Jewers - Frommers EasyGuide to Ireland 2015

Published by

FROMMER MEDIA LLC

Copyright 2015 by Frommer Media LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to support@frommermedia.com.

Frommers is a registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Frommer Media LLC is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

ISBN 978-1-62887-106-7 (paper), 978-1-62887-107-4 (e-book)

Editorial Director: Pauline Frommer

Production Editor: Lynn Northrup

Cartographer: Roberta Stockwell

Indexer: Maro Riofrancos

Front cover photo: Kylemore Abbey, Ireland NCG

For information on our other products or services, see www.frommers.com .

Frommer Media LLC also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats.

Manufactured in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

AN IMPORTANT NOTE

The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and busses and trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about these hotels, restaurants, museums, and transportation services. Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Jewers has written about Ireland for Frommers since 2006. Born and raised in England, he loved listening to his great aunts tales about life in Dublin during the civil war. Jack proposed to his Irish-American wife at a spa on the Ring of Kerry. It gets a great review in this book.

ABOUT THE FROMMER TRAVEL GUIDES

For most of the past 50 years, Frommers has been the leading series of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24% of all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.

Though we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of the destinations we cover, and urge our readers to seek out people and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.

We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental, criticalboth pro and conin their comments, and wholly independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we called practically worthless (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many rip-offs weve condemned.

And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at every level of expenditure. Though we have broadened our recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to assist our readers, and are particularly proud of our feisty daily website, the award-winning Frommers.com.

I have high hopes for the future of Frommers. May these guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all human beings live in harmony and peace.

Arthur Frommer

THE BEST OF IRELAND

T iny, and with ever-changing scenery, Ireland is an addictive place to explore. Within a few miles you can travel from plunging cliffs and flat pastureland to towering mountains and gloomy peat bogs. You can spend the night in ancient castles or state-of-the-art spa hotels, dine on fine Irish cuisine or snack on crispy fish and chips served in a paper bag. The sheer number of sights, little villages, charming pubs, and adorable restaurants and shops is overwhelmingyou always feel that you might be missing something. So its nice to have somebody to help you focus, and thats why weve put together this list of some of our favorite places and things to do in Ireland. We hope that while youre exploring this magical country, youll find a few of your own.

THE best AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

Seeing a traditional music session at a proper Irish pub: Its not hard to track down live music in Irish pubs, and while there are plenty of shows for the tourist crowd, nothing beats the energy, atmosphere, and authenticity of a genuine small -t own traditional music session. Weve listed some of the best places in this book, including pubs such as the Long Valley in Cork or Gus OConnors and McGanns in little Doolin, County Clare. The instructions for getting the most out of a session are simple: Buy a pint, grab a seat (preferably one near a smoldering peat fire), and wait for the action to begin. See .

Getting lost down the back roads of County Kerry: This is Irelands most visited county by far, and its impossible to escape the tourist throngs in the summer, especially if you stick to the beaten path. When it all gets too much, you can just veer off onto the winding back roads and allow yourself to get gloriously, hopelessly lost. Forget the clock and embrace a sense of fatalism. There are always new discoveries to be made down its breathtaking byways. See .

Touching the bullet holes in the walls of the General Post Office (Dublin, County Dublin): Its hard to overstate what a potent national symbol this humble mail hub is. Patrick Pearse read his independence proclamation from its front steps in 1916, and the original document is now displayed inside. The post office was also the scene of fierce fighting during the civil war of 1922, which left the bullet scars that pock the facade. See .

Ireland

.

Checking out whats new in Kinsales restaurant scene (County Cork): Kinsale has gone from sleepy fishing port to the food capital of Ireland. On every return trip theres almost inevitably a hot new, must -t ry place to sample. They dont all last forever, but those that do are in themselves worth the trip to County Cork. See .