Where to go and what to do in Dublin and Ireland?

[JadeMonkeyStang]

I will be in Ireland for 3 weeks and need advice on what I should do and/or see. Most of my time will be spent in Dublin with a weekend trip to Cork and Kinsale and possibly another weekend trip to another, currently unknown, location.

I will be totally free and on my own weekdays, so I need suggestions on sights, events, bars, restaurants, and anything else you can think of. I am into beer (of course), wine, whiskey, cooking, cars, history, engineering, electronics, and just about anything else that's cool/old/quirky/fun/curvaceous. I would love to visit some local breweries and distilleries (especially any that are hiring) as well as local restaurants or food producers. I will be based in downtown Dublin and won't have a car during the week. I will have a car on weekends.

Any help, advice, suggestions, or ideas are much appreciated. Please do whatever you can to assist in keeping me interested, entertained, aroused, and intoxicated, in whatever order keeps you any of the aformentioned, and to you all I will be most indebted.

 

[MBasile]

Supposedly they have a hop on/hop off city buss thing similar to the Bean Town Trolly in Boston. I've been told to check it out when there.

 

[JadeMonkeyStang]

Supposedly they have a hop on/hop off city buss thing similar to the Bean Town Trolly in Boston. I've been told to check it out when there.

Yeah, I had heard about that am planning to check it out early on. I'm sure I"ll find some cool stuff to do along the route.

Does anyone else know of some fun, interesting, or generally not-un-awesome stuff to do in Dublin, Cork, Kinsale, or Galway?

 

[JediJoel]

Did a trip when I was 19 so here's what I remember. I wasn't as into beer then. I was more into the fact that I could legally obtain alcohol and visit some sweet pubs.

Hayfield Manor Hotel and Bar in Cork is pretty sweet. Its a 5 star hotel so I did not stay there but the bar is known for a good selection of Irish whiskey. Then there is the Midleton Distillery. I don't think its in Cork proper but I'm pretty sure it's in county Cork. Midleton is second to Jameson as far as size and production. Galway was sweet. I loved it. It felt older because it was not as modern as Dublin or Cork. Be careful where you go around there though. My friend and I were driving outside of Galway and all the signs turned to only Gaelic. We got totally lost, people helped us out but I'm sure they were amused to see a couple of English boys trying to navigate.

I know you are mainly in Dublin but if you can visit anything in the Ring of Kerry, do it! The ring of Kerry starts at Kilarney and follows the n70 in a loop around the Kerry peninsula. I thought it was the most beautiful part of Ireland. Have fun dude! Wish I could go again.

 

[JediJoel]

Oh and Rock of Cashel was a pretty sweet castle on the way from Dublin to Cork.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

The on-off bus is definatley worth a day. You pay for a ticket and just get on and off as you want. The bus driver will tell you where you are and what to see. Dont be afraid to ask the driver or any Dubliners, anything.
Dublin is very much a "slow down, take it easy, we wont run out of beer, sort of city.
Restuarants are very expensive, though on the whole very good.
St James Gate tour a must as is Temple Bar district.
Find a pub, order a Guinness, sit down and chill.
I hope you enjoy your visit.

 

[bierhaus15]

I lived in Cork while attending University, so I've been around the island quite a bit. Here is my take on some things.

Dublin: Pretty decent city, though you can pretty much see and do the whole city in two-three days. Porterhouse is probably your best bet for good "real" beer and if your into the touristy stuff, St James Gate is pretty neat. Temple Bar, albeit a tourist hell, is worth a visit. If you like history/culture stuff there is tons to do. National Museum to see the bog bodies and old stuff and the Art museum is pretty good. Dublin Castle is worth a visit. Do take advantage of the on-off bus, its a superb deal and gets you to all the main sights. If you like looking at old churches, there are many including Christ Church cathedral. Lots of good restaurants, though very expensive. I enjoyed Dublin, but if you want to experience a more "traditional" Ireland get out of the city.

Cork is tied with Galway for my favorite 'city' in Ireland. The city center is very condensed, everything you want to see/do is within walking distance. Loads of traditional pubs and the place where Beamish and Murphy's are brewed. (though Beamish sadly has been taken over by Heineken and reportedly the quality has suffered). Concerning particular pubs, I would wholly recommend stopping by the "Franciscan Well," one of Ireland's best brew pubs, for their very good beer and chance to meet the locals. Nearby is "Bier Haus," a superb bar that has an excellent selection of European beers on tap and in bottle. Another pub of note is the Hi-Bar located on st.patricks street. It probably the best "old man pub" in all of Ireland, as it is run by a very old, unfriendly Irish guy that is practically the beer equivalent of Seinfeld's "soup nazi." Tons of other great pubs, too many to mention. Other than beer, take an hour or so and walk around the city. Visit the cathedral and graveyard, then find a hole in the wall pub for a pint, and walk around some more. The University and English Market are definitely worth a visit. I don't know if Murphy's does tours now. While in Cork you might as well visit Blarney Castle... at least there are good pubs near by.

Kinsale is pretty cool. Sorta scenic, though really not much to do besides eat fish and chips and drink. I would recommend Galway over Kinsale any day.

Other places to see include; the Rock of Cashel (if you like medieval history, then there is no other place for you), Dingle (best views in all of Ireland and lots of abandoned castles to explore), Kilkenny, and Belfast! Take the bullets and bombs tour... then drink Guinness while watching a rangers/celtics football game at one of the local pubs (just be careful who your rooting for).

I could go on forever.... hope some of that was useful for ya. Enjoy Ireland.

Also: If you like whiskey, take a trip over to the Midleton Distillery, its not far from Cork.

 

[dotnetdotcom]

I would try to go to Giant's Causeway, but I'm a geology buff.

 

[johnnyc]

If you're going to Galway definitely head out to the islands off the coast. Inishmore. Definitely worth the hike to the top. Amazing scenery. I've got a large photo album from my trip that this is a pic from. Put together a solid initerary using googlemaps too. Let me know if you want an assist. If you have the time I would highly suggest driving up the coastal road from Belfast to the Giant's Causeway.

EDIT: Absolutely have to hit Bull and Castle in Dublin. Best bar I went to.