UPDATE in OP: Loose Ireland itinerary (Scotland, too)

[aspentosh]

Thank you all so much for your insight. We just got back yesterday from our trip and I am so glad that we skipped Scotland and devoted the 11.5 days to just Ireland. You were NOT wrong that you can easily spend that much time there and still wish for more. 

We started with one night in Dublin and walked around St. Stephen's Green and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Being downtown was nice so we could park and stretch our legs after the flight.

We woke up the next morning and did some light hiking in Wicklow Mtns (GORGEOUS) and then went to our AirBnB in Killinaspick. We stayed on a working dairy farm so our daughter got to help milk a cow and rode a horse with her new best friend (owner's daughter, lol). 

Next morning we went to Youghal where we saw where my ancestors lived for many generations, then to the Jameson distillery in Midleton. I was very surprised at how much we all enjoyed it. After that we had a nice lunch in Cork and headed to the Beara Peninsula. OMG, that was our favorite drive. It was so gorgeous.

We spent two nights in Kenmare- just south of Killarney without the crazy amounts of tourists. Thank you so much to Pibs who recommended that night kayaking for bioluminescence. Definitely a highlight. The next day we did the Ring of Kerry which was pretty but we still preferred the Beara Peninsula. Unfortunately my H hit a pothole and we got a flat, but he changed the tire and we kept going around the ring. Very thankful we found a tire place that could replace the tire in 30 minutes for <$100 and we were on our way. 

Next morning we got dropped off so much H could golf (great experience at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club) so my daughter and I hiked up and around Torc Waterfall, then to Muckross House. We caught a bus for 5eur to Killarney town and then did the jaunting car to Ross Castle- a highlight for her. We met up with my husband back in Killarney and then headed to Dingle.

Dingle was GORGEOUS and I am glad we had two days there. We visited Inch Beach (beautiful), did some hiking around our AirBnB, saw Fungie the dolphin, and did Slea Head Drive (another gorgeous drive). We also did falconry in Dingle and that was worth every penny. 

Next morning we headed to Doolin/Fanore where we saw the Cliffs of Moher (twice, because it was so foggy/raining/hailing the first time we tried). Beautiful and huge. Our AirBnB was "in" Burren NP so seeing the limestone was amazing. I wish we had spent more time in Burren exploring the landscape. We hit up Dunguaire Castle on the way out of town. 

NEXT (lol) we headed to Galway for two nights. We stayed on The Long Walk and it was amazing. One full day was dedicated to doing the Aran Islands which was definitely a highlight for all of us. We were close to the Spanish Arch and all the walking streets so we spent a lot of time doing that. 

After Galway we went back to Dublin and stayed right in Temple Bar. Great to walk around, lots of food, so many gorgeous flower boxes. Did Kilmainham Gaol (amazing), Book of Kells (amazing), Dublin Castle, IMMA sculpture garden and walked along the Rivery Liffey. 

All in all, it was a great trip. Thank you for all the tips. We spent almost 2.5hrs in the airport going through all the screening so that was helpful to know beforehand. There were two or three days that were packed but we also had a few days in between that were low key and go with the flow. It was perfect.

Top three for me:
1. Night kayaking
2. Beara Peninsula/Slea Head Drive- if you had to choose one, I'd pick either of these over Ring of Kerry
3. Aran Islands
(4.) Long Room at TC

Top three for H:
1. Golf at Killarney
2. Beara Peninsula
3. Aran Islands

Top three for 7yo DD:
1. Plane ride
2. Jaunting car
3. Torc Waterfall
(4.) Riding a horse at our AirBnB

Other highlights: falconry, Kilmainham Gaol. 

********
We just booked our flights for August and I am so excited to finally be going. Ideally we would have done longer but it is what it is. I know many might say only do one country, but I am Irish and H is Scottish so we want to squeeze in both. It'll be me, H, and our 7yo DD.

We'll be there for 11.5ish days.

I have scoured blogs and this site for recommendations and then added in things that friends are recommending. We only have our transatlantic flights booked at this point, so how much time we spend in each country is still open. 

My general idea right now is this: 

Spend the first night in Dublin (where we fly in) and explore the area. We already booked an airbnb that is super central and walkable to most of the "must dos". Thinking Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, and maybe a park or zoo for DD if we feel up to it?

Wake up the next morning and drive through either Cashel or Cork on our way to Killarney where we'll explore Killarney Park and spend the night nearby. There's obviously Muckross House and Ross Castle but not sure if 1) it's worth it 2) we'll have time.

Wake up and do the Ring of Kerry (one of my must dos) before heading to Dingle Peninsula for the night. I really just want to experience Dingle as I hear it's gorgeous.

Wake up and head to Clare for Cliffs of Moher (must do for me) and maybe Bunratty Castle (worth it?). I would love to do Aran Islands if possible but I know that is probably squeezing in too much.

From there we'll spend the night in Galway and explore that before heading back to Dublin for the night before flying out. 

The above would have us spending 5 total nights in Ireland before heading up to Scotland (arrive Sunday am, fly out Friday mid-day?).

In Scotland we have fewer things on our list (for now, lol).

My H is a huge golfer so his must do is St. Andrews. DD and I will probably spend the day in Edinburgh while he does that- maybe Arthur's Seat?

Originally we thought spend our first night in Edinburgh before we head north to Inverness/Culloden and Loch Ness and spend the night in one of those places. 

Then we would start making our way back down- maybe to Fort William or Stirling for the night?

Then maybe through Glasgow back to Edinburgh so my H could golf. 

That gives us a flexible day in there before we have to fly back to Dublin for our transatlantic flight. 

This sounds so insane and crazy busy so I am starting to get worried it'll be too much and we'll just feel like we're driving.... So I would love some input on things that I have above that are good or bad, things that might not be worth it or that definitely are. 

We're not against busy trips and go-go-going but I am not sure if this is doable. 

[dutchgirl678]

I can only speak for Scotland as we were there for a week last year. Yes it is too much. Have you mapped out the driving times? Especially as you head north the roads get narrow and windy. From Edinburg to Inverness is 3-3.5 hrs at the least and then add in time for stops (food, bathroom break and such). And then you go back down to Glasgow and back to Edinburgh again? I get tired just reading that . We flew to Glasgow and drove from there to Fort Augustus where we stayed for several days. From there it was an easy drive to Inverness/Culloden. We also drove to Oban one day, to Isle of Skye/Eilean Donan castle and to Aviemore one day. But we didn't do any golfing. I think I would rather do one trip in Ireland now and one trip another time to Scotland. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and not be so much on the go.

[Pibs]

So take all of my recs with a grain of salt. We did England, Scotland, Northern Ireland & Ireland last spring/summer. Everyone here said our itinerary was too much which freaked me the fuck out, but we had an incredible time. Yours looks busy, but similarly busy to ours. We went for 6 weeks and had a few nights where we didn't change hotels every 1-2 weeks which helped, and planned our drives so most of them were an hour or two.

In Dublin, I'd skip the castle and see Kilmainham Gaol. It's a former jail and actually quite beautiful. You'll see other castles along the way, and Edinburgh castle was one of my favorites. I agree with Guinness. One thing we really enjoyed in Dublin were an Irish Story Telling Dinner at the Brazen Head that might be fun for your daughter, though thinking back on it I'm not sure if I remember kids. If you're into literature, Dublin is famous for authors and you can do a Literary Pub Crawl in the evening and get some stories & history, or during the day sans the pubs since your DD will be with you.

We visited the Rock of Cashel which kind of meh for us -- the view driving up was amazing, but it just turned into another castle -- and loved Cork. Killarney/Muckross/Ross weren't that exciting for us. While we were in the area we stayed at Sheen Falls Lodge, recommended by someone here, and they set us up with a nighttime kayaking tour to see bioluminescent plankton and I can't recommend that highly enough. It was definitely a highlight of our trip and I'd lean more toward trying to make that happen and see if you can finagle more time for the Ring of Kerry and Dingle. Ring of Kerry was gorgeous, but Dingle was breathtaking. Have you looked at Skellig Michael landing tours if you're a Star Wars or puffin fan? Throwing that out there just to suck up more of your precious vacation time.

We did the Cliffs of Moher as most of a day. We walked the cliffs but also did one of the boat tours because we had the time and thought it'd be neat to see them from the water as well. The ferries to the Aran Islands only run a few times each day, so it'd be hard to do that without dedicating a whole day. Plus there's the concern about bad weather and the ferries not running which can throw a wrinkle in your plans. We went to Inishmore and while it was pretty, options for getting around the island were biking (to which I was like "nope"), horse drawn carriages (all of the horses looked really sad) or minibus which is the route we went. The favorite thing we did there was hiking to the Worm Hole so while it worked out well for us I think I'd skip it on your trip.

We did everything on your Scotland list and loved it all. So I'd do it all, which probably isn't helpful if you're trying to scale back. We adored Edinburgh -- The Royal Mile & Castle were fun. Arthur's Seat was a crazy hike. Make sure you've looked into it because by the time we were there I'd forgotten what we were doing and my husband caught me wearing flip-flops. It's definitely not a flip flip kind of hike and as a 7 YO I probably would have been ticked off at my parents (I sort of like hiking now, definitely did not like hiking then). The Hanging Bat Cafe was the first place we found good beer on our trip (thank God it was our second country and not the last -- maybe this is why I have such fond memories of Edinburgh?) and Scotland is also home to BrewDog which had really great beer and food and was kid friendly.

[CrazyLucky]

I can only speak to Ireland. Agree with Pibs that the Gaol is really cool. Also, check out your itinerary and see if you want to get the Heritage Card. We were going to enough things on it that it saved a good deal of money.
I also agree that the Rock of Cashel was kind of meh, but it was cool to see St. Patrick's cross. We did the Cliffs of Moher, but honestly, the Aran Islands were so much cooler. Unless you go by the fencing, you can't get up to the edge of the Cliffs of Moher. But at the Aran Islands, you can walk right up to the edge. The Aran Islands was my favorite part of the whole trip. We rented bikes and rode around. It was so cool. We did a little hiking in Connemara, but the weather didn't cooperate. Galway was fun to walk around.
Oh, another big highlight for me was the Trinity College tour. It was funny, and beautiful. The library is amazing and the Book of Kells is indescribable.
I'm jealous!

[aspentosh]

Thanks for all the feedback on things! The plankton kayaking trip sounds amazing (especially for me as a scientist) but it looks like the minimum age, even for the family tours, is 12. Ugh. I guess we'll just have to go back

But really, the more I look at it the more I wonder if we should break it up into two different trips. There are so many things I want to add in and so little that I want to take out.

And yes- Trinity College library will 100% happen. I'm a total book nerd and this is a must do!

[mrsd2006]

Not sure about Bunratty, but we really enjoyed Blarney Castle. We spent hours walking around the grounds.

Dingle was awesome. wish we had spent longer than a day there.

[pittpurple]

I live in Edinburgh and would really encourage you to scale down - can you change your flights and do Ireland or Scotland? It's just a shame to rush through either!
I really hate driving though so that's probably affecting my thoughts!

(St Andrews is beautiful though - if your husband is golfing for the day it's worth it for you and your child to go along to hang out there. There's some ruins and an adorable town and a beautiful beach. We've been there several times as it's lovely)

[Pibs]

Jan 15, 2019 10:08:20 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Thanks for all the feedback on things! The plankton kayaking trip sounds amazing (especially for me as a scientist) but it looks like the minimum age, even for the family tours, is 12. Ugh. I guess we'll just have to go back

But really, the more I look at it the more I wonder if we should break it up into two different trips. There are so many things I want to add in and so little that I want to take out.

And yes- Trinity College library will 100% happen. I'm a total book nerd and this is a must do!

So this is the company we used and it looks like they'd let your DD go.    www.emeraldoutdoors.ie/family-trip.html

They used 2 person kayaks, and the night my friend went she was a single and just rode with the instructor.  They're super fun guides.

I'm so jealous of your trip.  I really loved most everything we did and miss it.  I want to do it all again! 

ETA:  Dang! I forgot you said DD was 7.  I'd still see if you can go if you really want to.  The worst they can do is say no.  

[pittpurple]

Just realised your flights are already in and out of Dublin. Whatever you do, you definitely want a buffer for the Edinburgh-Dublin flight. Those flights are cancelled a LOT as it's a budget airline that runs them. So I'd make sure to be back in Dublin 1-2 days before your flight as you won't have many options if you miss the flight you book.

If you still wanted to see some of Scotland, you could come over for 3 nights - 2 nights Edinburgh / 1 night St Andrews and it would be okay.

[just]

Depending on your flight back to the US, you'll probably go through US immigration and customs in Dublin airport, which is awesome, but means that they're not playing when they say you need 3 hours before your flight at the airport.

[aspentosh]

Jan 15, 2019 11:01:34 GMT -5 pittpurple said:

I live in Edinburgh and would really encourage you to scale down - can you change your flights and do Ireland or Scotland? It's just a shame to rush through either!
I really hate driving though so that's probably affecting my thoughts!

(St Andrews is beautiful though - if your husband is golfing for the day it's worth it for you and your child to go along to hang out there. There's some ruins and an adorable town and a beautiful beach. We've been there several times as it's lovely)

This is really good to know. 

Right now we just have our US to Ireland and return flights. H is in Puerto Rico for work (#jealous) but I may be talking to him about only doing one country... or just doing St. Andrews/Edinburgh for two days and planning another Scotland trip soon. 

[gaudi]

We did Edinburgh/St. Andrews and London last year with the kids (DD7 and DS 9) and had a great time. Edinburgh/St. Andrews were both so much fun. Had we known how much there is to just walk around and discover, we would have skipped the London leg of the trip.

Has your DH sorted out the golf yet? If he is set on playing the Old Course at St. Andrews, you might have to have some flexibility with that leg of the trip since you can't enter the ballot for a single player and even that is only decided a day or two in advance. DH was able to get a walk on spot on his first try, but he got in line at 4:00am and was 4th in line. They only made it through the 7th person before the entire day filled up.

[pittpurple]

Ditto what gaudi, said - I assumed you'd already sorted out the golf aspect but if not, that might determine a lot. There are plenty of golf courses in Scotland of course but if he is focussed on St Andrews you might need to be there for more than 1 day I think? Worth looking into ahead of time as it might not be worth it for a short visit.

Let me know if you have any more questions about Scotland!

[goldengirlz]

Jan 15, 2019 11:49:28 GMT -5 just said:

Depending on your flight back to the US, you'll probably go through US immigration and customs in Dublin airport, which is awesome, but means that they're not playing when they say you need 3 hours before your flight at the airport.

This is an excellent point. No one warned us about going through U.S. immigration in Ireland, and it’s the full process you have when you land in the States. It can literally take hours if there are multiple flights scheduled around the same time.

[goldengirlz]

Also, you could probably fly out of Shannnon (about an hour from Galway) to get to Edinburgh instead of going all the way back to Dublin.

[aspentosh]

Well, we amended our plan Unfortunately we cut out Scotland entirely after talking about the possible issues with the Edinburgh to Dublin flight being cancelled (thank you for telling us that!) and his concern about not being able to play at St. Andrews without a second person to book.

But, that means we really get to breathe and enjoy Ireland for those 10 days.

We've started booking AirBnBs and only need a couple more, but so far we have:

Dublin for one night
Cork/Kilkenny for one night (still deciding on exact location this one)
Kenmare for two nights
Dingle for two nights
Fanore for one night (close to Doolin for Cliffs of Moher and hopefully Aran Islands)
Galway for two nights (if Aran Islands doesn't work out in Fanore hopefully we can find a day here to do it)
Back to Dublin for two nights

I already feel better looking at the agenda and realizing we'll be able to enjoy things more vs being go go go. I guess we'll just have to head back to Scotland soon!

So if there are any must sees that haven't been shared already we are all ears!!

[chimera]

We ended up here for two nights
www.atlanticviewdoolin.ie

It was super easy trip to the ferries and the cliffs

This was the view i woke up to



It was an easy trip to the burren park too


If you do the Jameson distillery tour - the one near Cork is much much better than the one in Dublin.

The dolphin in Dingle was a fun surprise. We saw them on the ferry too.

The Falconry school at Ashford Castle was a lot of fun - I wasn’t too sure before we did it.

[Pibs]

I completely and totally agree with chimera 's suggestion of falconry at Ashford Castle. We loved it so much that on a whim we booked another falconry experience that also involved owls. The experience at Ashford was amazing. The other one was as well because I got to hold owls which I adore, but the hawk walk wasn't as great.

[aspentosh]

Detailed itinerary above, but here are some pics. 

Beara Peninsula

**poof**

Slea Head Drive

**poof**

Walk from Torc Waterfall to Muckross House (we had this to ourselves for almost the entire hour we spent here)

[aspentosh]

170lb Irish Wolfhound that we met while waiting for Falconry

Slea Head Drive I think?


On a walk near our Dingle AirBnB! 

[aspentosh]

Cliffs of Moher


Aran Islands

**poof**

Falconry (Orla the Eagle)

**poof**

[mrsd2006]

Sounds amazing. We did falconry at Ashford Castle, it was awesome. DH and I both preferred Slea Head to the ROK as well.

[Pibs]

Oh aspentosh,, your pictures and update make me so jealous! I want to go back, but I want to explore other places as well. I'm so glad you got to do the night kayaking trip and enjoyed it!

[aspentosh]

Aug 16, 2019 17:52:06 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Sounds like you had an amazing trip! The pictures are gorgeous--true of the scenery for sure but I also LOVE that Irish wolfhound and how your daughter is hugging it on the floor, LOL. 

It's been many, many years since I visited Ireland and I have the same problem as Pibs in that I both want to go back and yet go to new places
with the limited time we have.  

She loooooved Seamus. 


It's always been hard for me to return to a place I've been before because there are so many places to see. But yeah, I could see myself circling back to Ireland for sure. 

[dutchgirl678]

That sounds like an amazing trip! Love the photos too. Would you mind sharing some of the AirBnBs? I have been wanting to put together an Ireland trip for a while now and I love a lot of the places you went to.

[cajunmom]

Sounds like a wonderful trip! I hope you're able to make it to Scotland soon, though. It's my absolutely favorite place to visit, I'm heading there for the third time over Thanksgiving and I know we'll be back even more after that trip.

[pinkly]

The Aran Islands are my favorite place on the planet! I’m glad you all enjoyed your trip.

[aspentosh]

Aug 16, 2019 18:14:22 GMT -5 dutchgirl678 said:

That sounds like an amazing trip! Love the photos too. Would you mind sharing some of the AirBnBs? I have been wanting to put together an Ireland trip for a while now and I love a lot of the places you went to.

Sure. They worked well for our family of three but a few of them would work for 2-4 people. We tried to stay in places that weren't going to be super packed. There was one place we didn't like (Dublin) so I'll leave it out. 

www.airbnb.com/rooms/15425598 - this place was so cozy but not a ton to do RIGHT in Killinaspick. We spent one night there and our daughter had so much fun riding a horse and milking a cow.

www.airbnb.com/rooms/25205447 - perfect place in Kenmare. Easy drive to get to Beara Peninsula or ROK.

www.airbnb.com/rooms/3143409 - I cannot say enough good stuff about this place in Dingle. Great walks all around and you can get into town in 45 mins by foot with a walk along the water. A quick 5 min drive to town.

www.airbnb.com/rooms/20950214 - South of Fanore, north of Doolin. Perfect for seeing the Cliffs of Moher, Burren NP, and getting to Galway. Wish we would have spent another night here. 

www.airbnb.com/rooms/18505605 - Long Walk in Galway is the perfect location. Super updated TH.

www.airbnb.com/rooms/11770058 - Right outside of Temple Bar in downtown Dublin. Less than a 5 min walk to Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Christchurch, River Liffey, etc. But quiet. 

[aspentosh]

Aug 16, 2019 18:15:44 GMT -5 cajunmom said:

Sounds like a wonderful trip! I hope you're able to make it to Scotland soon, though. It's my absolutely favorite place to visit, I'm heading there for the third time over Thanksgiving and I know we'll be back even more after that trip.

It's definitely still a priority for sure. My husband is Scottish and a huge golfer so it will happen. Hoping within the next 5 years (he generally prefers beach vacations so we have to rotate). And now we know to give more time than we imagined. I still have this thread bookmarked for future visits!