Ireland travel tips! With a 9 month old!
November 2, 2015 2:31 PM   Subscribe

I know nothing of Ireland. I've been reading past questions and asking the Internet. Will be landing in Dublin with SO and 9month old kid. Have car hired. Have 2.5 weeks. Need to be in Limerick for a work thing at some point but otherwise we can go anywhere driveable.

I am a crafter. We like the arts. We love food.

I'm after things we can do with a baby in tow.
Places to vist.
Things to see.
Places to stay (we'll airbnb it but if there's anything particularly great I'd love to hear about it!)
FOODS TO EAT.

Also: Sims and data plan recommendations?

Thank you so much!
posted by mooza to Travel & Transportation around Ireland (9 answers total)
 
When? This is crucial as it has already started pissing down and won't stop until May.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:37 PM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Ha! This month.
posted by mooza at 3:17 PM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Please go to Galway. It's a lively university town that has some kind of festival on at all times and has a laid back, creative vibe. Just over an hour's drive from Limerick.

We lived there when baby was 14 months old and pushing a stroller everywhere was fine. Most pubs have seating outside so you guys can have a pint without wrestling the stroller inside. The main street is pedestrianised and cobblestoned and beautiful. There are buskers every few metres all year round. If you'll be there over the cooler months, these will be better, the locals rather than the touring pros. The market on weekends is lovely but busy so maybe baby in a carrier. It's all carrots with dirt on them, loose eggs that you carton yourself, handmade crafty stuff. The river has fish and seals that steal the fish you catch and lots of swans. Eat McDonagh's fish and chips by the river. There's a couple of great second hand clothes shops on the high street but also pretty much every big brand as well if you like shopping. There is often great stuff on show at the library. I saw the most amazing quilting exhibition there. Stunning. Goya's for lemon meringue pie. Rainy rainy days, take baby to the aquarium or the pool with the pirate ship.

We were last there a few years ago and there were zero airbnb options. We stayed at the Jurys Inn at one end of the high street. Nice clean rooms, very convenient. It has a carpark underneath for guests. You'll be able to walk to pretty much everything you want to do/see in Galway but it's a great base for driving around the beautiful commenara moonscape and some of the beaches along the coast.

At the end of Cappagh Rd, there is a big park where we loved wandering with our baby. Wild berries and flowers. I don't know when you are going but if your bub is upright by then, it'll be nice to factor in some places they can wander freely.

If you can, get the hotel or someone to find you a babysitter and definitely go to a few bars in the evenings. The atmosphere and music is great.

And I only lived in Galway but I assume it's the same everywhere in Ireland...if your baby is drinking cow's milk, you will be happily surprised by how much milk everyone drinks and how it is served everywhere, pubs to fast food places, big glass of milk is a normal drink option. We didn't have to bring all the bottles etc with us anywhere. My daughter just drank chilled milk with a straw.

I don't know where you are from but in case you do not understand Irish drizzle: You can't wait for the rain to stop or only go out on a dry day. Bring a raincover for your stroller and lightweight/compact wet weather gear for grown ups. Those tiny umbrellas that fit in your purse or mac in a pacs are for Ireland.

Enjoy!
posted by stellathon at 3:24 PM on November 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


This is actually a great time to visit because it's the dead season; all of the warnings about "overrun with tourists" don't apply.

Most important thing to know: all babies are welcome in all pubs at all times before 9 PM. All babies are welcome in all restaurants that are not in Dublin and are not posh at all times.

Limerick is a hellhole. Plan to get in and out as expeditiously as possible. You might consider doing the Wild Atlantic Way (here is the actual route) with a planned stop mid-way for Limerick. If you start in Cork, you can just go up as far as you like and there will be plenty of roads to take you back to Dublin.

This will take you via the Ring of Kerry, which is popular because it's varied and pretty. We stay on the Ring each year in this cottage, if you wanted to stay somewhere for a few days on your journey.

Otherwise, consult Dochara for information on each place along the way, Irish towns and cities, museums, etc. The information on travelling with children is great, especially if formula is part of your baby's diet.

Here is a super plan for a day in Galway. I would also recommend Cork (come see me!), where you can go to the Butter Museum and also take the world's custest train ride to Cobh, home of the Titanic Museum, or drive out via Fota Wildlife Park, which is fun. (Their vet is my dog's vet. Occasionally we get "Sorry, Pat is running late, he had to see to a giraffe.")

We are AWASH with excellent food and restaurants in this town: Cafe Paradiso just won Best Restaurant in Ireland. Fenn's Quay, Liberty Grill, Electric Cork, the English Market, Perry Street Market Cafe, Amicus, Market Lane are all excellent and I have taken babies to all of them.

Cork also puts you within a short drive of Kinsale, a harbour town and foodie mecca.

In terms of mobile and data, assuming you will first be in Dublin, you can go into any Three store or Carphone Warehouse in town and get a Three Pre-Pay Sim Only. For €20 you get unlimited data if your unlocked phone has 4G.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:47 PM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]


I live just up the coast from DarlingBri in Kenmare--She is spot on even if she lives in Co.Cork rather than the Kingdom (Co. Kerry). The things that I would add: In Ireland it always takes longer than you expect to drive from one place to another--add at least 15 minutes to every hour of expected drive time. Stay at least two consecutive nights on your stops. Don't try and see it all--half the pleasure of Ireland is savoring where you are. The coastal view just up the road is not a better view--it is just another wonderful view.. Hands down the West Coast is the most scenic part of Ireland. It is a good time to visit the "tourist" spots. This time of year some restaurants might only be open part of the week--particularly if you are in a tourist town. Check ahead. Cafe Paradiso is a must--forget any feelings you might have about vegetarian cuisine--It is absolutely superb, welcoming and comfortable. The restaurants in Kenmare are just as good, and I think better, than Kinsale. Three of the most scenic drives are the Beara, Kerry and Dingle Peninsulas--each has its own splendor--do not try and do all three. It is a lot of driving. Enjoy and if you are in or around Kenmare after 27 November send an email (profile)--coffee, lunch or a drink is on me--you might even get some solicited (or unsolicited) advice.
posted by rmhsinc at 5:36 PM on November 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks so much for the responses so far! If it helps, we're Australian - thanks for the rain heads up. Boy, now I'm wondering if I have to get winter mittens and such for the kid, I am woefully unprepared for cold weather in a baby context.

We'll be in Kilfinnane in Limerick for the work thing, and will take your word for it that the place sucks!
posted by mooza at 7:33 PM on November 2, 2015


Sorry! I thought you meant Limerick the city (hellhole) not Limerick the county (very pretty). Kilfinnane is an absolutely harmless and mundane market town surrounded by nice mountains.

I agree about Kenmare vs Kinsale; I've never thought Kinsale was all that but tourists seem to love it!

Don't panic about the packing. First of all, it is wet but mild. Second of all, remember you are coming to a fully-functioning 1st world country where people raise children all up and down the show. If you get here and it's too chilly for you, you can walk into a Penny's or a Dunnes or a Tesco anywhere in the country and solve this problem by acquiring fleeces and gloves and socks for an extremely small amount of money. (I'd be shocked if mittens were more than €2.)

But take heart -- I just checked this weekend's crop of "babies in prams" photos on my FB feed and none of them are mittened up yet :)
posted by DarlingBri at 8:38 PM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]


It's actually milder than usual for the time of year this month - like, it should average at 6 degrees but it's been 13-16 most afternoons. And that's even without the odd clear and sunny day! It's not quite glove or mitten weather yet, even though it is winter (in the traditional Irish calendar); haven't even seen any scarves or woolly hats. The rain, though... and the wind, it changes direction so often, you're better off with a good waterproof coat with a hood than a cheap umbrella.
posted by macdara at 1:01 AM on November 4, 2015


OK I have to tell you that I just came back from several days in Limerick, the county, and while it's not a hellhole it's pretty meh. The best things about it are:

1/ The Mustard Seed, which has great food and fantastic rooms, but isn't that baby friendly;

2/ Donerail Park, which has a playground, walks, garden, a historic house, deer all over the show, and a visitor center with a €4 sandwhich lunch that is the best deal in Ireland.

3/ The Grange Stone Circle, which is 12,000 years old and the largest stone circle in Western Europe. That's not what is great about them, though. What's great about them is that they're in a field. The field is owned by a man named Tim. To get to the stone circle, you cross a small lawn to get to a fence. The fence has a tin cup nailed to it. You can put in a donation for Tim if you wish.

You can then walk through the fence and enter the circle. You're free to wander around and touch the stones. You can also step in cow shit, as Tim's dairy herd grazes around the stones and uses them as scratching posts, too.

That's it. That's how the largest stone circle in Western Europe is run: by a guy named Tim with a tin cup and some cows.

When we were looking for the Grange, we asked directions at a pub. The landlady waved us up the road and cheerfully informed us "You can't miss it. There's a sign and plenty of parking."

There are two parking spaces. This is indeed plenty.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:22 PM on November 19, 2015


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