Dublin

Ireland's largest city whose metro area is home to about 1/2 the Irish population.

Lodging:

• Pat Preston, The Ireland Expert is NEVER wrong.  Read her recommended city centre hotels and guesthouses.

Attractions:

• Book of Kells, which is housed in the Long Room in the Old Library at Trinity College
  
• River Liffey cuts Dublin in two and has many bridges crossing it
• Merrion Square, a beautiful Georgian square, which sits behind Trinity College and Leinster House, which is the home of the Irish Parliament.  In the middle is a beautiful park, Archbishop Ryan Park (close photos frame in middle), sometimes referred to see the park to as Merrion Square Park.  Trails for quiet walk, benches for resting, beautifully landscaped, etc.  Great place to relax and have lunch.
• St. Stephen's Green, a 22 acre park square in the centre of Dublin, full of flowers, shrubs, and trees of all descriptions, as well as a garden for the blind, statuary, fountains, gazebos, an ornamental lake, and a band shell which is a setting for free lunchtime concerts in the summer months.
• Guinness Storehouse, a 20 min. walk from city centre.  15 euros per adult, but you get a free pint at the end.  Heard it was overrated, but you may enjoy.  
• Old Jameson Distillery, 8 min. audiovisual, followed by a 20 min. tour and the "Tasting Room."  TJ will like this :-)
• City Hop On/Hop Off Bus Tours of City Centre - highly recomended.  Easiest way to get around.  Only 15 Euros per person and good for 24 hours.Stops at Trinity, Guinness Storehouse, Temple Bar, etc.  Everyplace you want to see in city centre Dublin.
• Walking Tours, literary, ghost, traditional music, history, etc.
• Night Life - one of the livliest party cities in Europe.  Bars for every age group and taste in music.  Google is probably the best way to research this.  Denise and I went to the Palace Bar on Fleet St. in Temple Bar.  We loved it.  Like a neighborhood bar in city centre Dublin.  It's quite narrow, crowded at night, and there aren't many seats, but it has energy and we liked it.
• Temple Bar, a mainly touristy area  full of pubs, restaurants, shops, etc.  A neat mix of old and new Dublin.  Lots of pubs, lots.
  

DO NOT drive in Dublin.  Narrow winding roads and way too many people make driving frustrating.

Cliffs of Moher

In County Clare, the Cliffs of Moher rise out of the Atlantic about 700 ft.

This is one of the most beautiful places in Ireland.

There is a new visitor's center and can be a bit touristy, but I don't think you can miss it.

Here's a YouTube link showing the Cliffs and a 8km trail along their coast.

I am so jealous ;-)

Airfare to Ireland

Right now, it's probabaly cheaper than it has been since the post 9/11 months when Denise and I went.  I saw roundtrip flights in May, from Newark (EWR) for $532 including taxes, fees, etc.

Difference is back then the Euro was $0.82 to the US dollar.  Today it's $1.27 to the US dollar.  About a 50% increase.  Everything's more expensive now.

Slieve League

My favorite place in Ireland.  Takes awhile to get here in rural Donegal, but well worth it.

Ireland's highest cliffs and the 6th highest in all of Europe.

Here's a YouTube link from an Irish guy who walked the trail to the top.  Well worth a look and make sure you listen to the audio.  Slieve League YouTube

HIGHLY recommended if the weather is good.

Some advice for Erin and TJ on their upcoming trip to Ireland

LENGTH OF TRIP
How long will you be there?
2 weeks would be a dream.
10 days at least, 12-14 would be great.

TRAVEL THERE AND BACK
Flight over leaves in the evening, travels overnight, your time, and arrives early Ireland AM. Your body will think it's 1am-2am.
Take a bus or cab to the hotel/B&B, check in (if available), and take a nap. TRUST ME.
Flight home will leave mid morning, returning mid afternoon.

There are two major airports, Dublin (DUB) just north of the city, and Shannon (SNN), about 90 mins. south of Galway, the 2nd largest city.

You can fly into one and out the other if it makes your trip easier.

DRIVING
They drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right.

DO NOT drive in Dublin.

The hardest part is in the parking lot when you pick up the car.

It's worse than driving in midtown Manhattan, much worse.
The roads are much narrower, more crowded.

The signage is not great other than the major highways (N7, N81, M4, M50, etc., etc.)

And you'll learn how to traverse roundabouts in the opposite direction.

I didn't like them when I started driving in Ireland, but by mid-trip, I was a convert.

Also, it takes CONSIDERABLY longer to get from Point A to Point B in Ireland.  It's not like driving to and from in the States.  Unless you're on a major highway (M#), assume 30-40 mph on average.

On off roads exclusively, budget for 25-30 mph or less.  TRUST ME.

Most insurance companies and credit cards do not cover your rental insurance in Ireland.  Even if you use your work credit card, double and triple check that it does indeed cover the insurance.  Most do not.

HOTELS or B&Bs?
Or a mix?
There aren't many B&Bs in Dublin. If you go there, I would suggest a hotel in the city center (will send in a separate email)
B&Bs in the smaller towns are what I recommend, but Denise doesn't like B&Bs. She doesn't like spending the night or two in "someone else's house". SIGH!
Advantages: The hosts are a WEALTH of info and you get to know many of the real people of Irreland. You'll meet other travelers at breakfast, which is usually homemade, and generally, pretty authentic, and they are also a wealth of info.
Disadvantages: Privacy is a little less than a hotel. You may be like Denise ;-)

Pat Preston, The Ireland Expert
Home page: http://www.irelandexpert.com/
See the links on the left (Ireland Guide, Hot News, Links, etc.
She is in her late 60s or early 70s, and has travelled there hundreds of times.
She has written books (sells one online), has authored for other publications, led MANY group trips, and has had this website online and for free ... for years.
The BEST place for info.
Recommended hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, attractions, shopping, etc. (See Ireland Guide - sorted by region).

Discussion Forum: http://www.irelandexpertpatpreston.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=104667
Become a member, ask questions. She answers them freely and so do many other people who have been there or live there.

See her FAQ. It answers a lot of questions. http://www.irelandexpert.com/faqs.htm

I'll followup with info about the cities and regions (check Pat's site out for this also). You pick what you would like.

Buffalo doesn't put up with fundamentalist fringe group's bullshit

Http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/587487.HTML

At a memorial for a Continental 3407 victim, the very fringe gay hate group, Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, KS tried to protest. A large group of Western New Yorkers from Buffalo made sure that didn't happen.

"We wanted to show people we don't put up with that kind of hate in Buffalo. We just won't tolerate it."

That's my Buffalo!

The Chieftans in Dayton, OH

Sat., March 7 at the Dayton Masonic Temple
Go to Cityfolk.org for tickets.

We can't afford tickets this year :-(