Getting to Ireland is simply a matter of having a valid Passport and booking a flight from the U.S into Dublin, Cork or Shannon aiports. For touring the West, Shannon is closest, but rail and bus links are available from Dublin and Cork. Belfast, in Northern Ireland, has an airport but flights there may necessitate a change from London. (See Reference One)
Coach tours can be booked from the U.S. online, over the phone or from your travel agent. Alternatively, use rail, bus, or regional flights to get from town to town. For travel at your fingertips, rent a car. Don't forget Irish people drive on the left. Roads, especially country roads, may be narrow. (See Reference One and Resource Two)
Ireland offers a variety of accommodations to suit your budget. Hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, guesthouses, hostels, caravans and self catering accommodations are available and can be booked online. Most towns have tourist offices which can help you with last minute reservations. (See Reference One).
Visit historical attractions. Ireland has been settled for nine thousand years and the ancestors have left their mark in the form of forts, castles and earlier prehistoric settlements. Newgrange passage tomb, near Dublin, is more than five thousand years old.
Ancient megalithic stone circles and standing stones dot the countryside with the Poulnabrone Dolmen in the rugged limestone landscape of the Burren being a favorite of Irish families on holiday. Country roads usually have signposts for historical sights, so be spontaneous and stop off in designated areas across the countryside to see them. (See Reference Four)
Kiss the Blarney Stone. In landscaped parkland in County Cork, Blarney Castle has a castle keystone which will endow you with the "Gift of the Gab" (See Reference Three)
Sail off to one of the many Irish islands for the day. On the west coast (or the Weshth, as locals call it,) the Aran Islands are home to stone-built cottages and the prehistoric Dun Aonghusa fort. Ferry trips from the Cliffs of Moher are available. (See Reference Five)
Spend a day in the cities of Dublin, Cork, Belfast or Galway to take a break from the cultural overload. Shopping, theatre, nightclubs and restaurants are plentiful and pubs stay open until after midnight on weekends.
City tourist offices also have information on guided tours. A tour that attracts literature lovers with a dipsomaniac twist is the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl that visits the favorite haunts of George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, W.B Yeats and Oscar Wilde. (See Resource One)
Take part in a ceili. These dances are advertised and held regularly in towns and cities by traditional Irish music and dance lovers. Complete novices are an integral part of the fun of a ceili so don't worry about dance skills.
Learn some Irish phrases for fun. Dia dhuit (Deeya gwit) means Hello and Go raibh mile maith agat (Guh rev meela mah agut) means Thank you. That should crack a smile from even the most jaded hotel owner, waitress or taxi driver.
Go to the pub. Every little village has at least one and there will usually be one or two locals holding up the bar. These regulars are a font of knowledge about the area and fascinating information can be dragged out of them by offering to buy them a pint.
