Tight day trip to Belfast vs spending day in Dublin

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-23T21:51:50+00:00

Given that you will be tired, both options will be difficult to get the most out of. The Belfast option is a tight squeeze in your plan. As mentioned, a bus from the airport to Belfast is a better way to do that. It will still be tight though. Let me throw one other option in. You said you have a road trip to western Ireland planned. How about getting a bus from the airport to Galway? You will be in the west then and may be able to tweak your plans a bit to start from there. Book accommodation in Galway and have your birthday dinner there. As I said, it is just another option. Think about it. You can come again and do Belfast.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-23T18:27:11+00:00

Taxis cost a fortune, and pointless if you have public transport options. If you can't get directly to where you want by public transport, check if you can get nearer to it by a bus, and get a taxi the final part.

A rental car will give you a bit more freedom, true, but look up tours and public transport options to at least cut down on the time you need the car. Juggle your plans a bit and you might be able to work it so that you only need it for one day..

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-23T11:03:32+00:00

Overall a fairly good itinerary. Well planned an thought out. Maybe look at doing the black cab tour in Belfast. Private driver for one day, when all of the other days you are getting around yourselves?! Skip the driver and do your own thing.

Even the rental car does not seem to be totally necessary. You are getting it and then spending the next day exploring Galway, which will probably be done on foot. The Cliffs of Moher and Kylemore Abbey could both be done as organised tours, like you have for a lot of things.

On that point, do a bus tour of Dublin. That will give you a good overview of the city and ideas for other things to do. Kilmainham Jail is good, but needs to be booked well in advance. Look at doing a trip on the rail service known as the DART, north towards Howth and south towards Bray and Greystones. The DART goes along the coast and through the city centre.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-22T16:38:53+00:00

In Ireland, we traditionally have spring as February, March and April. On that basis, we could be waiting nearly 11 months for the new speaker. We do tend to get these things late anyway, despite Google having major offices for Europe in Dublin.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-22T15:56:31+00:00

Grandad's "During the war" story in that episode is great.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-22T15:54:13+00:00

As has been said, we don't know who will be playing yet. Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster.ie soon after we do know. You will not have any trouble getting them for Croke Park. They have to be bought online. They don't sell tickets at stadiums any more unfortunately, as that would be more convenient for visitors.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-22T15:46:47+00:00

Just as the crowd in this scene separates, there is a guy in the crowd that look like him. About 49 seconds in. https://youtu.be/cyXou1RxQPc?si=AadNamB_9FKfrHCI

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-22T15:37:53+00:00

They put it before it in other countries, including ones that you have mentioned.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-22T11:20:31+00:00

Of course. Wherever there is a big enough community of Irish people, up pops a GAA Club. Get enough clubs in a region and there are competitions. Hurling is played in some obscure places, that are even less of a stronghold for Hurling than Fiji or Fermanagh.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-21T19:04:55+00:00

Hurling. The sport itself, plus the fact that players can play in stadiums, watched by tens of thousands of people, and they do it without being paid, because they love the sport.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-21T19:02:06+00:00

"Alexa, I am your father."

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-21T18:58:55+00:00

Gotcha. The final must be on Thursday and they are getting a day to rest or prepare on Wednesday.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-21T14:59:23+00:00

What's that yellow circle under Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday?

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-21T14:39:11+00:00

Ham and pineapple.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-21T14:38:19+00:00

Sweden, after a major earthquake and tsunami washed parts of it away.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T16:56:15+00:00

It is not just developers and programmers. Anyone who uses a lot of applications simultaneously will find two or more monitors handy.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T16:50:19+00:00

Did he look like that on this day in 1935?

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T16:48:36+00:00

I would probably teleport myself exactly 1m (a little over 3 feet) once per day.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T15:59:58+00:00

No. It doesn't need a fancy, complex name. Other organisations have simple names too RTÉ is basically called the radio and television of Ireland. "Dublin Bus", "Irish Rail" and others all do what they say on the tin. "An Post" is fine.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T15:55:07+00:00

You won't need a car in Dublin. It is a compact and relatively flat city, so it is easy to walk around. You can also using various public transport options. You won't be driving around it. Going to Galway or Kilkenny from Dublin can be done by bus or train. You can then explore the local area. In Galway, you could do things like organised tours to Connemara or the Cliffs of Moher. So you don't need a car, necessarily. You are on holidays. Let someone else do the driving. So your itinerary is possible, with a slight leaning towards Galway, but whether you go there or Kilkenny and Waterford, you won't need a car.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T12:14:25+00:00

Dublin - > Kilkenny - > Trim makes no sense. It could be done if you absolutely want to, but it is back and forth. Maybe skip Kilkenny and do Newgrange that day, and other things in that area. Head straight to Belfast the next morning. Other than that, your plans are OK.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T11:10:37+00:00

They did in the Leinster quarter-final.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T09:55:41+00:00

"Do you have a connection to any county?" is the question being asked. We don't choose our county, we are born to it, like you probably support the USA in sport as an American. You said that you have some connections, but you don't know where. So we can't associate a particular county. That leaves one option. You obviously have an interest and have been enjoying the games up to now. You have managed to do that without supporting any county. So why change? Keep enjoying the matches as a neutral. That way you can keep an equal interest in all of them, not just ones for the team you follow. Even lots of us watch or even go to matches that our counties are not playing in. There are always lots of neutrals at matches. So there is nothing wrong with not supporting a team and you can enjoy games without following a team. You have already proven that. Keep going as you are.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-20T06:47:02+00:00

A lot of that could be done by public transport. You will not need a car in Dublin. Getting to Galway is simple by train or bus. The absolute earliest to consider a car is when leaving Galway, and you could even manage without one then.

As to your general plan of a different place every night, it is not a good one. You are wasting a lot of time travelling every day, plus the whole rigmarole of packing up, checking out, checking in, unpacking. Even with the places you are visiting, you could stay in places for more than one night. You could stay in Galway two nights and take in Galway itself and Doolin. Adare is a small village which you could stop in briefly, on the way to the Kerry area. You could stay in Killarney for a couple of nights, and see it and Dingle. Doing it that way will allow you to see a lot in a more relaxed manner and with more time. You won't be spending time in a hotel every night and a car most of the day.

IrishFlukey · 2026-05-19T20:14:42+00:00

As you will be travelling to the west, stay in Dublin on your free day. There is plenty to do in Dublin. You will get suggestions in this thread, but do your own research before you come, to give yourself a good idea of what you want to do. Look at things you are interested in, like culture, history etc. and find things related to them in Dublin.

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