# Off to Ireland, check our Itinerary **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036 "2013-06-15T00:59:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/21 "2013-06-17T22:13:37Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > [ul] > [li]Like others said, skip Killarney and spend the time elsewhere.[/li][/ul] Do you mean skip Limerick, rather than Killarney? I can’t imagine anyone skipping Killarney and the Ring of Kerry whilst touring Ireland. Also, it’s true that driving on the ring is one of the scariest things you can imagine but I’d say it’s worth it. Some of the prettiest sights are just random points along the road where a tour bus might now stop. One bit of (bad) advice that I heard was that, by agreement, all tour buses run counter clockwise around the ring so it’s best to drive clockwise to make sure you don’t get stuck behind a bus. I’d rather be stuck behind a bus any day than ever come face to face with another bus one a road that’s barely wider than a cow path. The fjord north of Galway is also worth seeing. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/22 "2013-06-17T22:21:32Z")
[Killary Harbour](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killary_Harbour)? ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/23 "2013-06-17T22:35:57Z")
IMO of course… We spent a few days in Dublin and drove west to Galway. It’s not a long drive. We stopped at Clanmocnoise to see the ruins, which were cool. The Cliffs of Moher are worth the trip. The Burren is cool. We were happily surprised by Blarney Castle. The grounds are gorgeous and kissing the stone, while a tourist attraction for sure, was much cooler than we imagined. Enjoy the drive. It’s an adventure in itself. ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/24 "2013-06-17T22:49:44Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [Killary Harbour](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killary_Harbour)? That’s the one. It reminds me that the nearby Kylemore Abbey and Gardens can be skipped without fear of missing anything. ---
**Author:** ![stoplight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@stoplight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stoplight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/25 "2013-06-17T23:04:36Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > The locals call Limerick stab city. > > Dingle peninsula, and Dingle itself are wonderful. Take the connor pass road if you can, extremely scenic. > > Old town in Galway is a good stop. > > If you go out for beers in any of the larger towns or cities, you MUST find an Abracababra for some drunken taco fries. The north side of Galway bay is also very scenic, with mountains towards Clifden and less congestion. Brush up on your gaelic, some of the old timers don’t speak much English. I am assuming “Stab City” has a negative connotation, that is good info to have. thanks.. Our plan is Pub food, pub music, farmer’s markets until we cannot take it any more. We are not tied to anyone place so stepping away from Limerick is a snap, Adare looks nice, Dingle looks good. **Do you mean skip Limerick, rather than Killarney? I can’t imagine anyone skipping Killarney and the Ring of Kerry whilst touring Ireland** I was wondering the same, Killarney is a popular destination. And after looking at the map with an education eye, I wonder if we are better off staying in Waterford or Kilkenny for a night just to break up the drive to Cork, then we could do a night Adare instead of Limerick. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/26 "2013-06-17T23:15:06Z")
Dublin to Cork City is now about 3hrs on the motorway. Stopping off in Kilkenny might be nice just because it’s a nice place to visit with lots to see and meant to have good grub etc. Waterford would take you more off course. It’s a nice enough town I suppose but if you’re heading for Cork City I’d say skip Waterford City. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/27 "2013-06-17T23:30:44Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Belfast has murals galore, the Ulster Museum, the Titanic Museum (which currently has a Game Of Thrones exhibition which may be of interest) It just [closed today](http://game-of-thrones-exhibition.com/), unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/28 "2013-06-17T23:43:49Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > It just [closed today](http://game-of-thrones-exhibition.com/), unfortunately. Ah I thought it was on for the summer. Oh well. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/29 "2013-06-18T04:17:17Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > Do you mean skip Limerick, rather than Killarney? Doh! You are right: I meant “skip Limerick”. I will say, though, that Killarney proper was rather kitchy but the area around Killarney was amazing. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/30 "2013-06-18T18:31:10Z")
My wife and I made a trip a couple years ago with pretty much the exact same itinerary you described in the OP. We spent a night in Kilkenny on the way down to Cork and I’m glad we did (though one night was enough). We also spent a night in Limerick, and in hindsight I wish we had skipped it and spent more time in Killarney. Lastly, don’t skimp on Galway! The city itself is well worth exploring, and you’ll be kicking yourself if you wasted a day in Limerick when you could have been travelling through Connemara. I’ll disagree with **RadioWave** and say that you should stop by Kylemore Abbey, but either way make sure to take the time to really see the whole area - simply amazing. ---
**Author:** ![aesop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@aesop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aesop)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/31 "2013-06-19T20:26:25Z")
Kinsale, south of Cork, is well worth a visit. And I’ll add my vote for at least the gardens of Kylemore Abbey. Also, unless you’re on the main roads, driving through Ireland will be slower than you’re used to. You’re not going to make good time on the secondary roads. They are narrow, congested, sheep-riddled and utterly charming; just not optimized for rapid transit. Which can be nice. But don’t look at two spots 100 miles apart on the map and think you’re going to get there in 2 hours using the backroads. You’re not. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/32 "2013-06-20T11:10:37Z")
> [@aesop](#): > > Kinsale, south of Cork, is well worth a visit. And I’ll add my vote for at least the gardens of Kylemore Abbey. > > Also, unless you’re on the main roads, driving through Ireland will be slower than you’re used to. You’re not going to make good time on the secondary roads. They are narrow, congested, sheep-riddled and utterly charming; just not optimized for rapid transit. Which can be nice. But don’t look at two spots 100 miles apart on the map and think you’re going to get there in 2 hours using the backroads. You’re not. Especially as the local yokels like to turn the road signs to point in the wrong direction. I got caught out badly by that. Some of the best castles I saw were up roads with grass growing through the tarseal. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036/33 "2013-06-20T11:15:29Z")
> [@azraiel](#): > > Keep in mind that this was the mid-nineties, so my friends’ ‘teenage years’ would have been mid-to-late eighties. The 90s (no, not at all coincident with the Celtic Tiger. Why do you ask?) saw a lot of new emphasis on cultural preservation, tourist safeguards, and preservation standards. > > I know that I wandered around 1500-year-old ring forts and 800-year-old towers without a guide, even in 97. > > I don’t doubt that my now forty-year-old friends pissed on the Blarney Stone. I also don’t doubt that it’s been impossible to do so for the last 20 years. I guess it becomes a question of ‘how long is long enough?’ I kised the stone in the 70s and they locked the castle up then. Also had the man who held my legs as I went under the parapet. I must have wandered around dozens of castles that were completely open to the public and with no guides, or even a caretaker. Sometimes they were locked, and you had to go next door to get the key ( no charge ). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-to-ireland-check-our-itinerary/661036.md?page=1)