Getting around Ireland

The Sanctuary in the Franciscan church in Killarney. 

The backdrop to the altar here is made of wood, and is very impressive. There is also a magnificent Cathedral in Killarney dating back to the time of the famine. The foundations for the cathedral were laid before the famine, but work stopped during the famine, and many starving people camped on the site and died and were buried there. Work commenced again after the famine and the church was finally finished in the early nineteen hundreds.

I spent a couple of days in Killarney since i last Blogged and i took the above picture as i enjoyed an early morning walk in the Killarney National Park which is located beside the hotel i was staying in.

This happy group were celebrating a birthday in one of my favourite Killarney restaurants, Casita Mexicana, which is located right in the heart of the town behind Quills shop in the main street. The proprietress, Eve, and her chef husband, John, will look after you very well indeed, especially when you mention my name. If you like Mexican food then this is the place to go.

Up until recent days we have been blessed with a mild and relatively dry Winter, but that has all changed now and we have been battered by wild and stormy conditions in recent days. There has been a lot of flooding and storm damage with no real sign of any great change over the next few days.
I can remember a lot of similar weather in my younger days as i lived right on the seafront in Galway city. The promenade in Salthill bore the brunt of the storms, and Salthill Park used to be under water for days after these storms. In more recent years the seafront has been built up and flooding is now very much under control. 

Getting around Ireland, and how best to do it, is a consideration that many tourists from the USA have to battle with. What are your choices? 
1) Rail and bus
2) Bus tours
3) Hire a car
4) Hire your own car and driver.

1)  The first option would apply mainly to young back packers. They have the time, the energy and patience, and know how to travel light.

2)  Bus tours can be ideal for people who can settle for a fixed itinerary, and time schedule, and who are comfortable travelling with larger groups of strangers. Not for those who just want to be with their own private party, or even just their partner maybe, and there is no flexibility.

3) Hiring your own car is only advisable for skillful drivers. Even for those, it can be very stressful, and the driver is certainly not going to be able to enjoy the views like the passengers. The roads are not like your roads in the USA and in many areas they are extremely narrow and dangerous for inexperienced drivers. Finding your way around is not easy and by not having a qualified guide you really do miss an awful lot. Having your own driver means you can also have that felxibility and if you want to have a lie in or an early start then it will be up to you. It costs a bit more, but not that much more, especially when the expenses are shared. Definitely the way to go if you are prepared to go that little bit further and treat yourself. Having a driver who knows the roads, and has the experience of years on our Irish roads, has to be the safer option. Driving on the wrong side of the road, and sitting on the wrong side of the car, does not make it any easier. 

The enquiries continue to come in and if you are considering coming our way then it would be a good idea to get back to me soon. I look forward to hearing from you.