<p>I had an old thread on Ireland but I can’t find it now. We have been trying to get this trip off the ground for about 4 years now but now we finally have bought airplane tickets. We are going in early September flying in and out of Shannon. I would love to see the western part of Ireland- Donegal, Conemara, and the like. We won’t be hiking (dh’s bad knee) but we would like to see ruins, pubs, and life that is different than ours. I plan to stay in b & b’s and travel around in a rental car. I would probably plan on staying only one night at a place and traveling onward the next day. I know that travel is slower there but I would like to see as much as we can as who knows if we will ever be back. Any suggestions? Has anyone toured the northwest? Thanks all!</p>
<p>here are some suggestions:</p>
<p>1st night: Doolin. It’s on the west coast and the jumping off point to the Aran Islands and known for good music in the pubs in the evening. On the way, stop at the Cliffs of Moher. If you’re up to it that day, drive through the Burren. (or save for day 2).</p>
<p>Second night - Galway. Lots to see and do. Good food & architecture. </p>
<p>3rd night - Clifden. On the water with very fresh seafood. </p>
<p>That’s as far north as we got. We spent quite a bit of time in Kerry, including the Dingle Peninsula, which I would recommend. Again, great pubs and music and scenery. Not as crowded as the Ring of Kerry.</p>
<p>I agree with the suggestion of Doolin. It’s known for being a hub for traditional music and has wonderful pubs (esp. Gus O’Connors). You can walk all along the cliffs there but since someone has a bad knee, you should head a few miles down the road to the official Cliffs of Moher visitor center where there are wide, easy, paths to take along the highest parts of the cliffs. You can see the Aran islands in the distance here and Doolin also has ferries that go there (but that would be a whole day in itself).</p>
<p>I would also suggest driving through the Burrens landscape. It is very beautiful and spare looking and you could see the Poulnabrone Dolmen which is right off the road and has a little parking lot. It’s more than 5000 years old. The Burren perfumery isn’t too far away and they have a little garden you can walk through and a cafe with delicious homemade food. </p>
<p>On the road from Doolin towards Galway you may end up driving through “corkscrew hill”. We didn’t but we heard it was beautiful but harrowing, especially at night. Like Lombard Street in San Francisco but with two way traffic and tour buses! If it’s not on your map, PM me and I’ll find which road it’s on.</p>
<p>Galway is just wonderful but we hit lots of traffic heading into the city - this was in mid-October. Be patient and stay somewhere downtown so your H can walk around easily, it is quite a joy to be there! We ate at a place called Ard Bia (like Haute Cuisine in Irish) and it was quite good and right there by the river and the Spanish Arch. We stayed at the House Hotel which was just around the corner. </p>
<p>That’s as far north as we got but I’ve heard many wonderful stories about Connemara, the ring of Donegal and county Mayo. </p>
<p>Here’s a web site that is great for ruins, and you can search by type, by county, etc. </p>
<p>[Prehistoric</a> and Early Ireland @ megalithomania.com - Home](<a href=“Prehistoric and Early Ireland @ / - Home”>http://www.megalithomania.com/)</p>
<p>The only problem is many of them are on private property or off the road somehow. We looked for some that we couldn’t find. Others, we found by asking local people who were nearby. I highly recommend that!! People are very friendly and want to help, in one case a farmer tracked us down and told us to go visit a church ruin on his property (we had stopped our car across the street). “Don’t worry, the bull’s in the other field and it’s loooovely in there”. When we couldn’t find one place and told our B&b host that night he said, “why didn’t you go to the pub in town and ask for help?”. Why indeed!</p>
<p>The pubs are great too. They have so much life and really good food, everyone goes there to eat, drink, and be social and they are usually the most beautiful and most decorated buildings in town.</p>
<p>Pubs are the best secrets for quick lunches. You can get a toasted sandwich (cheese or ham & cheese were the typical options) and soup when they are open. (This was a novelty before panini presses and George Foreman’s but they are still quick and good).</p>