Hello!

I have traveled around Europe extensively but have never been to Ireland. My wife has always wanted to go so I'm finally taking her. We are in our early 20s and will be going the first few weeks of May. As this is an anniversary trip, I thought we might upgrade from our usual hostels and campsites to a self-drive tour. Anyone know if these things are worth the money or of any particularly good companies? Feel free to throw in pictures or recommendations of places to go. I'd love to hear some suggestions!

Hello,

One is unaware of your personal preferences, however, I would like to recommend a few places of interest for your anniversary trip.

* Galway - The city centre is delightful with a good range of shops and bars. Memories of sitting in Eyre Square and walking around the city centre are coming back to me. Venture out into Connermara to see the beautiful landscapes, natural scenary and the rugged coastline.

* Bundoran, County Donegal - This is a small coastal town with a pleasant beach. If the weather is unpleasant, there are several amusement arcades to keep one entertained or even enjoy a pint of guinness in a local pub!

* Belfast - This city has several places of interest eg: City Hall (centre), West Belfast (Falls Road and Shankill Road), Queens University and Botanic Gardens (South) to name a few. Outside City Hall, ask one of the taxi drivers to take you on a guided tour of West Belfast to view the murials of both the Republican and Loyalist communities; the artwork has to simply be admired. A day trip to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra or even to the picturesque coastal town of Bangor are also worth visiting. Ironically, after almost thirty years of secterianism, hatred and loss of human life, the people of Northern Ireland are some of the most warm hearted and friendly individuals one could encounter.

Unfortunately, one cannot recommend any hotels or B&B accommodation, however hiring a caravan/campervan sounds a superb idea. You would have greater flexibility in terms of what destinations one would like to visit.

Good luck with your travel plans. Please leave a post when you return from your holiday.

Finally, I would like to wish you and your wife a happy anniversary.

Best wishes



Kevin:-)

Please ignore nearly all of Kevin's advice.

1) He obviously hasn't been in Galway for many years and is nowhere near as idyllic as he suggests. However, Connemara is well worth visiting.

2) Recommending Bundoran is a little like suggesting to someone visiting the UK that they must take in Skegness, Rhyl or Filey! Avoid the place at all costs.

3)His comments about Belfast, which is worth visiting, are hopelessly out of date.

Seriously, you'll get a cheaper deal than fly-drive by looking for budget airline deals and then checking Auto Europe for car rental.

As for an itinerary, well it depends how long you have, but personal favourites include the Antrim coast road from Larne to Portrush, the whole of Donegal, Mayo for its wildness, Clare for its music and the Dingle peninsula.

Slán,

Seán

Hello Sean,

Please allow me to comment on your post:

The advice that I gave was based on many wonderful memories of visiting Ireland during my childhood and in fact, more recently. Remember, J Henley requested recommendations from travellers, not places that one should avoid!

I would also like to point out that one was in Belfast this year for five weeks, so to state that my information is "out of date" is simply laughable.

Overall, you have the right to disagree with my views, however, one feels that you focused too much on criticising my opinions and not enough attention was spent on making some detailed suggestions of your own. Your own itinerary was rather vague; bizarrely you suggest the whole of Donegal, so please remind me where Bundoran is......

Thanks



Kevin:-)

When is the Cork jazz fesy on this year? I would very much like to visit it again.Kool.