Ireland-Things to See and Do

There is no language like the Irish for soothing and quieting.
John Millington Synge

I have always wanted to go to Ireland, ever since I was a child and my Dear Old Mom would play the Irish Rovers Unicorn LP over and over again. Gotta love the music of Ireland. Arranging trips to Ireland are easier than ever-there’s really no excuse not to have an Ireland vacation. Just find a local branch of the Bank of Ireland, get some local money, and check into your Ireland hotel. Of course, it’s easy to find Ireland Hotels before you leave home, check out the prices and decide how many stars you want.

Dublin, Ireland is a good place to start your Ireland vacation, there are a lot of good Dublin Hotels to choose from. Your Dublin hotel can cost you from 18 EUR to well over 400 EUR, depending on what kind of accommodations you want. Wherever you stay in Dublin, Ireland, you’ll find lots of things to do once you leave your room. Be sure to stop by the Trinity College Library and have a look at The Book of Kells-written around the year 800 AD, it is one of the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts in the world. A Dublin tour of Castles is a fun way to get some history in with your fun. Dublin Castle, Drimnagh Castle, Malahide Castle, Dalkey Castle, and Ardgillan Castle all bring the past to life. A Dublin vacation has a lot to offer. Be sure to check out the James Joyce Museum and the James Joyce House of the Dead.

Cork is situated in the South West of Ireland, and has a lot of rich farmland and beautiful coastlines. Cork Hotels will set you back between 50 EUR to over 300 EUR. Bed and breakfasts are popular in Cork Ireland, though the are plenty of Cork hotels of all sorts. There are over 22 Castles in Cork Ireland, though many are in ruins and some are pretty small as far as castles go. Along the same lines, there are a lot of Towers, Forts, Monuments, and Cathedrals as well. For a bit of more recent history, check out the West Cork Model Railway Village. Follow the route of a miniaturized version of the now defunct West Cork Railway and “Step back in time” to experience the way of life in West Cork during the 1940’s.

Belfast Hotels range in price from a low of 51 GBP-about 69 EUR, to a high of 130 GBP-about 175 EUR. Belfast Ireland has a castle, of course, and it is a lovely place with large garden spaces. The Ulster Museum is the largest museum in Northern Ireland, and well worth a visit. Then there is The Giant’s Ring-a mysterious site thought to be about 4000 years old. And no trip to Belfast Ireland is complete without a stop by the Harland and Wolff Shipyard who are world renowned Belfast shipbuilders, dating from the 1860s-they put together a little ship called The Titanic. It might be a good idea to hire a car in Belfast, to see all the neat sites.

Galway Hotels can cost between 40 EUR and 300 EUR, with the usual spread in stars and room quality. Galway is the capital of the West of Ireland. The streets and buildings of this ancient town have many interesting features. Fill your Galway vacation with stops at its University, Institute of Technology, Theatres, Cathedral, Castle, Docks, and Industries. The Galway International Oyster Festival takes place each year in September. Some of the world’s favorite breeds of horses can be seen at the Dartfield Horse Museum. County Galway also has several locations which were used in the making of the file, The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne. There are, of course, castles in Galway-Dunguaire Castle, Aughnanure Castle, and Athenry Castle are heritage sites.

So whether you are looking for Hotels in Ireland in general, hotels in Cork, hotels in Dublin, hotels in Belfast, or hotels in Galway, your sure to find something that meets your needs and your budget. There is a lot of history and a lot of fun in Ireland. There are plenty of things to see and do in Ireland.


Published by Jon Herrera

Writer, Photographer, Blogger.