Last year I got to go to the UK for work; I took a few extra days at the end and flew to Dublin, explored the city and Glendalough to the south. I loved what little of Ireland I saw and would love to see more. I get to go back to London the first week in April, so I'm tacking personal time to the end of the trip again.

I was thinking of flying from LHR to either Cork or Shannon to spend my 2 free days. I'd then return from Ireland back to the US. Any ideas or other suggestions?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: flesheatingvirus,

My bride and I went to Ireland a little over a year ago and we would go back in a heartbeat. We traveled all over central, western and Southern Ireland. We didn't see it all, but we saw a lot. Here were our highlights after s couple of days in Dublin:

Cong- The town where "The Quiet Man" was filmed. The town has changed very little since John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara filmed there more than 70 years ago. But you don't have to be a fan of the movie to enjoy the great beauty there. Ashford Castle, now a 5 five-star hotel on the shores of stunning lake Corrib, is amazing inside and out.

Ballyvaughan and the Cliffs of Moher- Ballyvaughan is a quaint town on the Atlantic Ocean, non-touristy, and within about 45 minutes or so of the Cliffs. The town has essentially no tourists(foreign) that we saw and smell boutique hotel where we stayed, Monks at Ballyvaughan, had a wonderful restaurant and tavern that was probably about as authentic Ireland as one can experience with the locals.

Burren National Park- Stark, striking countryside.

The Ring of Dingle- The day we went, it was too rainy and foggy to see anything, so I cannot comment on the Ring, but the town of Dingle was very touristy, crowded and trashy to me.

The town of Killarney and Killarney National Park. Beautiful.

Kenmare and the Park Hotel Kenmare- Beautiful town on Kenmare Bay and the most unbelievable hotel service we have ever experienced.

Blarney Caatle and Gardens- On the outskirts of Cork. Touristy, but if you want to kiss the Blarney Stone, this is a must stop. We were fortunate to be there on a rainy day in late September because there were no big crowds or long lines.

Rock of Cashel- Historic and impressive.


I could say a lot more, and will be glad to answer any questions. We saw a lot in 10 days, but we also missed a lot. We would love to go back. Some things we would skip and some areas where we would spend more time.


.

Edinburgh, Scotland was also just added to the possibilities.

We started in Shannon on a trip about 10 years ago. With the distance from town, got a rental car at the airport. The ‘cliffs’ are not far away.

A few highlights already mentioned were Kilkenny, including a Smithwicks brewery tour. The Blarney castle area was ok, I think worth a visit.

If down by Cork, the seaside town of Kinsale is well worth a visit.

https://www.kinsale.ie/

In the southwest, the town of Dingle is charming and you can tour the Dingle Peninsula. Kilarney is also very nice and the national park impressive. Further north is Galway, one of our favorite places in Ireland. Not far from Galway are the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.

With only two days, from past experience, don't try to see too much. We have spent weeks there over the years and have never come anyhere close to seeing everything we had planned.

TigerDore,
Email inbound, please check your spam folder.
s.

Go West and South.

Cork is the big city different that's different than Dublin; I always thought the girls in Cork were the most attractive . Nearby Kinsale has become the foodie capitol of Ireland. Fantastic, well executed seafood eateries at all price-points in an idyllic coastal-fishing community, just a pleasant setting where the weather can be quite mild.

Further Westward the Ring of Kerry provides a more rural-distant experience. Bracketed between the towns of Kenmare and Killarney in the Iveragh Peninsula, there's all manor of small towns, old fortifications, isolated monasteries, little hamlets and the pubs. You want that authentic Irish pub experience, this region has it. North of that is County Clare, which comes across as even more remote, its big man made feature being Shannon airport which has regular flights to/from the US. The Clifs of Moher is a pretty stunning sheer drop-off into the Atlantic, nearby is Doolin, a quant idyllic town known for its traditional music pub scene; all sorts of B&B's dot the landscape around town. Further north is Galway which is the big city on the West coast, it's also a university town which makes things livelier and not as stiff as other places.