Ireland road trip with kids

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So having saved up a while I am now ready to start planning a road trip. Going to get a ferry and defo want to visit the titanic museum in Belfast- ds7 is obsessed in a extreme way.
Defo got giants causeway on the list. Il spend a week there and don't mind lots of miles. Any ideas for exciting things to do places to go. Northern or Southern Ireland. Kids are 7 and 12. Thanks for any ideas.

If you are going to Titanic Museum, you have to visit the W5 kid's science museum!. They are both within walking distance of each other. I brought my son for a little trip to Belfast when he was 9 and he still talks about the W5. We stayed in the Premier Inn just next to it and we really enjoyed it. Have lots of fun!!

The famine village in Doagh, County Donegal is well worth a visit. It is very interesting, and you get a scone and a drink with your ticket, (so you can sit and enjoy your scone looking at the fab view of the bay before or after) and there's some really beautiful scenery in county Donegal along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Ballycastle is a nice place to stop en route to the Giant's Causeway. It was mentioned in the "Protestant tray-bake" thread (in classics) so it must have some nice bakeries - if I ever go back there I'm going to try a tray-bake or two.

Westport in Mayo is gorgeous (check out Westport house) as is the drive out to Achill. Worth dropping into Foxfire woollen mills for a coffee and check out their lovely stuff. There is also the museum of country Life in that region.

This website will help, you can also get a free wild Atlantic way app too.
www.wildatlanticway.com/home

I did half the Wild Atlantic Way last year - fabulous trip.The Cliffs of Moher have an interesting visitor centre and I’m certain you would all enjoy the Flying Boat Centre in Foynes.
We also did a hysterical ‘ghost’ walk in Kilkenny, this is a beautiful place with great restaurants, so well worth the miles.
I can’t wait to go back and do the other half.

Whoops, just seen the sticker on my fridge, the ghost walk was in Kinsale.

Dun na sí heritage park in moate.
Tayto park in meath.
Giants causeway Antrim.
Brú na bóinne and newgrange historical sites in meath.
And in Dublin the zoo, botanic gardens, wax museum and Guinness store house.
Theres also a cliff walk from Greystones to Bray which is beautiful and plenty to do in Bray.
Also make sure to get the wild Atlantic way in on tour trip. Loads to do around that area.

Theres also the national stud farm and powerscourt waterfall in kildare.
And the national reptile centre in kilkenny.

I've been to all the above places so if you need any info on them, give me a shout 😉

Watching with interest, we are thinking of a holiday in Ireland too.

The folk and transport museum in cultra (10 mins from belfast city centre) has a lovely titanic exhibition, very child friendly. Also a brilliant village and farms to see traditional Ireland. It’s a great day out. Many people aren’t so keen on the nigh titanic museum.
Giants causeway is fab. Portballintrae is a very small harbour nearby, all the kids go crabbing and jumping in from the pier in summer, it’s lovely. Very friendly.
Portrush all nearby, go to Barry’s. Retro tastic amusements, a real NI institution. Portstewart amazing beach!!

YY to Titanic Museum (although there is a lot of reading) and Ballycastle. Over the Easter holidays we had 2 days in Belfast (Alfred St Premier Inn) and 3 days staying in a holiday flat in Ballycastle. Ballycastle is a great little seaside town. I’d recommend Thyme cafe for a good home made meal and cakes. Ursa Minor too, but they have a very limited menu along the lines of “a few things well”’ with a steer towards vegan, so you may hate it! The fish and chip shop on the harbour is good.

The Giants Causeway was amazing, and we really liked Carrick a Reede
Rope Bridge, 10 mins away.

W5 is a MUST. My dd still talks about it, it's her favourite place ever. We go to Ireland every summer (family) and she is desperate to go from the second we get off the plane. It is also right next to Titanic so easy to find!

There are some wonderful farm parks etc which allow much more animal interaction than we normally get in England. There is also a cool place called 'we are vertigo' which you could look into. We haven't been ourselves yet (going this year finally as my kids are a bit older now).

Pm me if you like as I grew up in Northern Ireland and visit regularly with my own children so have done lots of the touristy bits which residents don't tend to do as well as the fun local spots. (No disrespect to locals, I just mean things like I hadn't visited giants causeway in 12 years until I stopped living in Northern Ireland!)

Thank you everyone, some fab ideas here I will look into them all.

The Titanic experience ticket includes entry to the SS Nomadic on the same site. It’s the last surviving White Star ship and gives a really good feel for the era.

If you are planning on going to Giants Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede it’s worth thinking about joining the National Trust.

How are you planning on getting there? We got the ferry from Liverpool - spent the day before in Liverpool and spent the night at Birkenhead Premier Inn, 10 mins drive from the docks. It’s an 8 hour crossing though, I’d do it again, but at night.

Best way by ferry into NI is Stranraer / Belfast. Although also consider Holyhead / Belfast. Although Dublin port to Belfast is an hour and a half by road so you’ve that option too since you’re driving.

www.finnmccoolstours.com/7-tips-for-visiting-the-giants-causeway/

Don’t get pressured to pay into the new National Trust visitor centre at the Giants Causeway. It’s a new money making thing, and you don’t have to. You do have to pay for parking though.

Your DS if he has a sense of adventure would also love Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. It’s very close to Causeway so could do both in one day. It’s much more health and safety’d since I were a wean, but still challenging / good fun. It had no sides on it years ago 😂 I think kids still get a ”certificate” for completing it.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/carrick-a-rede

Also close to belfast (15 min drive) is Let’s Go Hydro a water play park if the weather is fine.

letsgohydro.com

I’d second W5. You’ll love it there.

And the Folk and Transport Muesum. It’s two different places on either side of a road. Folk side is walking round outside houses of how people used to live with people making soda bread in tiny kitchens and tiny bedrooms, and school rooms with slates for writing. Old fashioned sweet shop with jars of sweets to buy by the ounce. Transport museum is old cars and trains etc. Tim Peakes spacecraft is there now but not for much longer I don’t think.

To be honest, Dublin zoo is better than Belfast zoo.
But if you’re travelling from north to south for that then Tayto Park for a stop is good.

Don't do Belfast zoo the mountain is lethal! Dublin zoo is flat!
Belfast Titanic and Nomadic. Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, the folk park bit is amazing. (Excellent Apple tart in the cafe!)

Giants Causeway, Carrick-Rede and Dunluce Castle on the North Coast.

Doagh Famine Village and some lovely nearby beaches, Donegal.

Westport House (Pirate Adventure Land) is brilliant for kids.

Muckross House, Killarney has boat trips, park, big house and an outdoor Folk museum.

Dingle and the Connor Pass, Co Kerry

Cobh and Kinsale, Co Cork. Cobh was Queenstown where the Titanic left from and has 2 great Titanic museums. Kinsale is a lovely coastal town with an old fashioned fun fair and great restaurants. Fota wildlife park.

It’s a bit of a hill! But there are elephants and giraffes to make up for it.
Antrim coast - trip to Barry’s definitely after Giants Causeway, Ballintoy harbour is beautiful, and there are at least two beaches you can drive your car on to which is quite an experience.
A week isn’t going to be long enough!

First thing first - no such place as southern Ireland, it's called the republic of Ireland.

Lough boora, discovery park in offaly is amazing as is birr castle.

The famine ship in new ross is very interesting, as is hook lighthouse.

The kids will love bunratty castle and village.

Obviously Dublin Viking splash tours, kilmainham goal, glasnevin cemetery are a must

The wild Atlantic way. South coast of Ireland is beautiful. There is a titanic museum at Cobh as well- the last port of call

Derrynane Sea Sports in Caherdaniel , Co. Kerry. On the Ring of Kerry - loads to do, paddle boarding, sailing, canoe hire, windsurfing and lots more. A truly beautiful part of Ireland, and Ahamore Tea Rooms in Derrynane House well worth a visit!

Honestly OP unless your dc are massive Titanic enthusiasts I wouldn't bother with The Titanic museum. We went last year, it was very busy (although not peak time) and most of it was reading into on walls, which you couldn't see because it was jam packed. W5 is much better value for money.

I never thought it was a 8 hour crossing!! Better get my sea legs out.
Sounds like there's more than enough to fill a week up!
The titanic thing is quite extreme... he has obsessions with sometimes quite obscure topics.
This one has been ongoing for a while now....
I will check the museum out at the last port and see which is more child friendly.

Ardgillan Castle, Co Dublin - maze garden and hunt the fairy doors
W5 in Belfast
Skip Titanic if kids are less than 14, they’ll get bored as there’s not a huge amount of interaction
Ulster American Folk Park - replica emigrant ship and streets to explore

If any of you are Game of Thrones fans - or even if you're not - the trees at Stranocum are definitely worth stopping off for. It won't be out of your way if you're visiting some of the places already mentioned. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranocum

The Dark Hedges are being destroyed by pollution from tour buses and cars. Please don't go there unless you want them not to exist in a few years time.