Family holiday in Ireland?

[Ohalpro]

We are a family of 3 (one dd aged 10) and thinking of a summer holiday in Ireland this year. I’ve never been anywhere apart from Dublin but would like to go somewhere rural or coastal. Does anyone have any recommendations?

We’d like to stay somewhere self catering, where you can walk to a village/ shop … we don’t need lots of entertainment but a few things to visit or do would be fun

Watch Adrian Dunbar’s “Coastal Ireland” on Netflix. I think it’s on YouTube if you don’t have Netflix. The scenery is just breathtaking

Your 10 year old DD will likely appreciate nice ice cream
parlours/ beaches etc so I would recommend the following

Dingle and kenmare
dromquinna in kenmare has amazing glamping options
Dingle has a fabulous town that really caters for families. There is tonnes to do in this part of the world

Westport
a gorgeous town and old head beach, a fantastic cycleway and if you are up for a climb croagh Patrick

Clifden

a bit like Westport but maybe with less to do and you can explore Connemara from Westport.

West Cork
Schull, Glandore etc are all gorgeous but I think more for adults

I personally find Wexford a bit boring and tacky.

I second Co Clare. Beautiful.

Thanks everyone. Some amazing suggestions.

as it has been hinted at earlier in the thread I might as well ask… how are English tourists received in Ireland (ROI)? I am of course aware of the history of English colonisation. And whatever my personal politics and understanding, we will of course just be a bunch of english people on holiday.

You'll be made very welcome @Ohalpro (as long as you're not walking round draped in a Union Jack )

😂

Fly to Cork and hire a car. It’s a beautiful place

You will be most welcome!

Maybe don't refer to Ireland/ROI as Southern Ireland while you're there and don't say you're calling the mainland if you're ringing home 😉
Just some traps that unwary tourists can fall in to...

But really you will be so welcome. There are lots of English people living in Ireland too, three of my
neighbours are English.

You will be very welcome.

OP, you will of course be most welcome as a tourist in our beautiful country. I live in Ireland, and when asked where I'd recommend visiting in my country, I would suggest most of what's been mentioned already in the 26 counties, and more.

I would also be happy to recommend beautiful places such as The Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland, which is marketed by a different Tourist Board because it's a different jurisdiction. Our tourist board in Ireland is called Failte Ireland and their website might be helpful

OP I've seen a lot of Ireland in my 50+ years and my absolute favorite counties are Cork (especially west Cork), Clare and Galway (Connemara). Really stunning scenery and so much to do in all three counties. But you'd be hard pressed to see it all in one week. Don't make the mistake of thinking that Ireland is a small country and you'll make it all the way up the west coast in a week. You'll be driving on rural roads and you'll probably have to drive a lot slower than anticipated due to any combination of the following:- potholes, sheep straying onto the road, tourist coaches, camper vans, mountain roads etc. And I'm sure your DD doesn't want to spend the whole week sitting in a car. I suggest you google Things to do in Cork/Clare/Galway and then see which area fits your interests best. In recent years, Bord Fáílte (the Irish Tourist Board) came up with a marketing scheme called the Wild Atlantic Way, to encourage visitors to spend time in the west by driving all of (or part of ) the length of the Atlantic coast. I'm only mentioning this as you'll see lots of references to the WAW and you may be wondering what it is.

Ireland isn't known for its Mediterranean climate so prepare for rain. Pack raincoats, hoodies, jumpers, waterproof shoes etc. but also pack sun hats, sun cream and t-shirts because the weather can be very unpredictable - it's not unknown to get all four seasons in one day. The ground will be damp, even on the hottest of days, so if you're planning a picnic, make sure your picnic blanket has a waterproof backing. Keep a close eye on the weather forecast and if you fancy a day on the beach, pick the day with the best forecast. But of course, that could well change. I remember a rainy week in Kerry when we held off on our beach day because the last day of our holiday was promised fine and sunny. You can guess what happened........

We welcome tourists of all nationalities and there are lots of English people living in Ireland. You'll encounter loads of tourists (Irish and foreign) everywhere you go during the summer months. The only advice I would give you is not to refer to Ireland as being part of the British Isles. With the exception of the six counties, we're not a British Island and even the six counties is subject to debate, depending on the politics of the person you're speaking to.

Just to put the nutter poster over the edge- Ireland has only one rugby team- and guess what! People from the North and South are all on the one team! With their own special song.

And good luck skipping into West Belfast to tell them they aren’t Irish 😜

I would also recommend Co.Clare, you can fly into Shannon Airport , lovely airport smaller than Dublin and so close to Clare, Limerick & Galway on the Wild Atlantic Way. https://www.discoverireland.ie/wild-atlantic-way

Beautiful places like Loop Head Peninsula, The Burren, Doolin where you can get a ferry to the Aran Islands, The cliffs of moher, Bunratty Castle and Village, Spanish Point Beach

also check out https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/things-to-do-in-clare/

Some great suggestions here.
I can only speak for the places we've been to (for family holidays).
Clare is great (for all the reasons listed by Junebirthdaygirl). It is a great place for traditional music too - Doolin especially. Kids are welcome in the pubs (usually up to 9 pm) and the (music) sessions are great BUT it does get extremely busy in the Summer months.
Kerry is gorgeous. Amazing scenery and fantastic beaches (Derrynane my favourite). Dingle is a lovely place. Again busy in Summer but (imo) a bit less 'manic' than Doolin. Also has traditional music.
Both these are West coast. It rains ... then rains some more ...
Having said that - we had glorious, 'wall to wall' sunshine holidays there too. Luck of the draw.
Enjoy.

We've been several times, to Galway, Giants Causeway coast (yes I know it's in NI 😉), Dublin, Cork and Kerry. Beautiful place and friendly and welcoming all over. We've stayed in a mixture of self catering, hostels and B&Bs.