Ireland!!

Next month I'm going to Ireland with my family!!!!!


We're staying in the old house my grandmother, who was totally Irish, grew up in. Which- supposedly- is haunted by a ghost, I forget who or why though. But my cousins who live there now say some pretty weird things have happened I'm not really sure if I actually believe much in that stuff but I guess I'll find out lol

Anyways, we're staying for a little more than a week, 10 days I think. In Dublin, and some of the time in Wexford. My parents, brother & sister, and grandfather (probably the last time he'll be able to come to Ireland, so...) are coming. We have a HUGE, and I mean HUGE family, I know I have at least 45 FIRST COUSINS, probably more, on my Dad's side of the family it's so hard to keep track of them all lol, and like half of them I have never met, and I'll be meeting quite a few of them there too.

Well I'm afraid of heights. I've been on a plane twice, but that was quite a few years ago. I'm VERY scared to go on the airplane.., I'm so paranoid about it! Especially with the terrorist thing too, forget the heights.
And I'm also worried about having to drive on the other side of the road with the driver's seat on the right side....What to do?!

I'm glad that I've found someone to take care of my pets though. I really do NOT want to have to leave them in a kennel or anything. So one of my cousins volunteered to stay in my house while we're gone and take care of them!! They are soooo spoiled lol


Anyways that's about it! I'm gonna miss TCS though!!!
So, who else has been to Ireland?
What's it like, exactly? How many people speak English? Everyone??
Good tourist sites around there, other than the obvious & famous ones?

Thanks!

OOOOOOHHHHH! I just had a friend that came back from there and he said that it was breathtaking! He showed me some pictures that are so beautiful! the green hills and scenic views make me want to move there!!!!!! I hope you have as much fun as he had!!! Bring back lots of pics!!!!!!!! Enjoy!!!!!

Thanks! I will definitely bring back a TON of pics

Patty, my husbands mothers side is all Irish, and every year his two uncles go over there. They say there is not a prettier place in the world.......have a great time and lots of pics!

I would love to go to Ireland some day, sooo jealous.

I was suppose to go and stay for 6 months, if I liked it hopefully go back to school. Unfortunately, I am not sure how I feel about leaving the dogs and cats for 6 months, and if I decide to move there, not sure how I would feel about transporting my senior. Hopefully in the summertime I will get a chance to go for one or two weeks...

Plus I have no idea what "part" of Dublin I should visit

I know people say its large and beforehand need to find out where to go, so I was/am confused. My great grandparents are Irish, but unfortunately, don't talk to them often.

Have fun!

Have fun... I went about 8 years ago and we had a blast!!!

That sounds like loads and loads of fun!!, I know that Karen (Abbysmom) has been there...she'll be able to tell you lots!

Originally Posted by Miss Mew

That sounds like loads and loads of fun!!, I know that Karen (Abbysmom) has been there...she'll be able to tell you lots!

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That's what I was going to say. I hope you have fun! It sounds fantastic from what I hear of it. Take lots and lots of pics for us so we can all live a little though you!

Lucky you!

Wow, that is great! You will have so much fun. Take tons of pics... I bet you'll have some nice desktop wallpaper when you get back.

I'm glad you found someone to stay with your pets... and don't worry about flying... I've done it tons of times... everything will be just fine. Remember, it's safer than a car.

I have been to Dublin twice. The last time was at the end of January it was fantastic. If you want to a night out go to Temple Bar, it is packed with hilarious Irish people and you have such a good time. There are some great pubs and places to eat.
As for the flying part, the time you spend in Ireland will be worth a few nerves Have a fantastic time!

Ireland is fantastic!

As Lauren said Temple Bar is great, but most of the local pubs have such a fantastic atmosphere!! Don't forget to drink as much real Guinness as humanly possible!!

You'll have such a fantastic time - especially meeting a lot of your family! Don't worry about the flight, it'll go swimmingly! Plus, your excitement will keep those nerves at bay!

Great!

I'm from Ireland - was born there and lived there for more than 25 years until I moved to Switzerland.

You will have a WONDERFUL time - it's a great country - very beautiful I'm sure you know it's called "The Emerald Isle" because it's so green and for green you need rain, so bring a jacket Getting out of Dublin and down to Wexford will let you see the "real Ireland".

Dublin is a great city - fantastic shopping, nice parks and of course (as a couple of people have already mentioned) great night life - Temple Bar is a bit touristy, but it's worth a visit!

Public transport isn't great - I imagine you'll be hiring a car to get down to Wexford....I think it's highway all of the way down there, but once you get outside the city the roads are narrow and bumpy - watch out for the hedges and ditches

I would suggest you invest in a city guide (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide....) - there's loads to see and do. Here are a couple of websites for you to check out:
http://www.ireland.ie/
http://www.visitdublin.com/

Have fun!

I LOVED Ireland and would go back in a heartbeat!
You will have a fantastic time!

Lucky you!!

Ireland sounds like a wonderful time! I can't wait to see pictures that you bring back!

I live in ireland
Yea we all speak english, but the accents vary from county to county, and irish is spoken is small pockets, mostly in the West.
I'm in Leinster-the part you are going to, most tourist attractions will be in dublin, wexford is very small and quiet.

I did go to Ireland last year, but not Dublin. We were mostly in County Claire, County Cork, and County Waterford.

I was also scared of the flight and taking off from Boston in the middle of a Northeaster didn't help It is a fairly long flight. If you are taking Aer Lingus, your flight out will probably be an overnight flight with you arriving in Ireland early in the morning, completely exhausted. Do the best you can to try to sleep on that flight. The flight back is longer, but they will show you a few movies to pass the time.

Just about everyone speaks English, although the accent can be difficult to understand. Most of the signs are in English and Gaelic and you may encounter a few small villages that are primarily Gaelic.

If you are renting a car, get the extra insurance. My husband had a hard time adapting to driving on the wrong side of the road. Many of the cars are also standard transmission. Some of the back country roads are also very narrow. Try to stick to main roads.

If you wander into some small villages and talk to the locals, you may experience some Anti-American sentiment. We were with a local, and still experienced this a few times. It really wakes you up to how badly we are viewed by other countries. Normally when we told them we were from the Boston area, which has a large Irish population, they became a bit more friendly.

If you have a digital camera, buy another memory stick because you will take way more pictures than you think. I ended having to buy another one in Waterford. I took almost 400 pictures.

It really is the trip of a lifetime, and something you will never forget. Enjoy!

Wow! Thanks everyone!!
I know I'm going to hit that place everyone's raving about lol

And thank you Karen for all the advice and everything!.... And I am a huge picture-taker, as in obsessive with it- if you put a camera in my hand and the card will be full in 5 minutes!! I have 3 cards too And they will most likely be full by halfway through my time there....
I'm probably going to make a scrapbook out of them when I get back though!

Oh and we're leaving on April 10th, we'll be back by April 20th. So, we'll be having Easter in Ireland.... I'm going to try to find a Lutheran church, but if not we'll just go to a Catholic Easter service I guess. AbbeyCat, not sure if you know where many churches are there, but you wouldn't happen to know of any Lutheran churches near Dublin or Wexford would you??

Kevin is going to ireland in a few days, hes not too excited because he is going with his mum! But im sure you will have a fantastic time

My husband and I went two years ago. We didn't go to Dublin, just County Kerry.

I was really worried about driving too, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. It's almost worse for the passenger, though. Some of the roads are really narrow and my husband kept yelling, "Watch out!" "Don't hit that bush!" etc. I was upset, until I was the passenger and did the same thing. We didn't hit anything though and only once did we turn onto the wrong side of the road.

Have a great trip!

I was the passenger and it was frightening! My husband snapped the passenger side mirror off during a storm. I lost a few years off my life on that one.