Charming village next to the city?

Question

Dear all,

every summer I plan a get together for my family and my parents. Ireland is one of the places all of us would love to visit!

My husband and I would like to see the architecture and museums of the city, our son absolutely needs to see a least one castle, and my parents are interested in all this plus they just want to relax and enjoy a nature.

So I am thinking about a small town or village, (preferably beautiful, with the old world charm) and not too far from the bigger town or ideally, city. What destination do you recommend for us to make everybody happy?

Oh, and one more question. What are the prices in Ireland compare to US?

Thank you and have a great day!

Answer 1

you can also stay in Rush CO Dublin and skerries and swords

Answer 2

You could consider staying in Malahide Co. Dublin.  On the Dart (train) line directly into the city, with its own castle and near the sea.  

If you want to go south look at Kinsale Co. Cork (although its a little bit more touristy). Near Cork city and plenty to keep you all interested.

Both of these places have nice walks, shops, restaurants and are near the sea.

Prices here are a bit more expensive than in the US particularly as the dollar is weak against the euro.

Try www.discoverireland.ie for information.

Enjoy your trip

Answer 3

Oranmore in co galway.

Not far from the city and there is a castle , golf course thatched cottage pub its beside the sea. No far from the medieval town of athenry with is medieval arch and castle, a dominican abbey in ruins and the old town wall. Ireland uses the euro currency which is pretty strong in comparison to the dollar so you might find it expensive.

If you fly into shannon you are only 60+ miles from oranmore where as if you fly to dublin its 120+ miles. On your way to galway you could stop at bunratty and see the castle and folk parks.

The castles in ireland can vary, might not be as you imagined.

I have given you a number of places that have different types of castles.

One other place i would recomend is the village of cong, most famous for the filming of the John Wane film "The quiet man". There is a famous castle there called Asford castle with beautifull grounds and a retreat for many celebs such as brad pitt in days gone by. There is also great fishing and shooting there as well as a falconry school

Answer 4

Howth is gorgeous, it's a fishing town 20 minutes drive or train from Dublin. It is the peninsula to the north of Dublin Bay and boasts spectacular walks with panoramic views. Here is a link to see some images of Howth....

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=...

Kinsale is a great place to stay if you want to be near Cork city. It's buildings are all different colours. Once again, it is on the coast with a fishing industry which come second to the thriving tourist industry. The restaurants are fabulous there, and Kinsale claims to be the culinary heart of Ireland. It is about a half hour drive from Cork city. There are an abundance of places to stay varying in price. Here is a link to some images of Kinsale

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10...

I hope this helps. Generally, Ireland is more expensive than the US. The euro is a stronger currency, but it is worth the expense! You'll have a great time! Enjoy!

Answer 5

I agree with the three posters here.  Howth is probably the nicest of the places mentioned though.

Dublin has many villages/small towns not far from the city centre, the nicest i feel are in south dublin such as Dalkey, killiney, bray etc.

Galway city too has some nice villages, claregalway is nice, barna and spiddel are really nice.