / hop-off ticket- it stops everywhere you want to go, and will save your feet. Kilmainham isn’t really walkable from city centre, so that’s a good way to see it. Pro-tip: unless you are reaaallly interested in the last 7 or so stops after Kilmainham, skip a painful (due to traffic) bus ride back into city centre by getting off at Heuston Station and taking the Luas [light rail, pronounced lewis] to Jervis, and walk a block and half to the Ha’penny Bridge, where you can cross over into Temple Bar*. Or, stay on the Luas to Spencer Dock, and make the short walk to Epic, the emigration museum (and, if it’s in dock the Jeannie Johnston Famine ship), and then walk back across the Sean O’Casey bridge to the back side of Trinity College.
*btw, Oliver St John Gogarty’s pub in Temple Bar has music daily
That itinerary looks good. You’ll see/experience a lot of wonderful things.
Gonna put here another plug for The Celt, https://www.thecelt.ie/
Might be a great spot for your last night in Dublin. We ended up going twice while we were there; once to eat and another time for drinks and music.
This is a fabulous thread! We are going in June and love the ideas mentioned.
We actually enjoyed Bunratty castle, but I think that was because the kids (ages 11 and 14) and their great-aunt were on the bus tour with us. It was a group of about 30 people, many from the same extended family. (It was so sweet, they took turns helping the grandma with her wheelchair and sometimes hanging with her in the tour bus). By the last night, we had all gotten friendly and enjoyed all the touristy hoopla.