Ireland

I am headed to Northern Ireland next week for four days for a quick look around and then to the Republic for a week and a half in July.

I have the tickets and some ideas, just sorting out the logistics! I am flying in and out of Belfast and then later into Dublin and out of Cork. No car, just public transport and my two feet.

So far... a look around Belfast, Derry, Bushmills, The Giant's Causeway for NI. And Dublin, Sligo, Galway, Cork... I haven't thought too much about my July trip yet.

Any must-sees or recent travel advice from the "locals" and people who have been?

Thanks! This weekend I am off to the Highlands again!

Gosh, I wish I had something specific to recommend; I travelled through Ireland (Republic) years ago... all I can say is I loved every minute of it!  Gorgeous green country everywhere, charm, lovely people... it really is/was everything I'd imagined it to be.
(we flew into Shannon and drove across to Dublin before heading over to Wales; visiting loads of places... though the only names I remember off the top of my head are Killarney, Blarney (DON'T kiss it! ), Dublin and Cork - in Cork we stayed at THE most charming B&B I think I've ever been in overlooking the water.

HAVE FUN!

Thanks Kuyper. I am definitely looking forward to it. Everyone says the scenery is unbelievable... so I won't believe it until I see it! 

No plans to kiss the Blarney... now an Irishman, well that's more appealing.

I will probably wander and go where the wind takes me.

Make a trip over to Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry.....very nice and scenic.  In Dublin, a trip to the Guinness brewery is a must.

What did you like about Dingle?

Oh, and Guinness was certainly on my to do list as touristy as it is!

Dublin was really cool - the Guinness brewery was cool, even DH liked it despite not being a drinker at all!

Cavan and Leitrim have some nice spots too, very quiet and scenic.   

I can't say I was at all impressed with Dublin City -- Just another huge, ugly  sprawling urban area to me, but I suppose if you're a "city person" it might be different.

So far... a look around Belfast, Derry, Bushmills, The Giant's Causeway for NI.

We went to these places about 2 years ago.
The Giants Causeway was stunning!   I was expecting it to be basically a pile of rocks... but any photos you see of it dont do it justice... it's fantastic.

As a splurge, we stayed at the Bushmills Inn, and it was brilliant!   The room was massive and cavern-like, with a fab luxury bathroom.   And some very palatable single malt Irish whiskies... the 16 year old Bushmills was lovely.

When you are in Belfast stop at the NI Tourist board office (down the street from City Hall, across from M&S, near Boots), they will be very helpful in places to see and how to see them.

If you want to hire a personalised taxi service for some of the Belfast based runs, check out this service:
http://www.irelandbelfast.com

If you get a chance, go down to County Clare to Doolin and see the cliffs of Moher.

If you're a foodie, go to Kinsale (near Cork). It's known as the Culinary Capital of Ireland!
http://www.kinsalerestaurants.com/kinsale.html

(I used to have relatives living there)

The Ulster American Folk Park is an interesting visit.  Tells the story of emigration from Ulster to American, a really nice place!  www.folkpark.com

wow, thanks everyone! I really appreciate this advice and will look into it all and let you know how I do!

Don't forget in Belfast to visit the Queen's Head.  It is on Great Victoria Street and is still a gas-lit pub.  Quite fun.  I think they Odessey was a bit overated and very hard to walk to from Belfast city centre, but you might want to give it a try.  Belfast has some nice botanical gardens and is an easy city centre to walk around.

I assume you will be taking the Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin.  That connects up right with the LUAS (the light rail in Dublin) but only the Nothern line.  The Southern line starts at St Stephen's Green.  In the brilliance of everything, they are totally incompatible systems, with the guage of the rails even being different, meaning the two lines will never meet up.

Of course you have to visit the GPO in Dublin on O'Connell Street, just to see where the Brits smushed the Easter Uprising.  You can spend weeks in Dublin.  The Guiness Brewery is touristy.  The Jameson Distillary is nice if you are into the alcohol as well.  There is lots of shopping and lots of pubs. Trinity College is great (go see the book of Kells) if you are into the history.  One of the best tours I ever went on was a Ghost Bus Tour that is run by the Dublin Bus Company.  It starts right outside the Transportation Offices on O'Connell street.  Dublin's got a lot of decent places to eat at all budgets.  If you give a bit more about your interests, I can tell you more about what to check out.

I lived in Dublin 2 (about two blocks from O'Connell Bridge) for about 2 years.  The number of pubs that I stumbled out of at 2AM... sheesh...

There are two train stations in town,  there is the Central Station which is right next to the Bus Depot and then there is Euston Station (I think the LUAS will get you to and from there now, though I can't remember).  Euston is where trains to the south country depart from.  Also, outside the LUAS to get around surrounding Dublin is the DART.  The DART will get you to some very nice sea-side towns like Howth and Bray where a lot of the Dubliners go for a little rest and relaxation.

I didn't get so much to the south of Ireland.  I went over to Galway a couple of times.  Very nice over there.  Got down to Waterford and a couple of other places.

Don't forget in Belfast to visit the Queen's Head.  It is on Great Victoria Street and is still a gas-lit pub.  Quite fun.  I think they Odessey was a bit overated and very hard to walk to from Belfast city centre, but you might want to give it a try.  Belfast has some nice botanical gardens and is an easy city centre to walk around.

great suggestions, thanks kitsonk. I am headed to Belfast later this week and just a long weekend around NI. I did notice how closely linked Belfast and Dublin are but decided to make it two trips instead of one.