Holiday in Ireland tips

[Armeins]

We are planning a visit to Ireland, probably Cork and Kerry although open to other suggestions. Can anyone recommend self catering accommodation to suit family with children under 7 plus parents and grandparents. What are the must see places?

You should probably try airbnb, vrbo, etc and see what you can find that is suitable. Kerry is gorgeous. Make sure you do the Dingle Peninsula.

And you must check out the Nun's Beach. Breathtaking. A bit of rope climbing involved.

West Cork is supposed to be amazing as well but never been there.

I would also suggest the Giants Causeway, its kind of unique, but pretty far from Kerry.

If you're going to Kerry, do the Ring of Kerry. Also visit Killarney National Park. If you have a Star Wars fan in the family, Skellig Michael is a must see. You could stop by Molly Gallivans if you think it might be interesting. There is also the Kerry Writer's Museum (though that might not be terribly interesting for the youngsters). There is also the Louis Mulcahy Pottery that might be more interesting for the youngsters. Lastly there is Siamsa Tire.

Kerry:
Skellig Michael | Heritage Ireland
Home - Molly Gallivans
Kerry Writers' Museum in Listowel (kerrywritersmuseum.com)
Louis Mulcahy: Irish Hand Crafted Pottery – Louis Mulcahy Pottery
Home - Siamsa Tire - The National Folk Theatre of Ireland

There is a ferry ride that you can take that brings you from Limerick to Kerry (Tarbert). You might be able to find that if you google it. It is quick but it might be fun for the kids.

I will post up a few things you could do in Cork too.

Giants Causeway is in Antrim which is the total opposite end of the island to Kerry. I mean if you drew a straight line from Bantry in the south west, diagonally across the country to the north, you'd probably get to the Giants Causeway. It's beautiful to be sure but it's miles away from Cork/Kerry.

For accommodation, you could check out Dream Ireland's website.

There are loads of places to go and things to see in Cork so I'm just going to pop up the Discover Ireland link to Cork.

Plan Your Trip to Beautiful County Cork with Discover Ireland

Kinsale is full of lovely restaurants.

Limerick on the west coast would be another county to visit:

West Cork is beautiful, in particular Baltimore and Inchydoney.

We base ourselves in Castletownbere a fishing port in West Cork. It's on the Ring of Beara which incorporates some of the Wild Atlantic Way which is stunning. Loads to do and see in the area.

Be warned though - accommodation prices are extortionate here.

I suggest you source the accommadation first and then shout when you have a base.
There is very little available and the prices are eye watering.

Dingle in Kerry is a lovely town on the coast with a great vibe. They has a resident dolphin in the bay called Funghi and there would be boat trips out and he would always be seen. He was there for about 30 or 40 years but I heard a couple of years back that he'd not been seen for a while and it seems he may have died. :(

Suggestions for Holiday to ireland?

Don't go.

Context ?

Accomodation in Ireland is the most expensive I've ever seen it.

I paid for one week's holiday in a nice hotel in Athens, Greece.

It was 220 euro for one week. A nice hotel.

I've seen hotels in Ireland for 220 euro for one night.

Sorry his name was Fungie not Funghi

With the greatest of respect to Limerick, it has much less to offer than any of the other counties on the west coast. You could spend weeks and weeks in either Cork or Kerry and not run out of things to do. Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal are also fantastic. The Atlantic coastal counties are magical but also very expensive and very often wet. But when the sun comes out....

I lived in Ireland for the last year.

Accomodation is the most expensive I've ever seen it in Ireland.

Hotels are charging 200 euro a night.

Weather is always bad too.

I went to Greece for a week. Great weather and much cheaper than Ireland.

Fota Wildlife Park near Cobh is wonderful and don't forget the Titanic Experience, also in Cobh - east Co. Cork.

There’s a bike hire place on the main road just outside Killarney National Park. I used it a few years ago. Adult and all sizes of kids bikes and hook on trailers for little ones. The park is lovely for a walk/cycle/picnic. Within the park is Muckross Traditional Farm. We loved a wander round it. I’d also recommend a visit to Gougane Barra a few miles outside Cork. Beautiful lakeside location next to a forest park.

When are you thinking of coming? Are you planning to rent a car. Self catering places tend to book out quite early and or are crazy expensive. Cork and Kerry in particular can be very pricey. It might be worth considering having a base elsewhere and travelling to visit Cork and Kerry on day trips..

I have used Trident Holiday Homes a few times to rent places through out Ireland. They seem to have a good range of properties. Just check what is included or not included as I know with one place you had to bring your own towels or rent them.

I think Waterford is nice down the south of Ireland.

Would you consider a motorhome? We’ve done a few road trips through the south west, up the Wild Atlantic Way, through the midlands.

Another slightly off beat option is to look at student accomodation. It’s rented out in the summer - pretty basic bedrooms but the self catering facilities are very good

Don’t rule Co. Clare out of your accommodation search - tends to be a smidgen less expensive than Kerry and is absolutely beautiful.

A friend of mine always uses student accommodation and has had very good experiences with it. Another option is B&Bs, they tend to be substantially cheaper than hotels and while I wouldn't want to spend weeks in them, they can be a really good option for a night or two here and there. The welcome is usually warm, the owners have lots of local knowledge and the breakfasts will usually set you up for the day. My children and I stayed in one a few years ago in Mayo that we just stumbled upon - I wad doing an old school 'let's see where the road takes us mini-trip' - and it was great. Decor was very old fashioned but spotlessly clean and with a large and very fresh cooked breakfast, it was 70 euros for the three of us! That is probably somewhat exceptional but there are definitely alternatives to 200 euro a night hotels.

I’ve had a few great holidays in Corofin, county Clare. A mix of accommodation including campsite with a few self catering cottages included, B&Bs and other self catering accommodation . It’s a great little town with lively traditional music sessions in the evenings in the pubs. A few miles from the county town of Ennis and very close to the Burren National park and the beautiful cliffs of Moher. Day trips to Cork area doable from there. I love county Clare.

I'm laughing because I wrote an earlier post extolling the virtues of the Atlantic coast counties and forgot to include Clare. And I'm from there! It is indeed a lovely county and pretty accessible too if you fly to Shannon. And very easy to nip in and out of Galway city too.