Posted by rlashea on July 16, 2010
Donegal is a county in the northwestern region of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland. The mostly rugged landscape and coastline contains mountains and cliffs, with occasional beaches and inland Donegal is rugged terrain. Letterkenny is the largest town in the region. Golf is a popular sport with the locals and there are a variety of courses in the county, many close to area accommodations.
Castle Grove Hotel
Located on one of the few private estates in Donegal’s largest town of Letterkenny, Castle Grove Hotel is house in a Georgian-style house. The hotel will make reservations for golfers at nearby courses, as well as arranging sea angling, pony trekking and fishing trips. There is a heli-landing pad on site and walking and golf shoes of guests can be put to dry upon return to the hotel.
Aside from the appointed guestrooms, there are drawing rooms with fireplaces where guests can rest, a library, a TV room and an on-site restaurant that serves Irish recipes, with local seafood, roasts and fresh vegetables from the hotel’s gardens.
Ballymaleel A245 (off Ramelton Road)
Letterkenny
Co. Donegal
011 (+353)749151118
Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort
Situated on Sheephaven Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort is a seasonal four-star resort with standard rooms, deluxe rooms with views of the bay and suite options. There are two on-site golf courses and a restaurant that focuses on seafood, with fresh fish direct from the pier across from the hotel and scallops caught that afternoon served up in the evening.
If you are into golf, you can take advantage of the golf clinics that are regularly scheduled at the Rosapenna. Clinics include game play on the resort’s championship links, fitness golf advice and help with individual game faults, as well as physical assessment tests to help overcome physical limitations and improve flexibility, balance and posture.
Downings Co Donegal
+353 (0)74 91 55301
Caisleain Oir
Located approximately a mile from the Donegal Airport, the Caisleain Oir is located amidst the mountains and offers a coastline view. Most rooms have windows that overlook the bay. The on-site restaurant serves a wide selection of meat, poultry and seafood dishes with local produce and the bar and lounge offers weekend music with a traditional jam session on Saturday nights.
Annagry, Co. Donegal, Ireland
011 (+353)749548113
Posted by Nick on May 18, 2010
If you are taking a family vacation to Ireland, you may be wondering how to get around with your kids. If you are not planning on renting a car, you have nothing to worry about when taking your children on public transportation in Ireland.
On the Irish Rail trains, children under the age of five get to travel for free. Kids between the ages of five and 15 get to travel for half-price.
On the buses in Ireland, children under age three can be carried on for free as long as the child sits on your lap. Kids under the age of 16 do get a special child rate for bus fare.
In Northern Ireland, kids under the age of 16 get half-price fare for all public transportation, including the rail service.
Airlink Dublin Bus by U-g-g-B-o-y-(-Photograp h-World-Sense-)
Posted by Nick on
If you are planning a trip to Ireland, you may want to avoid landing on a public holiday. Banks and other offices will be closed on those days. Here is a list of the public holidays in Ireland:
Ireland
January 1 (New Year)
March 17 (St Patrick’s Day)
April 2 (Good Friday/bank holiday only)
April 5 (Easter Monday)
May 3 (May Day)
June 7 (Spring Holiday)
August 2 (Summer Holiday)
October 25 (Hallowe’en)
December 25 (Christmas Day)
December 26 (St Stephen’s Day)
Northern Ireland
January 1 (New Year)
March 17 (St Patrick’s Day)
April 2 (Good Friday/bank holiday only)
April 5 (Easter Monday)
May 3 (May Day)
May 31 (Spring Holiday)
July 12 (Public Holiday)
August 30 (Public Holiday)
December 25th (Christmas Day)
December 26th (Boxing Day)
Posted by Nick on
English and Gaelic, which is also sometimes referred to as Irish, are the two official languages of Ireland. If you venture up to Northern Ireland, English is the official language. You will hear Gaelic in Northern Ireland as well.
Road signs in Ireland are written in both English and Gaelic.
Speed limits in Ireland are low, so be sure to give yourself ample travel time to get to and from destinations. Many of the roads are narrow, curvy or both, which also adds to travel time.
There is a smoking ban in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Smoking is prohibited in all public areas in Ireland. This includes bars, restaurants and clubs. You will still encounter smoking rooms at hotels, but the public areas of hotels are all non-smoking. Smoking is also prohibited on trains, but this doesn’t mean that you won’t encounter someone smoking on the train or in the bathroom on the train.
Ireland is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). During the summer, it can be light out as late as 11 pm. During the winter, it can get dark as early as 4 pm.
The minimum age for an Ireland car rental is age 21. Drivers under the age of 25 have to pay a daily car rental surcharge of €25 per day. Additionally, all drivers under 25 are liable for the first €1,200 of damage to the car. If you want to rental a luxury car, minibus or minivan in Ireland you must be at least 25 years old.
Aer Lingus self check-in counters at Dublin Airport by U-g-g-B-o-y-(-Photograp h-World-Sense-)
Posted by Nick on
Getting to Ireland is likely the easiest part of planning a vacation to Ireland. You can fly direct into Dublin or one of the other airports in Ireland. If you are coming from the United Kingdom, you can take a ferry from Scotland or Wales. If you take the ferry from Scotland, you end up in Northern Ireland and have to take the train into Ireland.
Determine what you want to see so that you can decide how you want to get around Ireland. If you are really only interested in Dublin, you can fly into Dublin Airport and use public transportation to get around. Dublin has a great public transportation system. You can take the bus anywhere in the city – including to and from the airport. And it is always clean.
Dingle Peninsula, Ireland by StrudelMonkey
You can travel by rail to get around Ireland if there are multiple things you want to see. If you do this, you are likely to miss out on a few things. For instance, no train goes near the Cliffs of Moher. Coach bus service is another option for getting around Ireland. If you really aren’t keen on driving yourself and want to be able to go to the out-of-reach areas, then this is your best best. Of course, you can also rent a car to drive around Ireland. Just remember that they drive on the opposite side of the road in Ireland.
Ireland car rentals are available from local and national brands, such as Hertz. To avoid a large hold on your credit card, be sure to pony up for the insurance. Be warned though that the insurance does not cover the tires – so take care when you make those turns.
The Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland by Visualist Images
The climate in Ireland is mild and temperate, so plan to pack your luggage accordingly. Also pack an umbrella as there is a good chance you will get rained on.
Check the exchange rate on a site like XE.com to see how far, or not so far, your money will go in Ireland. Ireland’s currency is the Euro. A non-favorable exchange rate could make your trip shorter than you’d like. Get some Euro from a currency exchange counter before you leave, or just use an ATM once you arrive in Ireland.
Gap of Dunloe, County Kerry, Ireland by catsper
If you are taking credit cards, keep in mind that most credit card companies charge a foreign currency transaction fee for every transaction that you make. This ranges from 1% to 3% depending on the credit card issuer. Currently, Capital One and Bank of America do not charge these fees.
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