When in Ireland...?

Question

I'm going to Ireland for spring break. What is the number one thing I should do there? It has to be family-friendly.

Answer 1

Bunratty Castle - go to the banquet - a chance to eat a 17th C Banquet, and be entertained for an entire evening

Answer 2

Holy lord, it depends on WHERE you go. When most people say that they're going to Ireland, they usually mean Dublin. To be honest, I don't know of many family friendly places, but I know of a website that my help. Try tripadvisor.com. You don't have to be a member to use the site, and you can read honest reviews by travelers about hotels and attractions. Just type in the place that you're going to (I'd suggest city and country, just to narrow the search), and you look up top attractions. If you do go to Dublin, there's a Viking museum (I forget the name of it, though). It's good for kids, but only if your kids are younger than, perhaps 10, 11. Older kids may be bored.

If you're to go to anywhere in Ireland, I'd strongly suggest the Ring of Kerry. It's a beautiful, beautiful drive, but I'm not sure if kids would have fun. You're basically in a car and it's very scenic, but it's one of the best things I saw while there that may be of some interest to kids.

Answer 3

Stay in Ballyvaughan. That gives you access to most of Clare etc - visit Cliffs of Moher, get out onto the Burren too.

Answer 4

The island is not THAT big.  Nine days, especially if you have your own transportation, should be plenty to see whatever you want.  When I lived in Galway, and my family came to visit, we hit pretty much everything except the North in a week, and you can hit the major sites in Derry and Belfast in a couple of days.

With planning, you can see all the major stuff and then you'll have a plan for what you'd like to see in more depth on a future trip.  If you're flying into Dublin, I'd head north to Belfast and Derry, then west across the northern coast, south to Conamara and Galway, further south to Kerry, then east to Waterford, Cork and Limmerick, and then north to Dublin.  

There's not a whole lot to see in the interior, except rural scenery.