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Ireland is located
off the West
coast of the UK Mainland.Getting There
Car Ferries connect the UK mainland and France with Ireland.
The big ferry companies serving
Ireland are:Irish Ferries
Stena Line
SeaCat
P&O Irish Ferries
A good way of comparing fares between the carriers is to use Ferrysavers . These are part of the French Life Group and can offer most fares 10% cheaper than anyone else. Eurapart has gone into partnership with Ferrysavers as we believe they offer some of the best ferry deals around. Please remember to book via the Ferrysavers links on this site or quote "JWE" when booking over the phone.
Another very cheap way of getting to Ireland is to join Ipoints. Just registering rewards you with 20 Ipoints getting a further 20 is easy and may not cost a thing. 40 Ipoints is enough to obtain a 72 hour Return Ticket on Irish Ferries for up to 5 passengers. We took up this offer this Summer and hired a car in Dublin.
There are also rail connections for foot passengers with most of the ferry routes.
Air travellers have a number of airports to choose from, with Dublin, Cork and Shannon being the most popular destinations.
UK visitors driving in Ireland will be pleasantly surprised at how cheap petrol and diesel is there.
Budget Accommodation
Ireland has plenty of budget accommodation mainly in the form of friendly Bed and Breakfast establishments. Budget hotel chains have not made a big impact in the country.
Dublin hotels are amongst the most expensive in Europe. It is possible to get a good deal for a family as many of the bigger hotel chains offer family rooms at no extra cost. A good place to start if you are looking for a hotel in Ireland is the Eurapart booking engine.
Food
and FuelIreland has a number of Supermarket chains with Tesco being one of the more common. Other chains include Lidl. Petrol stations can be found at very few of the Supermarkets. Fuel is a lot cheaper than the UK.
There are restaurants to suit most tastes from Burger King and Mac Donalds to Indian, Chinese, Italian and French restaurants. Many of the bars serve good bar meals.
Emerald Isle
The Irish are masters at turning the negative into the positive. So an island with abundant rainfall from the Atlantic, becomes the Emerald Isle due to its greenery. The Irish give you a warm welcome and can't fail to impress holiday makers with their relaxed approach to life, that is assuming you are in no hurry! If you are looking for a suntan (you shouldn't be - it causes skin ageing and cancer!) or for a fast urban life-style, then don't choose Ireland. That is not to say you won't get good weather or find all night revelry.
Ireland has a rich cultural history and retains Irish as its official language although English is used in most locations. There is no shortage of places to visit and things to do in Ireland. Spectacular scenery is waiting for you throughout the Isle. From the Atlantic Coastline with sites such as the Cliffs of Moher to the lakes around Killarney.
Remember though that much of the country does not lend itself to an easy living and is either rocky or bogland.
From Prehistoric Dolmens and Tumulii through to the newest buildings that are springing up on the skylines of the country's cities, Ireland has something to offer every visitor.
Dublin is the largest city in Ireland. Originally a Viking settlement near the mouth of the Liffey it continues to expand with new buildings and roads being built seemingly all the time. Dublin has a faster pace of life than the rest of Ireland but I was pleasantly surprised to find "Road Rage" at much lower levels than the UK.
Dublin is home to numerous attractions. Trinity College, Dublin was founded by Elizabeth I and is still a centre of learning but is not as restrictive in its entry requirements as when it first opened. The library is home to the Book of Kells a beautifully illustrated Medieval manuscript. Dublin museum (Free) displays the Irish story from Prehistory to Independence and beyond.
Other museums such as Dublina complete your choice.
Other attractions include magnificent architecture (many with a story to tell) exhibited by the Custom House, Law Courts, GPO and Halfpenny Bridge. The Guinness Brewery or the many bars in the city is the destination of many visitors.
The Quality Charleville Hotel & Suites in Dublin our featured hotel for June 2002. Get a good deal on this Dublin Hotel.
The rest of the country is worth visiting. Try Cork with its harbour (the Cobh) the last sight of land for many emigrants before the New World. A museum has been built to remember those days. Outside Cork there is Blarney Castle target of many people looking to "Kiss the Blarney" and gain the gift of eloquence. My personal observation was that mobile phones now make a bigger impact as all the young Irish seem to spend all day talking on them.
My
family stayed at the Jury's Hotel in Limerick and we thourolly enjoyed
our stay even though the City has not got the best of reputations. The
city is full of historical sites such as St. John's castle, and is now
running "Angela's Ashes" walks around the film locations.The Cliffs of Moher to the North West of Limerick are spectacular but a little crowded in Summer. The area known as the Burren is home to rare fauna and contains prehistoric caves and ancient ruins.
Other locations are too numerous to mention on one page but include the Wicklow Hills, Glendalough, Avoca (Ballykissangel), Waterford, Wexford, Galway, Killarney, Trallee
© Eurapart 1997 - 2006 Evolution 2 (25 February 2006)