seeking (more) advice on ireland - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

frankgrimes · 08-29-2004, 04:53 PM

well, i've gleaned some helpful tips on travelling in ireland by searching this forum, but i thought i'd ask for myself. i'm planning a trip to the land on my ancestors, but not for some time. i'm not one for crowds, so i'm thinking next spring or fall to miss the july/august tourist season. i'm very interested in (ancient) history, ruins, stone rings, secluded, wild landscapes, walking and hiking, old time irish music and genuine irish experience. i'm thinking the west looks like it could provide what i'm looking for. i don't mind driving, so i think a rental car and hostels, b&bs look good. being a cheapass canadian, money is definitely a concern. any tips on what to see, where to go, where to stay, etc., etc. would be much appreciated. also any thoughts on whether spring or fall is better would be helpful. thanks in advance to you all.

homerhop · 08-30-2004, 05:04 AM

Ancient history, well no matter where you go here you will bump into something.
Ruins, The rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary would be one of the most known.
One not to far from me would be the rock of Dunamace, just between Portlaois and Stradbally.
The abbey in Castledermot had one of the biggest stained glass windows of its time, and there is also one of the high crosses in that village too.
You have the Giant’s Causeway in the north.
Glendalough in Wicklow is a must for every tourist interested in scenery and ruins.
Barren landscapes, well there is the burren in Clare; you have miles of stone and flowers that are found in the Alps there. There are some good places to go in Clare.
Trad sessions in any pub will give you a good grasp of old music, most towns will have a bar with a session going on, just ask around.

hotdogg · 09-01-2004, 04:18 PM

Last July we spent two weeks in Clonakilty, which is in the south of Ireland. We originally planned on traveling throughout Ireland and ended up spending the entire two weeks in the south, which is made up of small towns, farms and lots of churches & Pubs. There is History wherever you go! The local Post Office turned out to be an old church built in 1306. Have Fun!

frankgrimes · 09-02-2004, 07:51 PM

Thanks for the tips, I'll do some research on your suggestions. Any feelings on whether Spring or Fall is preferable?

homerhop · 09-03-2004, 05:05 AM

Fall. Alot more going on.Most people will be back in work after their holidays, so it wont be as busy.

Mephisto2 · 09-03-2004, 05:18 AM

If you are interested in ancient ruins, make sure to visit Newgrange. It's a restored passage grave that is over 5,200 years old. That makes it older than the Pyramids or Stone Henge.

If you can make it out west, try to visit the Aran Islands on the Atlantic coast. You will love Dun Aengus (The Fort of Aengus), an ancient stone-age fort perched on the side of tall cliffs, and surrounded by thousands of granite spikes as a defence works.

Those are the two sites that jump to mind. You'll love Ireland. Spend at least one weekend in Dublin. If you're looking for your ancestors, drop me a line. My father runs an Irish genealogy society. It's quite difficult sometimes though, as most of the Irish church records were destroyed during the Civil War in the 1920's. I'd be more than happy to put you in touch with the Irish Society of Genealogy though...

Mr Mephisto

the_marq · 09-03-2004, 05:58 AM

I just got back from Ireland last week. We spent 2 weeks there and had the time of our lives. Since all my photos are on film I will have to post as soon as I get them scanned. In the meantime the highpoints for me were:

1. The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. It's a damn fine museum and a great place to have a pint.
2. The town of Kilkenny. Great vibe in the downtown area and an impressive restored castle.
3. Cashel. SOmeone has already mentioned this one.
4. The Burren. On the west coast is a massive open plain of almost solid rock. Some of Ireland's oldest artifiacts (IE: Dolemens) can be found here.
5. The Antrim Coast. It's beautiful. We stayed in the town of Portrush and I can recommend a B&B if you are intersted.

More later....

homerhop · 09-03-2004, 07:45 AM

Glad to see that you had a good time here, hope the locals were nice to ya.Did you venture over around Galway at all?
Did you watch any of the local sports here?

the_marq · 09-03-2004, 09:07 AM

We did go to Galway. I was disappointed that Eyre Square was torn up, you see my last name is "Eyre." However I did have a good time in a few of your pubs, and McDongah's Fish and Chips was great.

Next time I got to Ireland I am definately going to a Hurling match. I saw it on TV a couple of times and it looks really cool. There is definately a link to Hockey (I'm Canadian) there. I'm surprised I had never heard of Hurling before, oh well I guess that's why I travel.

slainte!

frankgrimes · 09-19-2004, 08:18 PM

thanks marq and mr m., your suggestions are just the sort of thing i'm looking for. i am thinking of trying to get out to the aran islands if possible and the burrin of course, hopefully as much as the west as is reasonable, perhaps arriving and departing from dublin. before i go i'll have to talk to my dad, his mother was from cork, i'm not sure where his dad came from, i'll see what info i can gather before i bother you with geneology, mr. m. thanks again.

DJ Happy · 09-26-2004, 02:36 AM

Unless you go right in the middle of summer, you'll spend a lot of time wondering when it's going to stop raining. I like the look of Ireland, but it is a very dreary, depressing country when it gets light at 9, dark at 4 and rains incessantly. That's probably why most Irish can be found inside pubs drinking themselves into a stupor.

frankgrimes · 10-05-2004, 08:54 PM

well dj, im from vancouver, so i can live with some rain, but i'll prepare myself. I can always go somewhere sunny on my next vacation, I have Italy in mind...

Redlemon · 10-06-2004, 06:19 AM

I know you are talking about 'going it alone', but I can't recommend Mick Moloney's Irish Folklore Tours highly enough. This was a small bus tour (about 20 people), and we had private concerts every night. The first part of the tour was given by an archaeologist, the second by a sociologist, and the last my Mick, a folklorist/musician. Incredible depth of information and knowledge in these people. Not cheap, but very much not toursity.

iceburn · 10-19-2004, 09:35 AM

My roomates across the hall... housemates or whatever just got back from a road trip round Ireland in a Festiva. They said it was awesome. That's all I can say about that.

08-29-2004, 04:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
frankgrimes Psycho	seeking (more) advice on ireland well, i've gleaned some helpful tips on travelling in ireland by searching this forum, but i thought i'd ask for myself. i'm planning a trip to the land on my ancestors, but not for some time. i'm not one for crowds, so i'm thinking next spring or fall to miss the july/august tourist season. i'm very interested in (ancient) history, ruins, stone rings, secluded, wild landscapes, walking and hiking, old time irish music and genuine irish experience. i'm thinking the west looks like it could provide what i'm looking for. i don't mind driving, so i think a rental car and hostels, b&bs look good. being a cheapass canadian, money is definitely a concern. any tips on what to see, where to go, where to stay, etc., etc. would be much appreciated. also any thoughts on whether spring or fall is better would be helpful. thanks in advance to you all.

08-30-2004, 05:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
homerhop Insane Location: ÉIRE	Ancient history, well no matter where you go here you will bump into something. Ruins, The rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary would be one of the most known. One not to far from me would be the rock of Dunamace, just between Portlaois and Stradbally. The abbey in Castledermot had one of the biggest stained glass windows of its time, and there is also one of the high crosses in that village too. You have the Giant’s Causeway in the north. Glendalough in Wicklow is a must for every tourist interested in scenery and ruins. Barren landscapes, well there is the burren in Clare; you have miles of stone and flowers that are found in the Alps there. There are some good places to go in Clare. Trad sessions in any pub will give you a good grasp of old music, most towns will have a bar with a session going on, just ask around. __________________ its evolution baby

09-03-2004, 05:05 AM	#5 (permalink)
homerhop Insane Location: ÉIRE	Fall. Alot more going on.Most people will be back in work after their holidays, so it wont be as busy. __________________ its evolution baby

09-03-2004, 05:58 AM	#7 (permalink)
the_marq All hail the Mountain King Location: Black Mesa	I just got back from Ireland last week. We spent 2 weeks there and had the time of our lives. Since all my photos are on film I will have to post as soon as I get them scanned. In the meantime the highpoints for me were: 1. The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. It's a damn fine museum and a great place to have a pint. 2. The town of Kilkenny. Great vibe in the downtown area and an impressive restored castle. 3. Cashel. SOmeone has already mentioned this one. 4. The Burren. On the west coast is a massive open plain of almost solid rock. Some of Ireland's oldest artifiacts (IE: Dolemens) can be found here. 5. The Antrim Coast. It's beautiful. We stayed in the town of Portrush and I can recommend a B&B if you are intersted. More later.... __________________ The Truth: Johnny Cash could have kicked Bruce Lee's ass if he wanted to. #3 in a series

09-03-2004, 07:45 AM	#8 (permalink)
homerhop Insane Location: ÉIRE	Glad to see that you had a good time here, hope the locals were nice to ya.Did you venture over around Galway at all? Did you watch any of the local sports here? __________________ its evolution baby

09-01-2004, 04:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
hotdogg Crazy Location: NYC Metro Area	Last July we spent two weeks in Clonakilty, which is in the south of Ireland. We originally planned on traveling throughout Ireland and ended up spending the entire two weeks in the south, which is made up of small towns, farms and lots of churches & Pubs. There is History wherever you go! The local Post Office turned out to be an old church built in 1306. Have Fun!

09-02-2004, 07:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
frankgrimes Psycho	Thanks for the tips, I'll do some research on your suggestions. Any feelings on whether Spring or Fall is preferable?

09-03-2004, 05:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
Mephisto2 Junkie	If you are interested in ancient ruins, make sure to visit Newgrange. It's a restored passage grave that is over 5,200 years old. That makes it older than the Pyramids or Stone Henge. If you can make it out west, try to visit the Aran Islands on the Atlantic coast. You will love Dun Aengus (The Fort of Aengus), an ancient stone-age fort perched on the side of tall cliffs, and surrounded by thousands of granite spikes as a defence works. Those are the two sites that jump to mind. You'll love Ireland. Spend at least one weekend in Dublin. If you're looking for your ancestors, drop me a line. My father runs an Irish genealogy society. It's quite difficult sometimes though, as most of the Irish church records were destroyed during the Civil War in the 1920's. I'd be more than happy to put you in touch with the Irish Society of Genealogy though... Mr Mephisto

09-03-2004, 09:07 AM	#9 (permalink)
the_marq All hail the Mountain King Location: Black Mesa	We did go to Galway. I was disappointed that Eyre Square was torn up, you see my last name is "Eyre." However I did have a good time in a few of your pubs, and McDongah's Fish and Chips was great. Next time I got to Ireland I am definately going to a Hurling match. I saw it on TV a couple of times and it looks really cool. There is definately a link to Hockey (I'm Canadian) there. I'm surprised I had never heard of Hurling before, oh well I guess that's why I travel. slainte! __________________ The Truth: Johnny Cash could have kicked Bruce Lee's ass if he wanted to. #3 in a series

09-19-2004, 08:18 PM	#10 (permalink)
frankgrimes Psycho	thanks marq and mr m., your suggestions are just the sort of thing i'm looking for. i am thinking of trying to get out to the aran islands if possible and the burrin of course, hopefully as much as the west as is reasonable, perhaps arriving and departing from dublin. before i go i'll have to talk to my dad, his mother was from cork, i'm not sure where his dad came from, i'll see what info i can gather before i bother you with geneology, mr. m. thanks again.

09-26-2004, 02:36 AM	#11 (permalink)
DJ Happy Psycho	Unless you go right in the middle of summer, you'll spend a lot of time wondering when it's going to stop raining. I like the look of Ireland, but it is a very dreary, depressing country when it gets light at 9, dark at 4 and rains incessantly. That's probably why most Irish can be found inside pubs drinking themselves into a stupor.

10-05-2004, 08:54 PM	#12 (permalink)
frankgrimes Psycho	well dj, im from vancouver, so i can live with some rain, but i'll prepare myself. I can always go somewhere sunny on my next vacation, I have Italy in mind...

10-06-2004, 06:19 AM	#13 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	I know you are talking about 'going it alone', but I can't recommend Mick Moloney's Irish Folklore Tours highly enough. This was a small bus tour (about 20 people), and we had private concerts every night. The first part of the tour was given by an archaeologist, the second by a sociologist, and the last my Mick, a folklorist/musician. Incredible depth of information and knowledge in these people. Not cheap, but very much not toursity.

10-19-2004, 09:35 AM	#14 (permalink)
iceburn Tilted Location: CT	My roomates across the hall... housemates or whatever just got back from a road trip round Ireland in a Festiva. They said it was awesome. That's all I can say about that. __________________ ... and shit.