[mamelukesabre]

Do *NOT* kiss the blarney stone.

[Rodney King]

Do it yourself at travelocity.com

[StriperSniper]

PING!

[Lazy8]

I went there 7 years ago, I loved it! We spent time in Dublin and Cork but my favorite place was Dingle, yes Dingle. I wish I would have spent more time on the southwestern coast were Dingle is located. What ever you do try to spent most of your time on the western coast and bring rain gear! Yes the Blarney stone is a latrene!

[Deguello]

Pack and ship your own icechest of frozen meats. Offer the Tavern owner a steak for himself if he will cook it for you.

Yes, this can and is done. Check with Federal Express and UPS for shipping and exporting. They can take care of it.

[pasquale]

Have a great trip. Check out Newgrange near Drogheda in Co. Louth. It's a prehistoric religious site that outdates Stonehedge by a thousand years. Also, if you are planning a trip to the Aran Islands, go from Doolin in Claire near the Cliffs of Moher. Spend a night in Doolin listening to some great authentic Irish music. And don't neglect the North. Some of the prettiest sites are along the Antrim coast and in the glens up there.

But most of all, spend some time in the pubs and strike up a conversation with the locals.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Bump for reference, hubby wants to go there, too. Good suggestion about packing the frozen meat. We do that when we go to the Caribbean, freeze alot of food and check it as luggage. Not too sure where the beef and chicken comes from down there.

[Malesherbes]

Use Bed and Breakfast accomodations in private homes. The accomodations are first rate, the breakfasts are "full Irish," and you will get to know the warm, charming, and honest owners.

[diefree]

http://www.frommers.com/newsletters/europe/09-24-01/article1.html

go to above for some deals, it's dated 9/24/2001 though, also try www.sceptretours.com, my daughter just used their services a month ago.

[Consort]

Fly in an easterly direction and practice getting into brawls.

[Happygal]

OK...what do ye want to know? :-) Seeing as I'm living over here I'm not sure who you should book with, but best airlines in my opinion are probably Aer Lingus or Delta.

Where in Ireland do you want to go? If you are planning an east coast visit, fly into Dublin. But if you want to see the west fly directly to Shannon. (It's in Clare, the home of some of the best Irish traditional music, and some lovely sights on that coast). Of course, the country isn't that big, so if you hire a car you'll get around handily enough.

Accommodation wise, hotels can prove to be pricey (depending on the season), but B&B's are available in every hamlet in the country so they might be a more cost-effective option.

My advice is though...get out there and see the place. Try to avoid 'touristy' (rip off) spots. Go to old shebeen pubs off the beaten track and meet real characters.

Avoid Dublin (unless, you want to pay exhorbitant prices for everything). Cork is a nice city, as is Galway. Depending on the time of year you are coming there are also festivals in various parts of the country at different times.

Try get over to the east coast too. Wexford (where I live) has some beautiful beaches (when the weather allows you to visit). Kildare (in the Midlands) has terrific horse racing. There are also some of the finest links golf courses in Europe dotted around the coast.

~phew~ Have I done my bit for Bórd Fáilte (Irish tourist board).

If I can be of any further assistance, ping me or Freepmail me. I'd be happy to help. *S*

You can buy me a pint when you get here :-)

[jla]

By "book" the trip, are you thinking of escorted tours?
For some things that's a good idea, like the Ring of Kerry.
But since you're not going over for two years I'd suggest you get all the information you can and just read up on it. Then make a 'flexible' itinerary.

I think the best months to be there are May & September. Pleasant during the day and not too cool in the evenings.
Although Ireland isn't known for it's 'hot' weather, it can get in the 70's during the summer & air-conditioning just won't be found in the pubs, and the rental cars too. (Hotels are though).

I'd spend a day or two in Dublin, but ask someone at the Tourist Office, (they're in most towns), or the manager of your hotel what areas to 'avoid'.

I always fly into Shannon because it's a much more 'user-friendly' airport than Dublin & the ride to and from Shannon is nice. Take in Bunratty Castle & Folk Village just 10 minutes from Shannon airport. And a nearby town, Ennis, is a pleasure. Trad music in Cruises pub.

The S.W., Cork & Kerry, (Killarney is a tourist trap), shouldn't be missed. And Wexford town, (Co. Wexford in the 'sunny' S.E.), is one of my favorites.

[tdadams]

You posted this a while ago, but since you said you're planning for 2004, I'll go ahead and give you my advice.

I've not been there yet, but I'm going for three weeks in October. I'm a photographer, so I've spent a lot of time reading up and scoping out the most scenic parts. Here's what I can tell you now, and I'll give you an update after October when I get back.

Here's two big tips: Spend a lot of time on the west coast and rent a car. The scenery on the west is like nowhere else in the world and to get there, you can't rely on the bus or train. I'm flying into Kerry airport from London, picking up a car and then driving to the Dingle Penninsula. I'll spend 4 days there, then I'm going to Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, Ballyvaughan, Kinvara, Galway, the Aran Islands (a definite don't miss), and the Connemara region. After that I'm taking the train to Dublin to spend 3 or 4 days in the Temple Bar area of Dublin.

When looking for travel planning advice, go to http://groups.google.com and search the group rec.travel.europe. It's loaded with advice from thousands of people who've been there already. It's a surefire bet you'll find just about any answer you're looking for there.

If you're looking for pictures of certain places, again check out Google. They have a tab labelled "images" on the home page and you can find all kinds of photos by entering keywords (i.e. Dingle Penninsula).

Try not to see to much in too little time. Enjoy the experience and know that you'll come back again.

Do check out the pubs, they're lively and inviting.

When you hear people talking about crack and hookers, don't be alarmed... they don't mean the same thing there as they do in the U.S.