Dublin to Ireland?

Question

Me and my friend are traveling to Galway from Dublin. Does anyone know the main highway/road that takes you directly to Galway? Since we would have almost a full day of traveling just to get to Dublin, do you know of a good place to stop and do some sight seeing in between the two towns? Any cool castles?

Answer 1

Get on the M50 northbound out of Dublin (Head west from anywhere in Dublin and you will get on the M50) and you will see a sign on the left for an off-ramp to Galway/Sligo (On some road-signs in the town it just says ("The West"). This is the M4/N4 which leads to a toll plaza where you will be charged €2.50. After this toll you need to get on the N6, so look out for the signs! The N6 is then a straight run to Galway. It's a 2-3 hour drive, depending on what speed you do (Make sure you travel below the 80km/h speed limit just after you come off the M50 as one of the only active speed cameras in the country is here at the SPA Hotel.) I would advise that you leave after 10am and before 4pm to avoid heavy traffic. (or earlier than 7am if you can hack it). Friday is a bad day for traffic also.

As for cool castles, there are too many to list, so try http://www.ireland-now.com/castles.html. You will be passing Athlone halfway through your journey which has a castle, so check that out. The best sightseeing will be when you get to Galway though. Conemara is one of the few remaining Irish-speaking areas (Gaeltacht) in the country, and you can see a lot of old Irish culture there. If you have LOTS of time, Killarney in County Kerry and the surrounding area had the best sightseeing in the country.