Advice for a single woman visiting Ireland in June

February 16, 2018 6:14 PM

I went to Ireland once 20 years ago - stayed with a friend and didn't have a car. Am alternating excited/nervous about being on my own for a week (Canadian friend joins for second half). Suggestions for helping me make the most of my time are welcome. (I fear I may already have too ambitious an itinerary).

Celebrating my 50th by going to Ireland this June. My keen interest is in prehistoric megaliths (stone circles, cairns, dolmens), and I've already mapped out ones I'd like to see. Because many are off the beaten track (if they aren't famous), I will be driving and staying in B&Bs. I have one week to spend on my own, roughly the North, including Northern Ireland. Then a friend will join me in Galway and we will tour the southern half.

I last was in Ireland 20 years ago, and couldn't afford a car, so did some day trips from Dublin via public transport, then train to Galway and Inishmore. Changes I am excited for: GPS and smoke-free pubs (especially hoping to find lots of sessions). But my info is out of date - for example, how far ahead to book B&Bs? When I was there last, you could do same day, but maybe it is different now with cell phones/internet/etc.

posted by obliquity of the ecliptic to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

A suggestion for an airB&B in Co Galway, right off the motor way into Galway city.They are near Athenry. We have stayed there and it is an amazing place. Bookeen Hall was an old abandoned church for many years, that has been remade into a home. It is beautiful and comfortable and the owners are great. The breakfasts are the best, lots of delicious natural foods including fruit bowls arranged into beautiful geometric designs, and homemade breads and cakes. You have your own room upstairs, and there is a common area shared with the owners who are really nice people. They have two dogs, it that is a problem. It was a plus for us, they are sweet gentle doggies. Look them up.
posted by mermayd at 6:17 AM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Schools in Northern Ireland break up for the summer holidays around the very end of June, and the first two weeks of July are traditionally when a lot of people take their main holiday, all culminating with a major public holiday on 12 July (albeit a potentially contentious public holiday). All of which is to say that timing your visit in June should help your experience, as the local summer holiday season won’t have started when you’re here. However if you know where you’re going to be on what dates in the north, it would be advisable just to go ahead and book your accommodation now, as the kinds of small b&bs you’re thinking of staying in will typically only have a small number of rooms. I live in NI; feel free to memail me with specific questions and I’ll do my best to answer!
posted by meronym at 7:10 AM on February 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Coming from wide open American highways, I found Irish roads to be unbelievably narrow. I spent a week driving around Ireland with two other gals, we had a very ambitious plan to drive all the way around the country that involved a fair amount of evening driving and assumed we'd be going 70 MPH the whole time. (What can I say, Ireland looks compact and we were young and stupid...)

Our first night of driving (Dublin to Waterford via Glendalough) was the single most terrifying driving experience of my life. Highways near Dublin and Waterford were fine but we were driving on two-lane primary/secondary roads in the middle, so everyone was still going 70 MPH only it was narrow, twisty, often unlit, and there were no dividers or shoulders. As soon as we got to the hostel and my heartrate returned to normal, we immediately replanned our week and chopped off the second half of our itinerary so we would not have to drive after dark again.

This was almost exactly ten years ago, the motorway network looks like it's expanded since then, but not that much and mostly in the south. If you're going off the beaten path and winging it, it's still something I'd keep in mind when figuring out your driving and lodging plans.
posted by yeahlikethat at 7:39 PM on February 18, 2018