The Best of Ireland...?

I will be taking a trip to Ireland in November, of this year, and I am curious about where the best places to visit are. I want to stay away from the touristy areas and focus my vacation on getting to know the true Irishman/woman. What city, town or village would provide me with this experiance. Thank you.

Well, I'm from Clare originally, although I now live in the capital Dublin & I think if you'relookin for the "real" Irish expereince, stay away from Dublin & concentrate on the west Coast. Try fly into Shannon where you'll be close to three great counties - Kerry, Clare & Galway - that I'm sure any Irish person would recommend should be top of your list.

Personally, I think Clare is one of the most picturesque counties in Ireland, situated on the Shannon river. Some of Ireland's most famous tourist attractions are based in the county, most notably Bunratty Castle & Folk Village - which comprises of more than 30 cottages, pubs, shops, etc recreated from last century ireland. Once in there, you can visit old Irish kitchens & help the traditionally dressed women bake bread or you can help feed pigs & cows in the farmyard. I've taken many visiting US friends there & they've all loved it.

Clare is also home to the Burren, a beautiful landscae of barren rock surface, very rare flowers and ancient pagan tomb stones, called portal dolmens.

Very near the Burren are the Ailiwee Caves, which I believe are the second largest caves in Europe. A guided walking journey through them can take over an hour. There are absolutely breathtaking!

The coast of Clare is dotted with lovely coastal villages & beaches. I often spend summers in Miltown Malbay, which boasts over 30 pubs. Clare is Ireland's most famous county for traditional irish music, song & dance and there are music schools which offer day toturials or weekend sessions for anyone interetsed. Walk into any of the pubs at night & you're sure to come upon a lively session. There are lots of nice & very reasonable B&B's in the village (http://www.nci.ie/holiday/cla/cla1.htm)....

Don't forget the famous Cliffs of Moher. They are the highest cliffs in Europe & well worth a peak at. Tourists often lie at the edge at look over.

The main town in Clare is Ennis, which has a lovely old county town feel to it. There are many craft shops and unusual boutiques there as well as some of the bigger Irish high-street stores.

Anyway, check out these websites if you want any more info:
http://www.claretouristcouncil.ie/.........
http://www.claretourist.com/
http://www.county-clare.com/

Here are also some links to Kerry & Galway:
http://www.kerrytourism.ie/
http://www.galwaytourist.com/

Because Ireland is so small, it would only take a couple of hours to drive from Clar to Galway or from Clare to Kerry - so totally feasible to do all three counties during your visit. If you need any route planning help or directions, this website will be ideal - http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes/...

Hope you have a great time in Ireland & enjoy all we have to offer :)

come to dublin,don't go to the west it rains non stop!
in dublin you will find true irish men and women with lots of different cultures also
its a veritable kaleidoscope of cultural diversity and it rains a lot less than the west hehe

Stick with Northern Ireland http://www.nitb.com/ .
Try Bushmills, Portstewart, Kilkeel, Hillsborough, Banbridge and Enniskillen.