First trip to Ireland

My wife and I are wishing to spend a week in Southern Ireland sometime in September, Subject to COVID restrictions easing. We were thinking of staying in a holiday cottage and wondered where would be a good base for exploring the coast and countryside. We will have a hire car but didn’t fancy a road trip and would rather be based in one area. Any helpful suggestions on where to start for a taster week? Thank you.

Hello Cliff,

It is great to hear you and your wife are coming to the island! There are lots of things to see and do in southern Ireland, and the distances between places are not too long, so the idea of choosing a base to explore is a good one. I would recommend staying in Dingle due to its proximity to most of the attractions in the southwest of the island (the Slea Head drive starts here!) and the town itself has lots to offer. However, other good choices are Killarney, which the starting point to the Ring of Kerry and is more central than Dingle, or Kenmare, located between the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara peninsulas. 

On our accommodation page, you can find some suggested stays. Have you already thought of some of the places you want to see in this part of Ireland?

Have a great day,

David

Hi David
Thank you for your helpful reply.
We hadn’t thought much about where we would like to visit yet as our stay all depends on the COVID rules being relaxed especially the current requirement to quarantine for 14 days! However I have a good map of the areas you mentioned and we will focus on finding some self catering accommodation and start looking in detail at the areas you mention.
Many thanks.
Cliff

Hi Cliff,

It's great to hear that you are planning to visit Ireland when the time is right, which we hope will be very soon. Further to David's reply, I would recommend that you keep an eye on the Traveller Health page for all the latest information regarding COVID-19 and travel to Ireland.

All of us here on the island are looking forward to welcoming you both soon!

Regards,
Eoin

Many thanks Eoin. We are very much looking forward to our trip. I was last in Ireland some 48 years ago, staying at Carrick on Shannon for the fishing- so well overdue for another visit!
Best wishes

Cliff

Hi Cliff,

I hope that you have an amazing time in Ireland and create some wonderful memories. 

Regards,
Eoin