Going to London & Ireland, May '13

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 09 Mar 13 - 02:26 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: GUEST,The Kerryman
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 03:54 PM

Baloney!

_________________Please use a consistent GUESTname. Mudelf.__________________

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: MartinRyan
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 02:38 PM

'Keep in mind that use of credit cards is not so widespread in Ireland as is the case elsewhere, particularly away from the cities.'

Cobblers!

Certainly be harder to find a cobbler than a shop that refuses credit cards! That said, not all B&B's are set up for credit transactions - they tend to be cash businesses by nature...

Enjoy

Regards

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: GUEST,grumpy
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 02:30 PM

'Keep in mind that use of credit cards is not so widespread in Ireland as is the case elsewhere, particularly away from the cities.'

Cobblers!

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 02:15 PM

If you are going through Westport in Mayo and you should make sure you get to Hobans back lounge on Saturday night for a really good trad session of music ,song ,dance and recitations .The best in the west.

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 01:01 PM

Thank you for the advice! much appreciated. I'm unfamiliar with Donegal (though I love its music) and with other countiers north of Galway. If you know of any recommended sessions in Donegal, and of B&B's that way, i'm all ears. In Ennis, any B&B within easy walking distance of Cruise's pub or other Irish music venues? Thanks!

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: GUEST,Sarah the Flute at work
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 09:06 AM

Get into the spirit and visit the irish session at the Kilkenny Tavern in South Wimbledon on Tuesday 7th 9.30 til late. Just next door to South Wimbledon Tube station so easy to get back if you are staying in central london.

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: jacqui.c
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 07:46 AM

Keep in mind that use of credit cards is not so widespread in Ireland as is the case elsewhere, particularly away from the cities.

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: MartinRyan
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 06:11 AM

B & B shouldn't be a problem at that time of the year unless you hit some local festival or such. That said, a bit of research might turn up a few particularly nice ones to pencil in as options!

Regards

Subject: RE: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 05:32 AM

We went round Ireland last July, and spent a great Thursday evening just bar-hopping in Ennis.

All we did was walk down O'Connell Street until we heard something interesting, and went in; bought a half-pint of the red ale, and at the end of that half-pint just decided whether to stay and have another, or move on.

Some of the sessions were very tourist-orientated (hint: any session selling its own CD is going to be rubbish), some of them were too big and/or fiddle-dominated for my liking ... and on the third hop we found a brilliant flute player playing with three or four other people.

So we stayed there: got chatting with the other people in the bar, much ale was taken, there was the odd outbreak of dancing, at about 11:30 the front door was locked and the shutters pulled down but the session kept going and the bar was still serving, and we finally left of our own volition by the back door as things started winding down at about 2am. It was a perfect evening, exactly what we'd hoped would happen but didn't really think we'd actually manage to find.

We were told in there that the best nights for hearing decent music in Ennis are Thursday and Monday, the weekends are just too crowded and there's less action midweek.

As regards accommodation we booked into the Temple Gate Hotel on the night; if your budget doesn't stretch that far (we were camping for the rest of the fortnight so felt justified in paying for some luxury for the one night) I can't imagine that you'd have that much trouble in May, seeing as how we got there at 6pm on a July Thursday and had no problem at all.

Subject: Going to London & Ireland, May '13
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 01:48 AM

My wife and I are finally taking our honeymoon, 2 and a half years after our wedding, going from California to London May 3, and then to Ireland around May 9 to 18. In Ireland, we will start in Clare, then plan to drive up to Donegal, then to N. Ireland, and end up in Dublin. If anyone has suggestions of places to hear traditional Irish music and some not too tourist-laden historic sites on the way up to Donegal and through the North, then East to Dublin, I'd love to hear from you. We want to keep options open to whatever we run into there, rather than planning every day beforehand. One general question, though, is that is it necessary to book bed and breakfast places far in advance, or is that something we could find available as we travel?

I was in Clare, Cork, and Kerry in 1989, and in Cork, Clare, and Galway in 2002, but this will be my first time in other counties, and my wife's very first time in her ancestral homeland. Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions. In Clare, Ennis and Doolin for certain!

-Chanteyranger