The Cork City accent is hideous, but not particularly difficult to understand. Watch out for accents from West Cork. (You’ll recognise them by the fact that even other Irish people can’t understand them.)
I suppose I can toss a bag of cookies in along with a bag of peanut butter cups. You realize that if I don’t run into you people, I’m going to become horribly fat, right? I suppose that means I’m going to have to suggest a somewhere in Ireland Dopefest or something. Which wouldn’t be all bad anyway, of course.
THe mrs and I went to Ireland for our honeymoon. Pics here. If you’re looking for a good guide book that has honest suggestions…I liked “The Rough Guide” series.
I know you already have too many places to see, but when I asked last year, I got tons of great suggestions.
Two other points to make:
First, the roads are narrow. No, not like that, I mean narrow. Next time you see cars on an American road, take note of just exactly how much space there is between the car and the edge of the lane. Because in Ireland, that space just isn’t there. We drove on two lane roads in Ireland which were about the same width as an average American bike trail.
Second, about your power conversion concerns: Read the labels on your converter and your appliances very carefully. When we went, we didn’t get to use the camcorder, because the converter Mom got wasn’t rated for use with battery chargers… But had we known, we could have just used a straight-through adaptor, with that particular camcorder. If I recall correctly, the power in Ireland is 50 Hz, 240 V. Check to see if your appliances can handle that. And make sure that the converter you get can handle whatever you have: Many of them aren’t good for anything other than an ohmic load, which basically restricts you to light bulbs and irons. While you’re at it, also check the power requirements: Converters will often include a circuit breaker, so you can’t draw too much through them.
I second Dingle. Take the Connor pass, preferably with a confident driver!
Cork. Hmmm…seems like I spent most of my time drunk in Cork, but it seemed a nice enough place! The accent is tougher than anywhere else I went in Ireland.
Lessee-if you have a car, drive over to Kilmore Quay, which I think is near Killarney. This is a great place; kind of an unspoiled, non-commercial, “Irish life contained” spot. Go by Kehoe’s pub. If Jimmy Kehoe there (he’d be about 28 years old-last I knew he was studying in Dublin 6 years ago-he could be anywhere by now!) tell him that Sally and Melissa from Charleston said “hi”, and see if he’ll take you out on his fishing boat to see the puffin-filled islands and experience some stomach-churning swells on the Irish Sea!
I’ve only been there three times, but here’s my 2 cents worth:
Accents aren’t too hard to follow. However, the further North you go, the thicker it gets. I ended telling my cousin more than once, “I know you spoke english to me, but I didn’t understand a word you said.” Also, there are words that mean different things there than in the States. The first time you hear about some “good crack” will perk up your ears. And I found out “The Bull” is not Schlitz malt liquor.
I really liked the Cliffs of Mohrer and New Grange.
And definately go to Northern Ireland: check out the Giant’s Causway, the Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle. And there is a place called the Ulster-American Folkpark. Think of Colonial Williamsburg. But it shows you a typical Irish village and way of life, then a recreation of a boat used to transport people to America, then a recreation of rural Pennsylvania (where most of them first went). I also found it very interesting just to see how Ulster life is like. One year there were armed British Patrol in the streets, the next it was just normal. AFAIK, it is still normal.
Sorry to be the “point of information” man in this thread but Kilmore Quay is in Wexford which is nowhere near Killarney (but accessible from Cork in the opposite direction). However, the advice is sound - Kehoe’s is a great spot for a pint and a bite of lunch - one of the best places to eat fish in the country.
Various people have mentioned the Connor Pass - there’s a great view from the top but it’s not that difficult a drive, particularly in summer (although it might be if you’re driving a manual for the first time - lots of hill starts as you pull over to let traffic coming in the opposite direction by). The car park at the top is also a good starting point for your walk in the mountains. If you’re a nervous driver, take the Connor Pass on your way to Dingle and take the other road back. This means you will be on the inside as you wind your way up the cliff.