travels to ireland

Subject: travels to ireland
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 02:09 AM

Anyone have any good tips on travel and/or jobs in Ireland? Esp. during the summer? Good advice on music camps or festivals/hotels/hostels/airfare/sessions? Brilliant music stores to spend one's money? cheers.

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: black walnut
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 05:02 PM

I'd like the same thing for Germany/Switzerland/England/& Ireland. Except for the jobs. No jobs. Please. And thank you.

~black walnut

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: GUEST,Greycap
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 05:53 AM

The Lobby Bar in Cork has great guests.Well worth a visit.

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 07:46 AM

Guest,
when are you going and where do you intend to visit, Ireland like every other country has regional variations, you will probably find less music in the south east, eg Wexford and Waterford than you will in the west eg Kerry, Clare and Galway. This has been my experience, one which seems to be shared with other people

Cheers

Raggy

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: black walnut
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 10:43 AM

Thanks Greycap. Very good questions Raggytash....I have a possible journey across the ocean for the first time. I'd be coming with my daughter. We'd be visiting friends in Switzerland, Germany and England. My grandfather was from Dublin. I know zero about geography or about what's over there that we could do on a low budget, but I'd kind of like to put my feet on the home sod if I'm able. It's all up in the air right now. I'm just fishing for ideas at this point in time.

But I didn't start this thread, so don't let me interrupt "GUEST"'s train of thought....

~b.w.

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: PoppaGator
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 01:51 PM

I asked the same question last year, in preparation for a wonderful trip we took in August '03. I received many kind responses, almost all of which will still apply in '04. See:

England/Ireland in August: Advice?

If you're coming from the US, you may not realize how much farther north you'll be, which means how very long the sun shines on summer evenings -- until 10 pm or nearly so in August in Counties Mayo, Galway and Clare.

Here's another more recent thread on the same subject, started by someone like yourself who plans to travel this coming August:

Holiday in Eire

PS: I know I promised to report back to y'all after my trip, and never have done so. Sorry about that -- I still might assemble my notes into a readable journal and put it up for you perusal.

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: Eugene Judge
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 01:57 PM

Plenty of information for visitors on this site. Not a lot about music sessions.

http://www.goireland.com/goireland.htm

I spend two weeks every year in Cleggan Connemara Co. Galway and most of the time in Newman's bar playing with the locals and visitors a few times a week. A lovely part of the world, lovely people and oh yes the Guinness!

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 02:14 PM

For a brilliant music store, there's Custy's traditional Music in Ennis, Co. Clare. A great selection of cd's of traditional Irish music, with many independent recordings that are otherwise hard to find. Some of the best Irish music is released on small, independent recordings. They'll tell you about what gigs and sessions are going on locally, and Ennis always has excellent traditional music going on. www.custysmusic.com

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: GUEST,The Burren Ranger
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 01:11 PM

Chanteyranger is right. Lots of music to be heard in Ennis (Custy's will give you all info) , also in Linnane's and Vaughan's Pubs in KIlfenora. McCann's Puib in Doolin has music nightly as has the Roadside Tevern in LIsdoonvarna. But be prepared... bring plenty spending dosh. We are not known as RIP-OFF IRELAND for nothing!
TBR

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: vindelis
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 01:39 PM

If you've been to Cleggan then no doubt you may have found Clifden, Lowry's, Mahnions and EJ King's are all wonderful places to find both local and visiting, singers and musicians.

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: Raggytash
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 02:31 PM

I was a the Connemara a few weeks ago and the above threads about Lowrys and Newmans are making me very sad that I'm not there, next time you go in Newman's or Lowry's ask about the Mad Buggers !! I'm responsible for that lot

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 06:15 PM

Eugene says "oh yes, the Guinness!" and he's right. Somehow, the black stuff is just so much better in Ireland; I suppose there are preservatives or something that go into the exported stuff that isn't ncessary in the homeland. (The Murphy's was every bit as good as the Guinness to my tasted.)

Budgetary considerations: We paid 30 euros a head per night for bed-and-breakfast accommodations in August '03; seemed like a very standard "in-season" price accross the entire country. We were four people: my wife and I in a "double" (means room with double *bed*), and our son and my brother in a "twin" (two separate little beds of course). One innkeeper gave us a little quantity break for two rooms, two night: 27.50 or maybe 28 per person per night. Then he knocked off another couple of bucks because we had to leve early on the last morning of our stay to drive to Shannon, withtout breakfast. This was the Burren Breeze in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. -- not the homiest or most picturesque of the places we stayed, but nice enough, and fairly convenient to Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher.

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 07:22 PM

For festivals you could do worse than these two:

Fiddlers Green at Rostrevor, which is not massive, but is a chance to see some hugely accompished musicians, with the possibility of bumping into the likes of Barney McKenna, and....

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which is of course mega by any reckoning. It's at Clonmel again this year.

Subject: RE: travels to ireland
From: Eugene Judge
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 08:41 PM

Raggytash - "making me sad that I'm not there" - me too!!!!!!!!!

It's 5 months since I was there and 7 months before I will be back - 7 years on the trot! Got the house booked 2 mins from "Newmans" Find the cheap flights and off we go. Out at 10.15 pm banjo in hand every night, wobble back at 2-3 am to the sound of the sea lapping on the shore in Cleggan Bay...........

Must stop....the thread is about "travels to Ireland" not my passion for Connemara.

Info:

Sessions in Clifden in one of the many bars most nights-"Mannions" on Tuesday night. Eugene Barry (we have shared many a pint) should be on the box.

And "oh yes the Guinness".