I am doing my Solo Travel, I choose Ireland this August for 7 days, planning doing Belfast, Dublin, Galway and Cork, but what is reccomended to spend more time and tips/opinions in general of Ireland ?
Traveling to Ireland
I am doing my Solo Travel, I choose Ireland this August for 7 days, planning doing Belfast, Dublin, Galway and Cork, but what is reccomended to spend more time and tips/opinions in general of Ireland ?
OP I just don't like you no more is all.
Look at a map of the country and draw a line from Galway to Dublin. Pick either the top half or bottom half, especially since you only have 7 days. Dublin can be done in a day or two.
When are you going? What sort of things do you want to do or see? Will you have a car?
Misread, didnt see where you said August. Anyway I'd reccomend either Dublin to Galway, Connemara,the Aran Islands and Clare, or Dublin to Clare, Killarney, and Dingle. Cork is forgettable and Belfast is not that great unless you are interested in the Troubles and want to do a black cab tour. They do bus tours from Dublin where you could hit that and the Giants Causeway. Also I would reccomend Glendalough if you decide not to go down to Killarney which is a busy spot for tourists in the summer.
yeah , with thorough thought, Dub-Gal sounds more resonable for a first time travel
Been all over the island except the northwest. Don't spend too much time in Dublin, not much to see and it's fricking expensive. I recommend going to Killarney or to Dingle or something for some smaller town stuff. Belfast has the best nightlife of any of the cities IMO.
Giant's Causeway was underwhelming, Cliffs of Moher much better.
Hostels tended to be in either inconvenient places or bad parts of town. Also, you can find private rooms or even budget hotels for slightly more money than a dorm costs.
I want to explore the classic stuff like castles , Cliff of Moher, the hexagonal stones, I'll not have a car since I don't drive stick and my fear of doing a Matthew Broderick so I'am comfortable doing bus or train
Take the train to Galway, it's much nicer than the bus. If you take the Rossaveel ferry to Inis Mor or Inis Oirr I think you'd love it, lots of ruins and that type of thing. Stay overnight on one of those islands and you'll feel like you have the whole place to yourself after the tourist ferries leave. There are Cliffs of Moher tours from Galway you can do. You could take a trip up to Cong in Co. Mayo or Clifden from Galway to see castles and ruined abbeys as well as some nice countryside and villages.
>doing a Matthew Broderick
Thanks man, I appreciate the sentiment.
Things to know.
It's expensive here, think Japan expensive not Norway expensive. We are in the middle of a "living expenses" and "housing crisis" so they are a little bit worse than usual.
If you travel to NI, you will notice things are a little bit less expensive, but remember it's a different currency there.
Without a car, transport is BAD. Going long distances from town to town can require you to go through dublin. Example: To get from Dundalk to Sligo is a 6+ hour trip and the bus routes go through Dublin.
Try Dublin, as soon as you are tired of Dublin, leave and don't come back until you need to get to the airport. Dublin can be charming to newcomers but eventually you will see it's an exhausing city plauged with homelessness, drugs, youth crime and "diversity". It's fairly safe though, just take the usual pickpocket precautions for tourists. Similarly, Belfast has its rough spots but for tourists you are pretty safe.
You want to see "hexagonal rocks" so that's pretty much only in one place.
You want to see castles - keep in mind that a lot of "castles" are actually just small towers and not all impressive like in Game of Thrones.
We don't get a lot of sun, but recently August has been fairly summery. I would say that the start of august will be reasonably warm, but end of August will be be cold.
Avoid the midlands unless you care about archeology or want to see something specific - pretty boring. Mountain areas and coastal counties generally have more interesting things to see. Despite being able to travel anywhere in less than one day, you have limited time so doing a full tour of the country won't be feasable.
Things to google:
>Skellig Michael
>Killarney National Park
>Gougane Barra
>Adare
>Carlingford
>Castlewellan
>Montalto Estate
>Farmleigh House
>Castle Ward
>Lough Erne
>Without a car, transport is BAD
>Going long distances from town to town can require you to go through dublin.
To cement my statement on this, a reddit comment from today
https://old.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/1379naz/dublin_is_worst_capital_in_europe_for_public/jisxjzl/
Actually I just remembered, to use public transport in Dublin you need a leap card, which can be a confusing process. City busses/trams don't take cash or bank card.
You can take the tram just by getting a ticket though the kiosks if I remember correct? Unless that's changed in the last seven months.
The country used to have a good rail line was what a Tinder slag I banged told me, but now the intercity rail line makes fricking zero sense. There is no north-south line on the west coast, meaning if you want to get around by rail you always have to double back and take two or three times longer than it should.
>You can take the tram just by getting a ticket though the kiosks if I remember correct?
I can't remember. I drive, but did use the luas once a couple of years ago. I have a leap card but it was a very confusing experience. The place you tap the card is a tiny little bollard outside the tram stop and it was only after watching people that I figured it out.
>The country used to have a good rail line
This is actually really true. After cars became popular they closed the rails because they didn't see them as remaining profitable. All the old stations are now repurposed into tourist information, and the lines are now greenways.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_tramways
The biggest shame is that we had some really futuristic shit, from electric to "atmospheric". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalkey_Atmospheric_Railway
You can still see the remains of that one in Dalkey today.
Today, Dublin only have 2 tramlines that are barely even connected.
Interesting about the atmospheric railway, never knew that was a thing
what is there to do in donegal
Sliabh Liag cliffs, twice as tall and nowhere near as touristy as Cliffs of Moher
Glenveigh National Park
Grianan of Aileach
Gaeltacht towns like Gweedore
Lots of beaches
Where should I go for a day trip outside of Dublin? I can get a car. I want to see prehistoric sites, nature, Celtic shamanism stuff. I also want seafood. Best oysters I had were in the market in Cork. I could possibly stay overnight - would camping be an option in August? I would have to pick up camping gear or bring it on the plane. Rental cars are too small to sleep in.
Thanks for all the recommendations. I'm considering the national park but that's an overnight stay from Dublin. I have no interest in seeing cliffs again. I love hood tours in the US - we have the scariest hoods. I checked out the Dublin ones mentioned above, no comparison to the shitholes we have here.
>prehistoric sites
Newgrange - take the Mary Gibbons bus tour
>Nature and ruins
Wicklow/Glendalough
>Oysters
Dunno I don't like seafood. Maybe Howth.
>prehistoric sites
Newgrange
>I also want seafood. Best oysters I had were in the market in Cork.
Carlingford. Carlingford lough is one of the few places in ireland to still have sewage pumped into it. Other than being obviously disgusting, oysters thrive in it and the local oysters are among the best in the country. They are "fixing" all this now though so in 5 years time oyster business in Carlingford is going to be destroyed.
>would camping be an option in August?
Generally yes, it will be getting cold at the end of august though. Plenty of campsites you should research first though as they are generally better than a random field.
The general area has some castles and great views so not a bad place to go for a day in general.
Newgrange seems to be the place. I might even camp there.
I don't understand how you can dislike oysters, literally a taste of the ocean. It doesn't make any difference that they are bottom feeders, any toxin in the ocean is going to make its way throughout the food chain anyway. You might as well not eat fish then. Ireland has some of the best seafood in the world, probably comparable to Japan (in its fresh, raw state, not the way they prepare it).
Thanks for the tips anyway
>I don't understand how you can dislike oysters
I didn't say oysters we disgusting, I was referring to the sewage.
Oh my bad.
The whole Boyne valley area around Newgrange is worth visiting. There's a neolithic landscape surrounding it, including Knowth and the Hill of Tara (although the latter isn't very interesting unless you're into archaeology), plus a bunch of medieval monasteries and castles nearby.
That's the stuff I want to experience. I'm a hippie like that. Feel the energy, or some shit. Plus I'll be going with two shamans, they'll love it
Donegal is beautiful but there's not much to do. It's also fairly poorly connected so its a pain to get to without a car but if you're planning to see Belfast and the Giants Causeway you should get the train from Belfast to Derry which is a good experience on it's own and Once you're in Derry you can either stay there and day trip to Donegal or take a bus from there to connect
Every car rental place has automatics
As an Irishman from the north, I can't comment on the usual places that are recommended to tourists as they are all in the south west and I have never been. Generally speaking, if you want the authentic Irish experience, you need to stay west and get out of Dublin ASAP. One day there is probably enough. You could consider heading to Mayo. Westport is a very nice town and is only an hour from Galway. It's also close to Achill Island, where they filmed The Banshees of Inisherin. Keem Beach on Achill is easily the most beautiful beach I've been to. Sligo and Donegal are very nice as well, but are quite far north, so you probably need to commit to staying north if you only have 7 days
>Irishman
>North
Why are hotel prices in Dublin absolutely obscene 365 days a year?
Ireland is a rip off in general but they are particularly bad now because 1/3 of all hotel and BnB beds in Ireland are being used to host """"""refugees"""""
what about refugees ? is it Paris Bad or is it minimal ?
Some small towns are now 30% refugees and they are struggling to handle it.
https://www.oceanfm.ie/2023/02/01/ukrainian-refugee-numbers-double-bundorans-population-community-links-officer-appointed/
I live next to one such town, personally I haven't see many issues but heard lots of rumours.
In Dublin, you will see <50% irish out in the streets during the evening.
You need to really be careful relying on hostels. Hostels are usually only in bigger towns (of which I can probably count on my fingers), but those towns also have homeless problems meaning the hostels can be full or hard to get if you don't plan it. Expect the price to be double that of mainland europe. There are a few "glamping" sites around that can be cheaper than a B&B but will be more expensive than hostels.
If you are extremly adventurous and good at socialising you can go to a pub and make friends quickly, you might get some free beers and a place to stay - genuinly good hospitality here and at least one person in a village pub will happily let you sleep on the couch if you aren't a gowl.
Doing my own research it seams that I can go far as long I respect the ''rounds'' tradition and don't sperg out and be on Normal Mode
not planning doing Hotels, but doing Hostels, what can you tell me of that ?
Can anyone recommend some non-tourist thing to do in Dublin in August? I have a few days free there during a conference. I have been to Dublin several times and seen all the tourist stuff. Interested in doing things the locals do.
Not really sure if it's touristy or not since I went during covid and the lack of tourists may have been just due to that, but you can hop the train to Howth if you haven't been there before. Spend some time on Ireland's Eye and do the cliff walk.
Shop at Lidl, go to McDonalds, and complain about housing prices
You are asking a difficult question becuase most things in dublin are touristy. Small list for you to look up.
Quirky:
>Dunsink Observatory
>Tog Hackerspace
>The RAGE
Explore:
>Bull Island
>Howth
>Dalkey
>Phoenix Park
Shopping Centers/Retail Parks:
>Dundrum
>Blanchardstown
>Tallaght
>Airside Retail Park.
(There are some interesting places to eat close to these so research them.)
Venues:
>Laughter Lounge
>Whelans
>Button Factory
>The Academy
>Leopardstown Races
Personal Favourites:
>Peruke & Periwig
>The Counter, Dundrum
>Eddy Rockets (Anywhere)
To make an extreme generalisation, the city is split into north and south by the liffey and the south tends to be posher and have less crime. The postal regions in the south are all even numbers. This is a handy clue for what the area is going to be like, Dublin 4 is posh, Dublin 7 is rough. In saying that, there are notible exceptions. Be very wary of:
>Clondalkin
>Crumlin
>Tallaght
Map to accompany it
https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/dublin-areas-to-avoid/
OP here, when you say that, you mean those are the No-Go Zones for tourist ?
Yes, sorry if I didn't make that clear. If you click the link you can see they were mapped out by food deliver drivers who learned this from experience. If you end up in these areas, just take extra caution, avoid at night time though.
There's no reason to go there as a tourist. I lived in Cabra near LUAS and it is considered a rough area, but you'd never end up there as a tourist. It's just ugly and full of chavy kids. There's really nothing to do there anyways. You get the same plus crackheads in the city center anyways.
Yeah I linked that for the guy who wanted non touristy information. I know myself I like to adventure into shitholes.
Interesting shitholes are cool. Most of Dublin suburbs are ugly buildings interspersed with occasional crappy takeaway, Centra and dodgy off license.
most of those are just boring working class suburbs, none of them are especially dangerous, but nor would tourists have any reason to visit them
Excellent than you
If you have a few days but dont want to go too far leave Dublin and go to County Wicklow or Wexford. Wicklow mountains, Seal rescue centre in Gorey, Courtown woods nearby, Wexford town, Hook lighthouse, Irish national heritage park. There will be some t
ourists in those places but that's everywhere in Ireland worth seeing. Although not many green busses full of Americans wearing flat caps and Germans with hiking poles (except at Glendalough).
If you have a few days but dont want to go too far leave Dublin and go to County Wicklow or Wexford. Wicklow mountains, Seal rescue centre in Gorey, Courtown woods nearby, Wexford town, Hook lighthouse, Irish national heritage park. There will be some tourists in those places but that's everywhere in Ireland worth seeing. Although not many green busses full of Americans wearing flat caps and Germans with hiking poles (except at Glendalough).
If you're interested in history one thing a lot of Dublin tourists miss is the Glasnevin cemetery tour and you get to go up the tower Daniel O'Connell is buried in. There's a good very traditional pub by there called Gravediggers. Also the botanic gardens nearby there are phenomenal, even if you aren't a plant person they are very well done and it's a good place to relax and free.
Surprisingly good thread
Highly recommend visiting Rathkeale Co. Limerick then in Dublin break off from the normal tourist spots and go into D12 see places like Ballymun Ballyfermot Must see is the Cherry Orchards in D12. you’ll be able to beat the tourist hordes like this
OP here, been hearing alot of the "Hate Speech Law"that has entered in efect , sooo should I keep my nose clean during the whole trip , cuz I've being hearing that they can look at your phone for shitty memes and use them as a "thought crime" asking so I can purge my gallery
Irishgay here, home from London for the weekend. From Louth originally, lived in Dublin for 3 and a half years. I broadly agree with what everyone has said so far.
The thing about Ireland is that, if you get lucky and the weather is good, it's one of the most beautiful contries on earth especially when it comes to nature. Dublin city center is pretty grim with prices, but it's the central transport hub. An hour on a bus can get you to a stunning day trip location.
>Glendalough: a glacial valley with the ruins of a medieval monastery and town
>Hill of Tara: a manmade neolithic hill with a view of the entire middle of the country
>Wicklow Mountains/Powerscourt: rugged mountain views and forests
>Howth: seaside peninsula with, you guessed it, views of the Irish sea. Great fish market too
To name a few.
Mostly I'd say you should avoid the north side/O Connel street at night (it's a bit dangerous and just all round grim) and absolutely do not drink in Temple Bar. It's a total ripoff and literally any other bar 5 minutes away from it is better in every way. I'd recommend The Long Hall if you want a classic Irish pub.
There's also a lot of good food these days. Traditional Irish food is just not great, but you can get a good continental meal almost anywhere.
If you want some REALY amazing places to see outside Dublin, Knocknarea in Sligo might be my favourite place to visit. Salthill in Galway is a good, more touristy choice too as you can do tours along the hills and cliffs in the day then come back for the pubs at night.
>Irishgay
>Home from London for the weekend
Checks out. Go back there
Learn a few of the invisible lines that separate communities in Belfast to minimise the odds if being jumped.
Americans can usually get away with it, but better safe than sorry
OP here, yesterday I was trying to buy my round flight tickets ,and it turns out my passport expired and the renewal take around 2-3 months from now, so I wont be able to buy ticketson time or in good price, sooo I guess I'll postpone my trip to January or February
I was considering Ireland at that time too since the plant I work in closes for two weeks of maintenance at that time. Although, I wasn't sure if it would be too rainy and dark in those months. I went in September and October previously and it was really nice, but I'm unsure about going in the middle of winter with the short rainy days.
Ireland has January weather like it's just about to snow, but never does. And then on the worst possible day you get snow but not the fun kind that is fluffy and you can play about in. Quite often it will just decide to snow on St Patricks day in March for no good reason. As someone else said, it's pretty dark around this time and unlike the christmas season the shops are open less hours.
Most countries let you fast track an emergency passport for 100 euro or so. You should look into it.
How's the cooming in Ireland?
You need social skills to pick up an Irish lass. Easy if your normal an not some SighSee chud
I'm the anon I'm replying too. I forgot to mention it but I'm trans (mtf) hope that's ok lol
Guys this is getting out of hand...
Just got back. I actually can't believe how insanely expensive things have gotten. I literally spent more for an eggs benedict, coffee and brownie in my bumfrick town than I would in LONDON.
I don't know why the country has always been like this throughout history. You get the most beautiful land you'll ever see, mostly lovely, friendly, chatty people who make you feel welcome within 5 minutes, and a sense of belonging and home that seems unique compared to other countries....but the living conditions, the politics, the day-to-day living is unbearable and somehow always finding new ways to get worse.
It is a nice place, but only to visit. I couldn't imagine living there. Its attractiveness is its downfall - everyone starts moving in, politics get more progressive. Although different in many ways, my hometown NYC is also nice to visit, sucks to actually live there. Liberals tend to eventually frick things up.
Will Ireland ever turn into a attractive place for Americans to retire? What would need to change
If they stopped having strict visa policies, i'd be there right now.
I was able to claim citizenship through my grandparents thankfully
Get ready for a lot of ninnies. Too much British influence has made them goofy. Just like Oz.