Questions about Ireland

sermonindex Nov 3, 2009

I have a few questions for those who have some expertise in knowledge when it comes to Ireland, Dublin, traveling, and touring.

For transportation within Dublin, is it best to use the bus, train or tram? And approximately how much money does one need to figure in for transportation within Dublin for five or six days?

Also, do you have any recommendations for touring in Ireland? We will have two full days for touring (not consecutive days) and I'm open to any suggestions one might have for neat places to go (probably more along the lines of scenic/historic).

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

~Joy

sermonindex Nov 4, 2009

Hi sister,

I haven't been to Ireland in a long time, and never to Dublin, so I've been researching the local transport options by following links online from google. There are good cross-border services by both coach and train, and the airports are well-connected to the nearest city centres and the other main city centre, by public transport.

Hopefully, an Irish person will answer your question about touring. I think the Irish coach service has day trips advertised on its website.

T

theopenlife Nov 5, 2009

Hello, Roniya. I visited Ireland in January '08. I don't know what your health is like, but within Dublin I was able to cross the metro area of the city, going from the train terminal to St. Stephen's green, in about twenty minutes on foot. There are numerous buses, but I only used them to leave the city.

As for touring, I recommend visiting Glendalough. (Glen-duh-lock) It is an ecclesiastical site dating to around the 600's, shortly after the first Christian missionaries came to Ireland from England. There were once families of believers living there for safety during Viking raids and persecution, as well as a hermit who lived in a cave (still extant) and taught those who came to see him. The location is gorgeous, serene, and features trails that lead to six ancient church sites, and even a Roman arch from earlier yet.

Glendalough is just a few hours from Dublin. The ride is beautiful. There is a bus that leaves St. Stephens Green twice a day I believe, and will bring you back in the afternoon or evening. Bus tickets were, I believe, $15. I don't think visiting Glendalough costs anything, but there is an An Oige hostel (An Oy-Guh) if you plan to stay the night. It's about $20 a night and 5 star. In fact, An Oige's are in several cities.

http://www.anoige.ie/

Here are some photos from my trip, if you're curious:

Glendalough:
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/2008/03/glendalough-ireland-day-2.html
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/2008/03/glendalough-ireland-day-1.html
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/2008/03/glendalough-panorama.html

Dublin:
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/2005/01/ireland-trip-08-dublin.html
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/2008/03/return-to-streets-of-dublin.html
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/2008/03/aer-lingus-wingtips.html

Ardee & Dundalk:
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/2008/02/ireland-trip-08-days-1-4.html

H

HeartSong Nov 5, 2009

Wonderful pictures. Thank you for sharing!

N

nasekom Nov 6, 2009

Hi.I've been living in Dublin for last 6 years.
It's probably best to use bus service in Dublin( www.dublinbus.ie ),but the city centre area is not huge and i personally prefer to walk.Also there's a Dublin Tour which could be handy.i'll give you a link. http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/cityTour.aspx
for outside Dublin the Wicklow county is probably the best.it's called the garden of Ireland,very beautiful.Also it's close enough to Dublin.Glendalough is worth visiting.We go to Wicklow mountains quite often(only about an hour's drive from Dublin).Galway area is another area i would recommend but it's further away from Dublin(about 4 hours drive one way i'd say).
and one more thing don't forget your raincoats,in case the weather gets back to normal :-) God bless.

T

theopenlife Nov 6, 2009

Thank you, HeartSong.

Nasekom, thanks for the info.

By the way, when I was there it rained 80% of the time, but always only lightly. Like Seattle.

sermonindex Nov 7, 2009

Thanks to all of you who have given advice. The information has been very helpful!

Thanks for sharing your photos, Michael. Glendalough really does look like a beautiful place. I hope it works out for us to visit there.

:-)