Ponytrax, You will be leaving US in a couple of days. The area you are going to for your horse riding holiday is mostly County Wicklow.........also known as the Garden of IReland. You will see why when you get there. When we were growing up ( yes I was born and bred in Dublin) we always had to have raingear and sunprotection in our pockets. Why it is laughable to get sunburned in Dublin in beyond me.......never underestimate the East wind of the sea!!!!! I am going home (live in Switzerland now) in October and am bringing a couple of friends with me. One of whom is coming specifically to do horse riding. She wanted to do trail riding, but it seems late in the season. However we are still searching for something.......not too easy. If you are near a place in the wicklow mountains called Glenmalure, go to the only old hotel and have a great pint of Guinness for me. We used to cycle down there on a friday bringing tents and billy cans and camp over the weekend. Great memories. Ignore Dublins Temple Bar. gone are the days of enjoying a walk around that part of the city and straying into a local pub there. It is utter madness with uncontrollable drinking and noise. Even the good old sessions are a huge big show. The only way to find a real session these days is to ask the fellas who sell INDUBLIN magazine......for example the fella outside Bewleys in Grafton St. Have a great time, and enjoy Wicklow. Brigie