I'm going to be studying in Dublin from January to May. Anyone have any suggestions on what to do/see in Ireland? I'll definitely be hitting up the UK and some of continental Europe (I'll be in Rome for a few days in March), so any advice on what cities/sights to see would be welcome also.
Basically all of Ireland is great, some of the most down to earth wonderful people you will meet. They are very family/community oriented and welcoming. I spend 3-4 months a year living in Ireland. Honestly rather than going to a specific city I suggest just exploring and meeting people, you will have a great time if you are at all adventurous.
blessington lakes outside of dublin is a pretty neat, especially on cloudy days (very moody). sitting up top and viewing it below is super relaxing. nice for when you want to get out of the city, but don't want to go too far.
The drive up the coast from Belfast to Bushmills was fantastic, plus you can hit the Giant's Causeway and the Bushmills Distillery. St. Patrick's Cathedral is worth seeing. Catch some folk music at a pub of an evening in Dublin. I enjoyed traveling on the continent when I studied in London. Travel is cheap if you aren't too picky on accommodations. Some highlights for me were: Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Bastogne, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv.
***thread bump*** im going to dublin in june for a friends wedding. ireland was actually never high on my list of places to visit, but after researching im already wanting to come back and go to the southwest/ring of kerry. ive got 3 days in dublin doing tourist stuff, then 2 days of wedding festivities. then im going to take a train to galway, spend the night there and then take a ferry to the aran islands (inishmore) and spend a night there. then head back to dublin and fly home. im pretty set on general itinerary, but looking for any tips yall got. id love to hear from someone who has actually been to the aran islands. is it worth staying overnight? how much hassle is it to get there from galway? has anyone been to bray? would that be a worthwhile daytrip while im in dublin? seems like it would be easy to get to by train. id also be interested in a daytrip to glendalough while in dublin, but i dont want to rent a car and im not sure how easy it is to get out there and back w/out one. if anyone has any other cool daytrips from dublin that dont require a car id be curious to hear them. im looking at staying north of the river and away from the temple bar area/loud party scene. but a 15-20 minute walk from there. any restaurants or pubs i should check out? the more traditional and old the better. im a musician so any live music recommendations would be appreciated too. aran islands are what im most excited about:
If you are a musician, looking for some traditional music, then I recommend the Cobblestone. It is as real as it gets. Musicians just coming in, jamming together. Flutes, accordians, fiddles, squeeze boxes, and more. The longer you stay, the more musicians you will see joining in and simply hanging out doing what they love. It makes the Temple Bar scene seem like Disneyland. Go for the real deal, and experience the locals simply doing what they do really well.
Daughter went last spring when she was studying in England. Met up with some friends for a weekend and they spent the day on rental bikes and felt like they saw enough just doing that. She does want to go back though. We met her after school was out and went to the Cliffs of Moher and saw all kinds of cool scenery just driving around between Dublin and the Atlantic. Dublin's a fun walking city and the library at Trinity College (Book of Kells) is a wonderful sight if you have any bibliophilic tendencies at all.
thanks! youre the 2nd person to tell me this so it's definitely on my list to check out. im staying near phoenix park so im actually not too far from there. and thanks also rimrocker
These pics are real grainy, but will give you an idea. Musicians of all sorts kept pouring in throughout the night as I was there. They have an area strictly for the musicians to gather.
Bray beach is much easier to get to than Glendalough by public transport, simply because the trains run there frequently. It is nice, but honestly, I would pick Glendalough myself. There is a bus service to Glendalough, but you wouldn't have the convenience of leaving after a couple hours if you simply saw enough or it started raining, and you were ready to leave. http://glendaloughbus.com/ I love Ireland, and spend a few weeks there almost every year. It is my serenity from the city. SInce I have friends there with transportation, I can't personally vouch for the following company, but all three of their different day trips around the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough are under 30 Euro. You could get to Glendalough this way, while also taking in a lot of the scenery you wouldn't get from a public bus. https://www.paddywagontours.com/tours
thanks. im actually planning to do one of those tours to glendalough. im really interested in seeing that ancient monastery. ill save bray for next time.