Dublin, the Republic's capital, is a good base for a week-long stay. You can find lots to see in the city and, if you hire a car, you can explore some of the surrounding countryside and coastline. You'll find plenty of historic buildings and lively nightlife in the Temple Bar area. Make sure you do a little light shopping in Grafton Street. The Guinness Storehouse is Ireland's top tourist attraction; another must-see is the Book of Kells--an illustrated edition of the New Testament gospels--at Trinity College. A fun way to spend an evening is to go on a guided tour of sites associated with some of Ireland's literary greats such as Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Brendan Behan. Other famous places include St. Stephen's Green and the Ha'penny Bridge. Attractions near the capital include the Newgrange neolithic tomb, the National Sea Life Center, the National Stud and the National Botanic Garden.
Want to leave the capital behind and enjoy the countryside? Remember that your time is limited, You won't be able to see everything. The pace of life in rural Ireland really is slow and peaceful and you'll want to enjoy the tranquility rather than tear around the place. Hire a car and choose one of two week-long round-trips from Dublin--one to the West and one to the South. The first goes to Galway in the West via Athlone then drops down through Ennis and Shannon to Limerick before returning to Dublin via Portlaoise. Highlights include the shops, restaurants and pubs of Limerick and the nearby castles, stone-age homes and quaint harbours. The second route takes you to Portlaoise and, via the M8 motorway, on to Cork, then along smaller roads to Waterford and back to the capital. Don't miss Blarney Castle at Cork, where legend says you can gain the gift of the gab by kissing the Blarney Stone, and the striking mountain scenery and beaches around Waterford. And don't get stressed if you find yourself stuck behind a flock of sheep--just sit back and wait for them to be on their way.
You can see the best of Northern Ireland by car in a week. A round-trip starting and ending in Belfast, the capital, takes you to Ballycastle, Coleraine, Londonderry, Kesh, Enniskillen and Newcastle. The big attraction is the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland's only World Heritage Site. A volcanic eruption some 60 million years ago formed the distinctive stone columns.
