Ireland in Feb/March?

My experience is limited to one trip about 25 years ago, but some things won't have changed: Rent a car as small as possible. To get off the beaten path (somewhat), the West of Ireland, Connemara / Counties Clare and Galway, are stupendous, as is the Kerry peninsula, where people / tours drive the "Ring" of Kerry, a day trip you should start as early as possible. It takes a lot longer than the mileage would have you think, with all the stopping. But you can't get up any of the side roads in anything of any size, and after a few days in the stone-wall lined, 1 1/2 car wide country lanes, a BMW 3-Series seems "large." I found a pre-Celtic fort up a side road on the Ring (I drove it clockwise, which I think is reverse of the tour buses from Killarney. The Dingle peninsula near there is also great, with actual Irish (Gaelic)-speakers. The Cliffs of Moher and the scenery up in Galway are amazing, I went to the town of Cong because that's where The Quiet Man was shot, and that was a great decision--Ashford Castle, if you can get a booking, is sort-of in the movie at the credits (it was filmed partly on the grounds), and Cong itself was as charming as in the movie. My sister visited Ashford about 5 years ago, and it was still great (and they had falconry there). Many of the things on the Ireland calendars are in the West, the Cliffs, Kylemore Abbey, etc., and you can't drive 5 miles without seeing some sort of castle or ruin. Some of the lesser known castles are more interesting than the well-known ones. Just wandering down the roads will be very rewarding. There are some bigger roadways across the country if you just need to make time to get back to Dublin; I drove from Cork to Dublin in a day, driving from Cobh ("Cove," formerly Queenstown) where they do have a museum to the Irish end of the immigrations that ended in Ellis Island, and which has a memorial to the survivors of the Lusitania who came through there, also it was the Titanic's last port, in a day, also stopping in Waterford for a tour of the glass factory.

Expect to wait for sheep crossing the road in the countryside. I didn't see any roads great for spirited driving, but my sister was at the Cliffs and there was a Miata meetup, so maybe there are some somewhere. I'd be more interested in the scenery than zipping around. In the winter hopefully you'll avoid the crowds at the tourist locations, but stuff might not be open. Oh, and my rental was a stick, as they mostly were, and getting out on the road on the "wrong" side of the car and "wrong" side of the road after a 7 hour overnight flight from the East Coast was a bit disorienting, and after burning up the unfamiliar clutch a bit, my first stop was for a pint--the bartender, at 11 in the morning at a local pub not far from Shannon airport, was kind enough to ask me if I wanted a "glass" or a "pint." I think the savvy tourist would ask for one or the other rather than just a Guinness. I love museums, but I didn't really see too many besides the one in Cobh; the whole country is a museum. I stayed a few nights near the tiny town of Ballyvaughan in Clare, and there was a restored tower fort where we were the only tourists, and it's near the Burren, which is a unique glacial / rocky area with arctic and sub-tropical plants side-by-side, and pre-celtic artifacts. Getting lost / exploring and finding little churches or "high crosses" was the best part, as well as talking to the local Irish people, who were generally on the shy / quiet side, but quite friendly if approached. Bring a jacket, it will rain. Good luck!

 

Speaking of years, it took 12½ years from registering to making your first post, but it was worth the wait. Welcome to the discussion!

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Thanks, I guess I didn't feel I had anything worth sharing before now. There are always some interesting posts on here, so I may start contributing more. I have such fond memories of my trip to Ireland I figured it might be helpful.

 

I can echo the advice to get the smallest car you can. Do not be in a hurry. Get out with the people. Don't talk politics. Wear waterproof gear and a good pair of shoes as you'll be mushing around in water and mud. I'd be wary of the cheapest rental car deal. Have fun.