I love the Kerry area, Killarney is a great little town, also really liked Kenmare, and Kinsale.
Has anyone been to these towns/area's?

I'm new...wanted to respond to the post about the Kerry area. I've been there twice, and Kenmare is one of my favorites. I'm hoping to go back and would like recommendations about where to stay. I'd like to make my travel home base in Kenmare.

When I was newly married my husband talked so much about Kerry that my brothers used to tease him that Kerry was really an old girlfriend. He'd spent some years teaching there and had lived in Blennerville, outside of Tralee. Now, 15 years later, he's still talking about Kerry, so she must've been something!<G>
There are many good places to stay in the area, but the clue to me is in your choice of the words "home base." Many people I've talked to lately---even ones with family in Ireland with whom they would be welcome to stay---are choosing short-term rentals of completely furnished cottages. You get the privacy and self-determination that may not be as available at a B&B or a regular hotel. You do your own cooking, washing up, and all that, but that's part of the benefit. You're not at the mercy of pub grub or the restricted hours of service of many of the restaurants in Europe (or the prices!). The prices can be quite reasonable, especially if you travel off season by a bit, and there are significant savings in being able to make yourself a cup of tea rather than having to visit a restaurant for every bite you eat or drop you drink.
If you go to the Irish Culture site, you will see links for Travel Ireland on the left-hand side of the page. There are many choices there. The people who rent these cottages will be very happy to give you all the information you could ever want.
Enjoy your travels,
Mary Ellen

Thanks so much, Mary Ellen. Your advice was right on. When I come back,I'm bringing my husband, who has had diabetes for 51 years (since he was 7). I think it would be easiest on us to have a place to make meals (most days) that fit in with his meal plan, and have a place to come back to each night after travelling around all day, or just enjoy a quiet day around town, wherever we may be. Can't WAIT to make it a reality!

Good for you, Jeri. Visit often and stay long. I've always thought that the whole point of visiting Ireland was to slow down to the proper pace. Dashing madly about is for everybody else. Ireland is meant to be enjoyed at one's most comfortable pace, not ever otherwise, except possibly when leaving...when your stalling and all the good-byes make you worry about making the flight. Yes, be careful, the flights out of Ireland don't wait for long good-byes any more than the ones from our home cities.

For many people visiting Ireland is a religious experience. It depends on the degree of separation by generation or imagination. As we all know, the Irish have very long memories so even people whose forebears emigrated very long ago feel a resonance when they visit.

I'm packing my bags almost as we speak. I'm taking off for Donegal and Dublin in the middle of October, and it's quite something to think about. Each time I've been there has been totally different in some ways, identical in others. Boy! I can't wait!

Maybe your husband will like the trifle recipe I posted the other day. It's perfect for diabetics like us.

Best,
Mary Ellen

Would you like to tell us a little about your trip to that you mentioned you were going on in October? Maybe it'll be enough to get us through the long cold winter....(I live in Minnesota).

What are some of the really good museums in non-Dublin Ireland? And is it difficult to travel about if we do rent a private cottage? You've got my appetite whetted!

Thanks to all,
Dunesbury

Car rentals are way down from the "old days," when the cost of a car was about the same as the flight. It's surprising that the rates now are about the same as they would be in the States, but there is that issue of the "right" and "wrong" side of the road. As long as you stay out of the cities, driving is not a problem, but driving through Dublin could be tough for one not familiar with the difference in the direction of traffic. Still, a couple of days and you're driving like a native.
Ireland herself is a museum. If you're looking for something like "The Smithsonian," stick to Dublin. There are lovely museums there. Lots of well-cataloged artifacts. If you're looking for lei lines and holy wells, stay out of Dublin. You'll find them without a map. (only half kidding)
For the first time over, you may want to do a tour. The tours are not the insipid drive, drive, drive, stop...look at the lovely sheep...drive, drive, drive. Usually the banter of the driver is enough to make the trip worthwhile in itself. I went on a tour bus in Dublin once (yeah, me, on a tour bus, hold yer hat...well, I was entertaining some company and had run out of personal energy<G>). The driver had me laughing my butt off. That's a tour. Gor, there's so much to do and see in Ireland, I'm the worst one to advise you. Personally, I'm all for renting the cottage and letting the place claim you. Rent a little car and get lost. The museum of the field is what you'll find and someone will tell you what happened there 2 million years ago.
Keep talking.
I'd go to the West Coast and fill up on fish. What would be really nice would be a Shannon River tour boat. Slowly slipping down the Shannon and stopping once in a while at major sites. Stop in pubs whether you drink or not.
Have a quiet time,
Mary Ellen

Hello Jeri:

You will not believe it! The ticket bought, passport renewed, new clothes hanging neatly in the closet, and I was staring at the map of Dublin airport, getting ready to book my little flight from Dublin to Donegal, when I realized I couldn't walk the length of the airport by myself. And then I knew I couldn't make the trip alone. I had totally forgotten to take into account how well cared for I am here by my husband and son. I always have one or the other of them to lean on. My rack is ruined from some bad treatment in the old days. I have severe arthritis in my hips and back and walking any distance is a huge challenge. I didn't even take it into consideration when I was planning the trip. Duh! I realized I would be a burden to everyone I planned to visit, all those cousins who take stone walls in a single bound and who walk a mile or two after dinner as a constitutional. And those who don't are in the same shape I am and wouldn't that be a disaster as well? No, I couldn't make the trip by myself. Confound it.

Thankfully, Continental allows the ticket to be postponed (moved the date to Feb. when the husband and son will accompany me---there's a wedding).

So, I didn't get my trip. And you'll never guess, but if I had gone, it would have been a terrible thing. Before I had time to get depressed about not being able to see dear old Donegal right now, wee Eamonn came home from school with an award from Johns Hopkins University, the CTY (Center for Talented Youth) and an invitation to take the SATs three years early. Woo-hoo! Surprise, surprise. We'd never even heard of this award, but the kiddo made his parents very proud, and all of a sudden his mother became very, very busy. It just happened that the time I would have been away I spent filling out applications for that program and for the high school he is anxious to go to next year. And then there's that huge SAT prep book to be gone through before December 4 (which oddly is his grandma-in-heaven's birthday).

So, there's the blessing that followed the disappointment. Yep, I got a few goosebumps on that one. And I'll be heading for Dublin in February, which is just when the daffodils are blooming all over the place, and a niece getting married as well, so it's all working out well in the end.

So please send some prayers that Eamo gets accepted in High Tech High School. He has his heart set on it. I was a bit worried about what would happen if it didn't happen...adolescents and disappointment and all that...but his take is that if it doesn't happen this year, there'll be less competition next year. Today may be Thanksgiving, but I feel blessed every day.

How will you stay warm? With my best wishes and amazement that you held that thought to inquire some months later. You're obviously warm heart will help keep you warm in Minnesota.<G>

Our internet connections are more than just typing the odd message on the computer. Some of my very best friends were met on the net and we "speak" nearly every day for these last ten years. The net is what we make of it. Here's to making the best of it.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Mary Ellen

Ye gads, obviously I'm losing my aptitude in apostrophes. Please make that "Your obviously warm heart above..."
MES