I'm thinking of taking my wife and two kids to south/west Ireland for a few days next week. Would like to squeeze in a couple of sessions while we're there. Other than Derry for our honeymoon 13 years ago I've only been over a few times with bands, Donegal, Down, Kilkenny,Dublin and Waterford, but rarely get any spare time when I'm playing. Has anybody got any suggestions for a family friendly village. We're thinking of self catering. Quite fancy Cork or Kerry but am a bit clueless. Advice would be welcome.
Castlegregory on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula. There used to be good sessions at Natterjacks & just a short hop across the Connor pass to Dingle itself.
West Cork, and this time of year don't write off the Lakes, Killarney and the surrounding area. Winter time it is not so congested as in Summer. My preferences are not Dingle but south of there. The other 'ring', Valencia Island area, is much less of a tourist swamp... Yes, there are things to see around the Dingle Penninsula, but personally I prefer elsewhere. I used to love the place until it became swamped with bungalows and the profit hungry. You can always do a day trip or go over for an evening. Nothing is really that far away and the drives are beautiful, even when the roads are congested, as they usually are in the Summer, bumper to bumper around the Dingle...
The Beara is another possibility and in and around Bantry is a good place to center yourself for day and evening trips to sessions and dances... I also love this time of year because most of the 'local' things are in full swing, sessions, dances, classes, etc... ~ as opposed to those for 'tourists'... Kenmare is another central option you could consider. The mackerel caught off the coast is lovely, especially with potatoes, crushed or mashed...
There are probably more 'foreigners' on the Dingle than regulars anymore, and I include city folk in that and 'retirees' escaping to the countryside, from, Dublin and Cork and ~ all those bungalows that from a distance look like heaps of seagull shight to me...
I'd recommend Kenmare. Easy access to the Beara peninsula and the Ring of Kerry. Stunning scenery. Kenmare's small enough to walk round in 20 minutes or so but has everything you need. Try Crowley's Pub in Henry Street for excellent sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays.
I agree with the Beara, i know a family down in tha area cant remember exactly where there from but they are excellent. The hallihans was their name. unreal players with amazing voices as well.
Yep, Beara is a great part of the country - bit more remote than Dingle or Killarney etc., but all the better for it. Provided it's not too wet of course!...
Nothing wrong with the wet, C .. provided there's not too much of it. Ying and yang, light and dark, good and bad etc. Personally I like a bit of changing light and weather in the landscape and when it shines down there, there are few better spots to be.
I've web feet from the places we've called home, Eire included, and especially the 'West' of there... I also like it that the rain reduces numbers in the countryside, and, as you've said, the poetry in those changes of light, the movement of clouds and sea, the rain in your face ~ all are amazing... But, I'm also a firm believer in going prepared, and in good rain gear...
Yes, I miss the smell of peat, if not the dust in cleaning out the grate... I also miss cutting it, the whole process...and stompin' around in the bogs... ~ bogman!!! Don't forget, make sure if you do get yourself a place, be sure to pick up some peat. The best fire is mixed with wood, when it's really cold and you need a good blast of heat... We also have been thinking about spending a week or two over in that area in the very near future, and to visit folks...
Thanks for the replies folks. I'm looking at Kenmare. Weather isn't a big issue. The wife will worry about my mental health if I pick up some peat though considering we're from Skye. We don't cut it much here these days and I do miss it when I think about it though I can live without the midges.
This is the route suggested by Google Earth for you to get from Belfast to Kenmare Co Kerry:
Head east on A1/Donegall Square N toward Donegall Pl 217 ft
2. Turn right at A1 413 ft
1 min
3. Slight right to stay on A1 92 ft
4. Turn right at A1/Donegall Square S
Continue to follow A1 0.2 mi
1 min
5. Continue on B38/Grosvenor Rd
Continue to follow Grosvenor Rd 0.3 mi
2 mins
6. Turn right at A12/Grosvenor Road Roundabout 135 ft
7. Make a U-turn at B38/Grosvenor Road Roundabout
Continue to follow A12 0.9 mi
2 mins
8. At Broadway Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto M1 heading to Dublin/Craigavon 8.2 mi
12 mins
9. At junction 7, take the A1 exit to Lisburn/Sprucefield 0.3 mi
10. At Sprucefield Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A1/Hillsborough 0.3 mi
1 min
11. Slight left at A1
Go through 1 roundabout 25.4 mi
32 mins
12. At Belfast Road Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A27/Belfast Rd
Continue to follow A27 1.2 mi
2 mins
13. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A28/Downshire Rd 223 ft
14. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A2/Trevor Hill 0.1 mi
15. Slight left at A2 0.4 mi
1 min
16. At Abbey Yard Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A2/William St
Go through 1 roundabout 1.6 mi
4 mins
17. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A1
Entering Ireland 2.9 mi
3 mins
18. Continue straight onto M1
Partial toll road 55.2 mi
45 mins
19. Take the M50 exit on the left toward Mullach Ide/Malahide/N32 0.3 mi
20. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto M50
Partial toll road 10.8 mi
10 mins
21. At junction 9, take the R110/N7 exit on the left to City Centre/N11/Luimneach/Limerick/N8/N9 302 ft
1 min
22. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Cluain Dolcaín/Clondalkin 0.3 mi
23. At Red Cow Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto N7/Naas Rd heading to Luimneach/Limerick/Cluain Dolcaín/Clondalkin
Continue to follow N7 13.1 mi
16 mins
24. Continue on M7 34.6 mi
28 mins
25. At junction 17, take the N8 exit on the left to Corcaigh/Cork/N80/Tulach Mhór/Tullamore/Port Laoise 0.3 mi
2 mins
26. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto N8 heading to Corcaigh/Cork
Go through 4 roundabouts 73.2 mi
1 hour 34 mins
27. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Kildorrery Rd/N73
Continue to follow N73 17.6 mi
25 mins
28. Turn right at N72
Go through 1 roundabout 2.6 mi
5 mins
29. Turn left at Annabella/N72
Continue to follow N72
Go through 1 roundabout 12.5 mi
18 mins
30. Turn left to stay on N72 0.9 mi
1 min
31. Turn left to stay on N72 17.1 mi
24 mins
32. Turn left to stay on N72 2.2 mi
3 mins
33. Turn left at R570 3.6 mi
6 mins
34. Turn left at N22 3.2 mi
5 mins
35. Turn right at R569 15.6 mi
24 mins
36. Slight left at N71/Shelbourne St 0.1 mi
1 min
37. Turn left at Bell Heights/N71 0.1 mi
38. Turn right at Ard Na Gréine 167 ft
To: Kenmare
Kerry, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Distance 305 miles (about 6 hrs 12 min)
To An Daingean from Castlegregory by way of the Conor Pass?!?!?!?! Are ye daft or just suicidal?!?!!
My wife and I did that in the fog.....between the knife ridges clinging to hillsides that the locals call a road, sheep standing in the middle of this so-called road AND the strange habit of driving on entirely the WRONG side of this again...alleged road....geez...I thought we were going to DIE!!!
But....I loved it!! An Droichead Beag in Dingle is a little out of the way pub that has some amazing music. Don't know if you're wanting to play in a session or just listen...but, if you're in Dingle it's the place to visit.
Kenmare is one of the most expensive places to eat and stay in Ireland. Much more preferable is the Beara Peninsula or somewhere like Ballinskelligs or Portmagee/Valentia/Cahirciveen on the Ring.
An Droichead Beag can hardly be called either 'little' or 'out of the way' - it's a big bar right in the centre of Dingle.
I found An Droichead Beag a bit difficult to find. It wasn't like it was on the "main drag". A local shopkeeper told us how to find it. Perhaps my memory has muddled as i also don't recall it being all that large....then again...size is such a relevant term is it not???
Ceolgaelach, Google Earth is probably using one of those dreaded satnav databases. The hapless traveller can consider himself lucky if he isn't directed into an impassable ford or into hundreds of acres of peat bog in the Midlands!
Anyway, the overall distance is probably about right - a day's drive in effect, in a generally SW direction from Belfast.
MacCruiskeen, we stayed at a truly excellent B&B just outside Kenmare, in Killowen on the R569 to Kilgarvan. It was less than 20 minutes walk down the road to Kenmare itself. We paid €32 pppn, which we considered reasonable for that area at the height of the season in August. It was only a shade more than what we paid in Clonakilty last year.
One year we stayed in a bungalow on the spit north of Castlegregory. We were the first people in for the season & it was a cold Easter. We asked at the local pub where we could get some peat so we could get a fire going - the landlord himself obliged us with a bag. When we offered to pay he replied "Sure I want no money for it - I was only going to burn it anyway" !!!
Lazyhound, you've missed my gist. Of course, you can usually find somewhere reasonably priced to stay *outside* a popular tourist spot. My point was that Kenmare itself charges over the odds and I'll add that much of what's on offer at such prices doesn't by any means merit them.
MacCruiskeen, yes, I get your point. Our B&B was just inside Killowen (opposite a ruined church) and no more than a few yards outside the Kenmare boundary, so Kenmare prices presumably didn't apply.
Your comment may explain something we heard from a tourist couple we were chatting to in a pub in Kenmare. The lady mentioned that they were paying €70 pppn at their B&B. We thought we'd misheard, but she confirmed that it was indeed "per person per night". We didn't find out where they were staying, but I wonder if it was that 5-star hotel on the other side of the estuary, the one with its own heliport. On thinking about it, another indicator that Kenmare is up-market is its magnificent 18-hole golf course. We don't play golf, but we spent a delightful couple of hours one sunny afternoon wandering round it.
The charges in cafes we went to occasionally in Kenmare didn't give us any cause for concern, but we were spending most of the holiday hill-walking on the Beara peninsula or on the Ring of Kerry, using Kenmare as a base.
Got some good sessions in during the evenings though, and my wife got herself some set dancing at An Síbín in Lauragh.
We'd go back there again.
No, Lazyhound, the Park Hotel's minimum (!) B&B rate - that's low season - is €173 per person per night sharing a double room. €50-70 is the going rate for B&B in Kenmare itself in high season.
Hey, but what do I know, I only write guidebooks after all!
I've been browsing a couple of the routes provided by Google Earth. These are places I go to in connection with set dancing, so I know my way.
From Bristol to Colyton (in Devon) was ok; Google’s suggestion was the route I take, except for Google’s mysterious diversion through lanes for the last couple of miles.
Google's route from Bristol to Dinder (a tiny village near Wells in Somerset) was a surprise. I always take the simple and obvious main trunk road route from Bristol to Wells, turn off onto the Shepton Mallet Road, and Dinder is about 3 miles along it. Google would have had me turn off the main route about halfway and then crawl through single-track country roads and lanes until I hit Dinder from the north (the usual access from the Shepton Mallet road is from the south). An even bigger surprise was in store. For fun I told Google to find a route back home from Dinder. This time the program sent me to the west, up and over the Mendip hills to approach Bristol from an entirely different direction.
Conclusion: don’t rely on Google Earth for route finding. A good, up-to-date road map is far better.
You can get the latest AA road atlas for about £1.25 in Trago. Sod Google Earth, which has a penchant for crashing my ageing computer anyway, and only manages to give an image of Bude and environs that could have been taken from a U2 spyplane from six miles high in the early 60s.
"I was only going to burn it anyway" !!! ~ loved it SeanMc...
We tend to always go with 'outside' in our choices... Despite the horror of prices in the 'immediate' with regards to Kenmare, they used to have regular dancing in one of the hotels there, and it must have been 'reasonable'... That said, there were nicer and more intimate places for music and dance, including on Valencia Island itself and just the mainland side of the bridge at Portmagee, also there were regular sessions and events in and around Cahersiveen, and the people were lovely and welcoming ~ good craic... There used to be regular set dancing in The Lub Bar, Chapeltown, Fridays and Saturdays, as well as in Portmagee, 'The Bridge'?, it was a session and dance. Their sets are lovely, again, welcoming and not bashed to death in the nuevo big city way.
The nice thing about that peninsula is that you're not far from anywhere. You could always take in the lakes, and there's some damned good music to find there. Our mate Jimmy Doyle, one of Sliabh Luachra's finest regularly plays there, but the lakes are a charm themselves, and the little valleys and walks thereabouts. Castleisland, a little further had a regular session and dance too, which used to be Tuesdays. There's lots... Have fun, and drop us a line when you get back, to let us know how it goes...and where you decide to settle for your moment in the fresh Eire...
Steve, you've probably got an older version of Google Earth. Download the very recent version 4.2.0180.1134 (beta) which now has extended hi-def coverage to most of the UK and many other places. You'll be agreeably surprised. You should be able to see clearly the cars in the beach carpark at Bude, for instance.
Just to suggest places that havn't been mentioned . . . Leitrim and Sligo are to be considered . . . and Fermanagh too. As the 'poorest' areas of the country bargains are to be had and the music is as good as the landscapes are beautiful. Places? Riverstown and Tubbercurry in Sligo. Boyle and Keadue in Roscommon. Drumshanbo and Manor Hamilton in Leitrim. Belcoo, Garrison, Lisnaskea in Fermanagh.
Mayo has Castlebar and Achil and Knock! and at the other end from Carnsore point along the Wexford and Waterford coast to Youghal (Dungarvan and Ring) are worth a visit.
If it's the south you're set on try Gougane Bara, Bantry, Cois Laoi up to Ballivourney and if it's the end of October and Sliabh Luachra is your bag, Castleisland and the Padraig O'Keefe Festival.
~ & Antrim & Down & Donegal & Fermanagh, oh yes, you said that ~ & Armagh ~ & Tyrone ~ ~ ~ the country has a lot to offer... But, I especially like your conclusion ~ being closer to their intended destination ~ Castleisland and the Padraig O'Keefe Festival... That will make at least three times that Castleisland has showed here...
Steve, I'm very worried about these U2 spyplanes you mention. Whose flying them? I certainly hope it's not The Edge.
Alan, great advice, but unfortunately most of it applies to the summer months only. There's very little music here in Leitrim at the moment (apart from the odd regular sessions in Carrick, Manorhamilton and Aghacashel) and Drumshanbo's not what it once was.
The off-season rule certainly also applies to Fermanagh (and I don't think there are any sessions in Garrison any more) and to Sligo - Sligo town has far fewer than in recent years.
Irish Holiday
Irish Holiday
I'm thinking of taking my wife and two kids to south/west Ireland for a few days next week. Would like to squeeze in a couple of sessions while we're there. Other than Derry for our honeymoon 13 years ago I've only been over a few times with bands, Donegal, Down, Kilkenny,Dublin and Waterford, but rarely get any spare time when I'm playing. Has anybody got any suggestions for a family friendly village. We're thinking of self catering. Quite fancy Cork or Kerry but am a bit clueless. Advice would be welcome.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by bogman
Re: Irish Holiday
Castlegregory on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula. There used to be good sessions at Natterjacks & just a short hop across the Connor pass to Dingle itself.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by SeanMc
Re: Irish Holiday
West Cork, and this time of year don't write off the Lakes, Killarney and the surrounding area. Winter time it is not so congested as in Summer. My preferences are not Dingle but south of there. The other 'ring', Valencia Island area, is much less of a tourist swamp... Yes, there are things to see around the Dingle Penninsula, but personally I prefer elsewhere. I used to love the place until it became swamped with bungalows and the profit hungry. You can always do a day trip or go over for an evening. Nothing is really that far away and the drives are beautiful, even when the roads are congested, as they usually are in the Summer, bumper to bumper around the Dingle...
The Beara is another possibility and in and around Bantry is a good place to center yourself for day and evening trips to sessions and dances... I also love this time of year because most of the 'local' things are in full swing, sessions, dances, classes, etc... ~ as opposed to those for 'tourists'... Kenmare is another central option you could consider. The mackerel caught off the coast is lovely, especially with potatoes, crushed or mashed...
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
There are probably more 'foreigners' on the Dingle than regulars anymore, and I include city folk in that and 'retirees' escaping to the countryside, from, Dublin and Cork and ~ all those bungalows that from a distance look like heaps of seagull shight to me...
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Its a long time since I was there......it sounds like I won't be going back!!
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by SeanMc
Re: Irish Holiday
I'd recommend Kenmare. Easy access to the Beara peninsula and the Ring of Kerry. Stunning scenery. Kenmare's small enough to walk round in 20 minutes or so but has everything you need. Try Crowley's Pub in Henry Street for excellent sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Irish Holiday
I agree with the Beara, i know a family down in tha area cant remember exactly where there from but they are excellent. The hallihans was their name. unreal players with amazing voices as well.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by Lollypolly
Re: Irish Holiday
Yep, Beara is a great part of the country - bit more remote than Dingle or Killarney etc., but all the better for it. Provided it's not too wet of course!...
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: Irish Holiday
And what's wrong with wet? It's not like any of us are unfamiliar with it...
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
There are still things to see and experience on the Dingle Sean... Things change, not always for the better...
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Nothing wrong with the wet, C .. provided there's not too much of it. Ying and yang, light and dark, good and bad etc. Personally I like a bit of changing light and weather in the landscape and when it shines down there, there are few better spots to be.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: Irish Holiday
It doesn't rain the pubs......!!!
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by SeanMc
Re: Irish Holiday
I've web feet from the places we've called home, Eire included, and especially the 'West' of there... I also like it that the rain reduces numbers in the countryside, and, as you've said, the poetry in those changes of light, the movement of clouds and sea, the rain in your face ~ all are amazing... But, I'm also a firm believer in going prepared, and in good rain gear...
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
...in the pubs.... why don't you see mistakes until after it's posted !!
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by SeanMc
Re: Irish Holiday
Hey Sean, not only doesn't it rain ~ but ~ NO MORE SMOKE!!!
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Hopefully still some smoke from the peat fires though. I won't miss the smell of cigs.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by SeanMc
Re: Irish Holiday
Yes, I miss the smell of peat, if not the dust in cleaning out the grate... I also miss cutting it, the whole process...and stompin' around in the bogs...
~ bogman!!! Don't forget, make sure if you do get yourself a place, be sure to pick up some peat. The best fire is mixed with wood, when it's really cold and you need a good blast of heat... We also have been thinking about spending a week or two over in that area in the very near future, and to visit folks...
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Thanks for the replies folks. I'm looking at Kenmare. Weather isn't a big issue. The wife will worry about my mental health if I pick up some peat though considering we're from Skye. We don't cut it much here these days and I do miss it when I think about it though I can live without the midges.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by bogman
Re: Driving
Can anybody give me an idea how long it takes to drive from Belfast to Kerry. I remember Waterford taking quite a long time. Many thanks
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by bogman
Re: Irish Holiday
This is the route suggested by Google Earth for you to get from Belfast to Kenmare Co Kerry:
Head east on A1/Donegall Square N toward Donegall Pl 217 ft
2. Turn right at A1 413 ft
1 min
3. Slight right to stay on A1 92 ft
4. Turn right at A1/Donegall Square S
Continue to follow A1 0.2 mi
1 min
5. Continue on B38/Grosvenor Rd
Continue to follow Grosvenor Rd 0.3 mi
2 mins
6. Turn right at A12/Grosvenor Road Roundabout 135 ft
7. Make a U-turn at B38/Grosvenor Road Roundabout
Continue to follow A12 0.9 mi
2 mins
8. At Broadway Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto M1 heading to Dublin/Craigavon 8.2 mi
12 mins
9. At junction 7, take the A1 exit to Lisburn/Sprucefield 0.3 mi
10. At Sprucefield Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A1/Hillsborough 0.3 mi
1 min
11. Slight left at A1
Go through 1 roundabout 25.4 mi
32 mins
12. At Belfast Road Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A27/Belfast Rd
Continue to follow A27 1.2 mi
2 mins
13. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A28/Downshire Rd 223 ft
14. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A2/Trevor Hill 0.1 mi
15. Slight left at A2 0.4 mi
1 min
16. At Abbey Yard Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A2/William St
Go through 1 roundabout 1.6 mi
4 mins
17. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A1
Entering Ireland 2.9 mi
3 mins
18. Continue straight onto M1
Partial toll road 55.2 mi
45 mins
19. Take the M50 exit on the left toward Mullach Ide/Malahide/N32 0.3 mi
20. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto M50
Partial toll road 10.8 mi
10 mins
21. At junction 9, take the R110/N7 exit on the left to City Centre/N11/Luimneach/Limerick/N8/N9 302 ft
1 min
22. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Cluain Dolcaín/Clondalkin 0.3 mi
23. At Red Cow Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto N7/Naas Rd heading to Luimneach/Limerick/Cluain Dolcaín/Clondalkin
Continue to follow N7 13.1 mi
16 mins
24. Continue on M7 34.6 mi
28 mins
25. At junction 17, take the N8 exit on the left to Corcaigh/Cork/N80/Tulach Mhór/Tullamore/Port Laoise 0.3 mi
2 mins
26. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto N8 heading to Corcaigh/Cork
Go through 4 roundabouts 73.2 mi
1 hour 34 mins
27. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Kildorrery Rd/N73
Continue to follow N73 17.6 mi
25 mins
28. Turn right at N72
Go through 1 roundabout 2.6 mi
5 mins
29. Turn left at Annabella/N72
Continue to follow N72
Go through 1 roundabout 12.5 mi
18 mins
30. Turn left to stay on N72 0.9 mi
1 min
31. Turn left to stay on N72 17.1 mi
24 mins
32. Turn left to stay on N72 2.2 mi
3 mins
33. Turn left at R570 3.6 mi
6 mins
34. Turn left at N22 3.2 mi
5 mins
35. Turn right at R569 15.6 mi
24 mins
36. Slight left at N71/Shelbourne St 0.1 mi
1 min
37. Turn left at Bell Heights/N71 0.1 mi
38. Turn right at Ard Na Gréine 167 ft
To: Kenmare
Kerry, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Distance 305 miles (about 6 hrs 12 min)
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Irish Holiday
To An Daingean from Castlegregory by way of the Conor Pass?!?!?!?! Are ye daft or just suicidal?!?!!
My wife and I did that in the fog.....between the knife ridges clinging to hillsides that the locals call a road, sheep standing in the middle of this so-called road AND the strange habit of driving on entirely the WRONG side of this again...alleged road....geez...I thought we were going to DIE!!!
But....I loved it!! An Droichead Beag in Dingle is a little out of the way pub that has some amazing music. Don't know if you're wanting to play in a session or just listen...but, if you're in Dingle it's the place to visit.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolgaelach
Re: Irish Holiday
Yeah, what does Google know about such things, eh?
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Just some points.
Kenmare is one of the most expensive places to eat and stay in Ireland. Much more preferable is the Beara Peninsula or somewhere like Ballinskelligs or Portmagee/Valentia/Cahirciveen on the Ring.
An Droichead Beag can hardly be called either 'little' or 'out of the way' - it's a big bar right in the centre of Dingle.
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by Floss the Tethers
Re: Irish Holiday
I found An Droichead Beag a bit difficult to find. It wasn't like it was on the "main drag". A local shopkeeper told us how to find it. Perhaps my memory has muddled as i also don't recall it being all that large....then again...size is such a relevant term is it not???
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolgaelach
Re: Irish Holiday
Portmagee/Valentia/Cahirciveen ~ in agreement!
# Posted on October 5th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Ceolgaelach, Google Earth is probably using one of those dreaded satnav databases. The hapless traveller can consider himself lucky if he isn't directed into an impassable ford or into hundreds of acres of peat bog in the Midlands!
Anyway, the overall distance is probably about right - a day's drive in effect, in a generally SW direction from Belfast.
# Posted on October 6th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Irish Holiday
MacCruiskeen, we stayed at a truly excellent B&B just outside Kenmare, in Killowen on the R569 to Kilgarvan. It was less than 20 minutes walk down the road to Kenmare itself. We paid €32 pppn, which we considered reasonable for that area at the height of the season in August. It was only a shade more than what we paid in Clonakilty last year.
# Posted on October 6th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Irish Holiday
In retrospect, (and after looking at the web-site for An Droichead Beag) I realized that I have my pubs confused....
Yes, An Droichead Beag is rather large and very easy to find in downtown Dingle.
There was another pub that was a bit more off the beaten path in An Spideal ...name I can't recall that I was confusing for the Dingle pub.
My memory is obviously clouded by dark porter!!
# Posted on October 6th 2007 by ceolgaelach
Re: Irish Holiday
Ceolachan.
One year we stayed in a bungalow on the spit north of Castlegregory. We were the first people in for the season & it was a cold Easter. We asked at the local pub where we could get some peat so we could get a fire going - the landlord himself obliged us with a bag. When we offered to pay he replied "Sure I want no money for it - I was only going to burn it anyway" !!!
# Posted on October 6th 2007 by SeanMc
Re: Irish Holiday
Lazyhound, you've missed my gist. Of course, you can usually find somewhere reasonably priced to stay *outside* a popular tourist spot. My point was that Kenmare itself charges over the odds and I'll add that much of what's on offer at such prices doesn't by any means merit them.
# Posted on October 6th 2007 by Floss the Tethers
Re: Irish Holiday
MacCruiskeen, yes, I get your point. Our B&B was just inside Killowen (opposite a ruined church) and no more than a few yards outside the Kenmare boundary, so Kenmare prices presumably didn't apply.
Your comment may explain something we heard from a tourist couple we were chatting to in a pub in Kenmare. The lady mentioned that they were paying €70 pppn at their B&B. We thought we'd misheard, but she confirmed that it was indeed "per person per night". We didn't find out where they were staying, but I wonder if it was that 5-star hotel on the other side of the estuary, the one with its own heliport. On thinking about it, another indicator that Kenmare is up-market is its magnificent 18-hole golf course. We don't play golf, but we spent a delightful couple of hours one sunny afternoon wandering round it.
The charges in cafes we went to occasionally in Kenmare didn't give us any cause for concern, but we were spending most of the holiday hill-walking on the Beara peninsula or on the Ring of Kerry, using Kenmare as a base.
Got some good sessions in during the evenings though, and my wife got herself some set dancing at An Síbín in Lauragh.
We'd go back there again.
# Posted on October 7th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Irish Holiday
No, Lazyhound, the Park Hotel's minimum (!) B&B rate - that's low season - is €173 per person per night sharing a double room. €50-70 is the going rate for B&B in Kenmare itself in high season.
Hey, but what do I know, I only write guidebooks after all!
# Posted on October 7th 2007 by Floss the Tethers
Re: Irish Holiday
I've been browsing a couple of the routes provided by Google Earth. These are places I go to in connection with set dancing, so I know my way.
From Bristol to Colyton (in Devon) was ok; Google’s suggestion was the route I take, except for Google’s mysterious diversion through lanes for the last couple of miles.
Google's route from Bristol to Dinder (a tiny village near Wells in Somerset) was a surprise. I always take the simple and obvious main trunk road route from Bristol to Wells, turn off onto the Shepton Mallet Road, and Dinder is about 3 miles along it. Google would have had me turn off the main route about halfway and then crawl through single-track country roads and lanes until I hit Dinder from the north (the usual access from the Shepton Mallet road is from the south). An even bigger surprise was in store. For fun I told Google to find a route back home from Dinder. This time the program sent me to the west, up and over the Mendip hills to approach Bristol from an entirely different direction.
Conclusion: don’t rely on Google Earth for route finding. A good, up-to-date road map is far better.
# Posted on October 7th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Irish Holiday
You can get the latest AA road atlas for about £1.25 in Trago. Sod Google Earth, which has a penchant for crashing my ageing computer anyway, and only manages to give an image of Bude and environs that could have been taken from a U2 spyplane from six miles high in the early 60s.
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by Steve Shaw
Re: Irish Holiday
With a Kodak Brownie 127.
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by Steve Shaw
Re: Irish Holiday
"I was only going to burn it anyway" !!! ~ loved it SeanMc...
We tend to always go with 'outside' in our choices... Despite the horror of prices in the 'immediate' with regards to Kenmare, they used to have regular dancing in one of the hotels there, and it must have been 'reasonable'...
That said, there were nicer and more intimate places for music and dance, including on Valencia Island itself and just the mainland side of the bridge at Portmagee, also there were regular sessions and events in and around Cahersiveen, and the people were lovely and welcoming ~ good craic... There used to be regular set dancing in The Lub Bar, Chapeltown, Fridays and Saturdays, as well as in Portmagee, 'The Bridge'?, it was a session and dance. Their sets are lovely, again, welcoming and not bashed to death in the nuevo big city way.
The nice thing about that peninsula is that you're not far from anywhere. You could always take in the lakes, and there's some damned good music to find there. Our mate Jimmy Doyle, one of Sliabh Luachra's finest regularly plays there, but the lakes are a charm themselves, and the little valleys and walks thereabouts. Castleisland, a little further had a regular session and dance too, which used to be Tuesdays. There's lots... Have fun, and drop us a line when you get back, to let us know how it goes...and where you decide to settle for your moment in the fresh Eire...
I wish we were coming with you...
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by ceolachan
& ~ The Dingle is just around the corner from there too...
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Steve, you've probably got an older version of Google Earth. Download the very recent version 4.2.0180.1134 (beta) which now has extended hi-def coverage to most of the UK and many other places. You'll be agreeably surprised. You should be able to see clearly the cars in the beach carpark at Bude, for instance.
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Irish Holiday
Just to suggest places that havn't been mentioned . . . Leitrim and Sligo are to be considered . . . and Fermanagh too. As the 'poorest' areas of the country bargains are to be had and the music is as good as the landscapes are beautiful. Places? Riverstown and Tubbercurry in Sligo. Boyle and Keadue in Roscommon. Drumshanbo and Manor Hamilton in Leitrim. Belcoo, Garrison, Lisnaskea in Fermanagh.
Mayo has Castlebar and Achil and Knock! and at the other end from Carnsore point along the Wexford and Waterford coast to Youghal (Dungarvan and Ring) are worth a visit.
If it's the south you're set on try Gougane Bara, Bantry, Cois Laoi up to Ballivourney and if it's the end of October and Sliabh Luachra is your bag, Castleisland and the Padraig O'Keefe Festival.
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by Alancorsini
Re: Irish Holiday
~ & Antrim & Down & Donegal & Fermanagh, oh yes, you said that ~ & Armagh ~ & Tyrone ~ ~ ~ the country has a lot to offer... But, I especially like your conclusion ~ being closer to their intended destination ~ Castleisland and the Padraig O'Keefe Festival... That will make at least three times that Castleisland has showed here...
http://www.12travel.com/ie/Cork_Kerry/Castleisland.html
Don't worry Alan, you are still loved. It's just me ~ I'm shattered, in pain, and in a grouchy mood...
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
There are discussions about the festival on site here, and here's a bit more ~
http://niamhsmusings.blogspot.com/2006/11/padraig-okeeffe-festival-castleisland.html
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Irish Holiday
Steve, I'm very worried about these U2 spyplanes you mention. Whose flying them? I certainly hope it's not The Edge.
Alan, great advice, but unfortunately most of it applies to the summer months only. There's very little music here in Leitrim at the moment (apart from the odd regular sessions in Carrick, Manorhamilton and Aghacashel) and Drumshanbo's not what it once was.
The off-season rule certainly also applies to Fermanagh (and I don't think there are any sessions in Garrison any more) and to Sligo - Sligo town has far fewer than in recent years.
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by Floss the Tethers
Re: Irish Holiday
Whoops, that should have been 'who's flying them'.
# Posted on October 8th 2007 by Floss the Tethers