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Ireland Travel Guide

Getting there:
The fastest ferry is from Holyhead with Irish Ferries. The Dublin Swift takes under 2 hours and for a little extra you can get reserved seating in Club Class with free refreshments (think wine, sodas, tea and coffee, pastries, crisps).

Tolls:
The road from Dublin ferry port to the city centre is a toll road, as are stretches of motorway radiating out from Dublin. Unless you are planning on doing lots of driving in and out, it's easier to pay as you go. This can be done in cash at most tollbooths, except for the ringroad which has to be done online like the London Congestion Charge or Dartmouth Tunnel.

DUBLIN

Hotel:
Radisson Blu St Helen's Hotel, Stillorgan
Despite being only 20 minutes outside the city centre, in a residential district, this has the look and feel of a country house hotel, with extensive gardens, beautifully furnished rooms, a conservatory bar and a nice breakfast offer. Buses 46A and 145 run from outside the hotel gates into town.
For a similar hotel a lot closer to the centre, try the Doubletree By Hilton, also on the same bus line.

Getting Around:
The Leap Card is Dublin's answer to the London Oyster card, which you can preload with money and use on buses, trains, trams etc. It can be bought in many places in the city centre, but closest to the hotel is Clark's Newsagent in Booterstown, at 87 Booterstown Ave. You pay a deposit but can get this back, along with any unused money, after your holiday by going online.
Top Tip: For a refund you need a bank account that accepts SEPA payments - many UK banks don't. Contact me for a handy free alternative.

Tourist Information:
There are two main Tourist Information Centres, one at 25 Suffolk Street for Dublin, and another at 14 Upper O’Connell Street covering the whole of Ireland.

Dublin Pass:
If you're in Dublin for several days, the Dublin Pass gets you free entry to the Guinness Storehouse, the Cathedral, a free Bus Tour, and some other stuff. It's up to you if you feel you will do enough of the listed things.
https://www.dublinpass.com/what-you-get/

Eating:

Le Bon Crubeen, Talbot Street (reservations recommended)
http://leboncrubeen.ie/
Recommended by a work colleague, Adam was particularly interested in the crubeens, which are pigs' trotters. They're not compulsory, there are many different meat and fish dishes, and divine desserts. Don't be put off by the neighbourhood which is safe but not comparable with the quality of the restaurant, which is bistro dining.

Beshoffs, O'Connell Street (near the Spire of Dublin)
http://www.beshoffrestaurant.com/
The best fish and chips in Dublin (though they have stiff competition), this family firm has a take-out downstairs and a restaurant upstairs.

Café La Cocotte, Kildare Street
http://alliance-francaise.ie/cafe/
In the French Cultural Centre, this authentic café has delicious soups, baguettes and hot dishes. Come for the food, stay for the old copies of Paris Match!

Sights:

Guinness Storehouse, St James's Gate
https://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en
This was recommended by everyone, and even if Guinness sounds disgusting to drink, it's still a grand day out. You can walk from the city centre, or take the bus or tram to St James's Church.
Top Tip: Book online even on the day of your visit, you get 10% off. Even better, in the summer season if you go before 11.30am you get student rates!

City Hall, Dame Street
http://www.dublincity.ie/dublincityhall
Enter through the city museum, to the left, and ascend the lift or staircase to the main meeting room. A fantastic ceiling dome, statues, and other decoration are worth a visit. Back in the vaults is a well-designed history of the city, looking at its people and its trade,

Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle
http://www.cbl.ie/
A large collection of manuscripts, paintings and books, acquired from Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe

Trinity College & The Book Of Kells, College Green
https://www.tcd.ie/visitors/book-of-kells/ Get there soon and prepare to queue, this is a big draw for coach parties and walking groups, you can buy tickets online

Irish Museum of Modern Art, Kilmainham Lane
http://www.imma.ie/en/index.htmHoused in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a fine 17th-century building, it has a varied collection of modern art from Ireland and abroad
It is near Heuston Station on the Red tram line, or there are plenty of buses from the centre of town

National Museum of Ireland
http://www.museum.ie/Home
This has 4 venues, each with an extensive collection. The first 3 are close to the centre of Dublin.
  • Archaeology, Kildare Street
  • Natural History, Merrion Street
  • Decorative Arts, Benburb Street
  • and Country Life, in Castlebar, County Mayo


AROUND IRELAND

County Kildare:

Newbridge Silverware
https://newbridgesilverware.com
Just outside Dublin is a factory and gift shop for an attractive and wide range of silverware, including gifts for weddings, births, Christmas decorations and more.

County Wicklow:

Avoca Mill and Tour
www.avoca.ie
In 1723 a weaving mill started creating Irish classics

Powerscourt Waterfall
http://powerscourt.com/waterfall

Glendalough
http://www.glendalough.ie/things-to-do/attractions/

Meeting of the Waters, Knockanode

County Tipperary:

Cashel
On the road from Dublin to Cork, this is a small town with a big rock. The Rock of Cashel is a limestone outcrop with medieval edifices, including a 12th-century tower and a Gothic cathedral, well worth a visit.

County Cork:

Cork
We stayed at the Cork International Hotel, which despite being on a business park next to the airport, was one of the most luxurious we have stayed in anywhere in the world. A lovely lobby and bar, spacious rooms, and handy for driving around. http://www.corkinternationalairporthotel.com/

Blarney Castle and Gardens
www.blarneycastle.ie
On a fine day, you could spend several hours walking round the impressive gardens. The Castle is a mixture of a Victorian tarted-up tourist trap, and some ruined battlements, but no real sense of history.

Cobh
This small coastal town is famous for being the last place Titanic made land. It was called Queenstown until 1920, and has an impressive cathedral, St Colman's (cue mustard joke), a museum in the White Star shipping offices (also an arts centre) and lots of places to eat, including Supermacs (supermacs.ie) an Irish fast food establishment purveying hamburgers. There is a pretty marina, sea views, and a ferry across a narrow stretch that takes 4 minutes and saves a long drive back to Cork.

County Kerry:

Ring of Kerry

County Clare:

Cliffs of Moher
cliffsofmoher.ie
West of Limerick is the Wild Atlantic Way, the whole west coast of Ireland going up past Castlebar and Sligo. A great place to walk and explore are the Cliffs of Moher which are such a tourist attraction the parking is very carefully controlled (and pricey). The cost of €6 per person covers parking, access to the modern Visitor Experience, well worth a visit, though the cliffs themselves are free to walk on. There are 3 viewing platforms and an observation tower,


NORTHERN IRELAND

Hotel:
Holiday Inn Antrim
M 2 Jct.1, Ballymena Rd, Antrim BT41 4LL
https://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/gb/en/antrim/bfsan/hoteldetail
We used this as our base for travelling round Northern Ireland, as it was only 30 minutes to Belfast city centre parking, and less than an hour to Giant's Causeway. Cheap, clean rooms, free breakfast.

Tourist Information:
You can get information about sights and tours from the office at 9 Donegall Square North.

Sights:

Titanic Belfast
http://titanicbelfast.com/
This is the must-see tourist attraction in town. You can easily walk from the centre along historic docks. Like any family-friendly attraction, it is heaving and hectic. Book tickets in advance at https://titanicbelfast.admit-one.eu/?p=calendar&style=titanic
If you want to see where the Titanic made its final landfall before its fateful journey, see below information on Cobh.

Giant's Causeway
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway
This is run by the National Trust, and they charge a lot to see it. Parking is usually £10.50 per person even before you see anything.
Our TOP TIP is get there one hour before the visitor centre closes, as you will not be allowed in, and so they can't charge you at all. You can then walk down to the Causeway for free and stay until it gets dark.
The visitor centre closes at: Nov Dec Jan 5pm, Feb Mar Oct 6pm, Apr May Jun Sep 7pm, Jul Aug 9pm
A tip for daytime travellers is, if there are a lot of you in the car, all but one get out before entering the car park, so you only pay for one person, and the rest can walk for free round the side of the visitor centre and down to the Causeway. You have to do the same trick on the way out too!

Enniskillen Castle
Wellington Road, Enniskillen
http://www.enniskillencastle.co.uk/visiting-us/
If you're driving through Enniskillen then stop off here to see an unbiased history of this part of the country. We normally hate "regimental museums" but this had a lot more to it.

Comments

Uni life abroad said…
Sounds like an amazing trip! Nice blog, Thank you for sharing us. I have taken admission in Triniy Collage. This blog helped me to visit in Dublin I am very happy to explore Dublin.

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