I visited Ireland back in May of 1988 for a week and loved it. I was in the
opposite corner of Ireland, down around Limerick and the Ring of Kerry, and
found it fascinating, historically, scenically, and otherwise. If you get out
of Dublin I recommend going down to that corner; Limerick has some
interesting medieval sites, including a wonderful Romanesque cathedral.
Nearby is Bunratty folk park and castle; the castle has a touristy but very
nice medieval-style banquet, and next door is an incredible pub, Dirty
Nellie's. If you haven't been to Dirty Nellie's, you haven't been to Ireland.
I also recommend Killarney--also touristy, but some nice medieval sites in
the area, most notably Muckross friary. Farther on into the Ring of Kerry,
there are some out-of-the-way but superb early and medieval monastic sites,
including Skellig Michael, five miles out into the Atlantic--though that may
not be accessible in winter, I don't know.
When I was there, I got around via train and bus. Ireland has a good public
transportation system, and I was able to get a special pass giving me
unlimited access to the system. I think it was called an "Irish rambler"
pass.
Hope this helps!
Enjoy!
Steve Cartwright
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