Irish Tourism
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Nine night self drive tour Kilkenny, Galway and Killarney
I chanced upon Irish Tourism whilst trawling the web for ideas for a holiday in Ireland. I am so pleased we did as it made things so much easier with invaluable help on where to go, which hotels to use and what to do. We put the holiday together with Linda at Irish Tourism in autumn 2020 after evolving with several changes on our part for August 2021. Everything was booked and ready to go but Covid impacted, and the holiday was moved in entirety to August 2022. Linda could not have been more helpful and the change was seamless. We drove from Surrey to Fishguard and took the ferry to Rosslare, spending 2 nights in Kilkenny, 3 nights in Galway and 4 nights in Killarney before returning home via Rosslare. A couple of nights in Kilkenny was about right for us with plenty to see including the castle, river, craft centre and dozens of small but interesting shops. In fact, there is much more and Linda provided an extensive personalised and detailed itinerary (for the whole tour), including things to see, pubs, music venues and restaurants. The Kilkenny hotel was comfortable with loads of free parking and nicely situated about 10 minutes pleasant walk from the town centre. The Harbour Hotel in Galway was right by the harbour and right near the town centre. Secure on-site parking is available but costs Euro10 per night. Easy to find with satnav in a very busy but handy part of town. A free upgrade here got us a nice room with the addition of a fridge and safe. Galway is a very lively place in the evening with loads of pubs and restaurants but go early or book as restaurants fill up earlier than you might expect. We spent a fair bit of time walking and exploring including walking along the coast to the promenade at Salt Hill. On our second day we did a pre-paid ferry day excursion to Arran from Rossaveal, about 10 miles along the coast from Galway but the shortest crossing. You can drive or get a dedicated return bus ticket from ticket office in Galway town centre. Be aware the bus is not perfectly synchronised with ferry times, so it was a very fine cut getting there and exchanging voucher for tickets in time. There is parking at the ferry terminal if you drive and want to be early. Arran was a relaxed day trip with café, minibus tours (didn’t book, there are loads), lovely scenery and several places to buy Arran pullovers – shop around. Final Stop was Scott’s Hotel Killarney. Scott’s Hotel was very nice and very well situated in the heart of town. Free underground parking was available and we left the car there for four days, getting taxies two or three times when needed. The reception staff at Scott’s were particularly helpful with sorting taxies and directions. We walked and explored, including a lovely walk along the river from Killarney to Ross Castle. Whilst in Killarney we took pre-paid excursions to Kate Kearny’s Irish Evening, a trip around the Dunloe Gap and a coach tour of the Ring of Kerry. Kate Kearny’s was a short taxi ride from Killarney and a thoroughly enjoyable evening. There was a three-course meal included with three meal choices, live Irish music and Irish dancing demo. It starts at 7pm and finishes quite early at 9 pm. This is a shame but as soon as the music finishes the coach parties up and leave. That said there is nothing to stop you staying on a while, The Dunloe Gap excursion was outstanding, accessing the most spectacular scenery as you travel one way in a jaunting car (horse and cart) and after a stop for lunch, return via the river and three lakes of Killarney. We enjoyed all the excursions, but this was easily the best. Our final excursion was a coach tour from Killarney circuiting the ring of Kerry. The tour took in many fine views, a sheep dog demo (really interesting), a pub selling the perfect Irish coffee and interesting insights from the Driver’s commentary. All excursions were prepaid (hassle free and guaranteed booking) and arranged by Irish Tourism. Vouchers with instructions and directions were provided for all hotels and excursions and the system worked very well. In summary, we had a fabulous holiday which was achieved with the help, knowledge and expertise of Linda at Irish Tourism. We only scratched the surface of the itinerary options we were given and there is loads more to see and do. Should we have the good fortune to return, we will have no hesitation in using Irish Tourism again.