Motoring Discussion > Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. Miscellaneous
Thread Author: R.P. Replies: 20
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 01:17 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - R.P.
We've decided to pop over for a couple of days next week. Living 1/2 an hour from the ferry makes it easy !

Taking two bikes across - heading for the west coast Galway - which seems an easy enough ride. Any ideas on places to stay. I'd take the tent of course but Mrs RP would prefer hotel/B&B (which I rather like the thought of !)
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 06:55 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Meldrew
The looks nice if you want the city. tinyurl.com/7mywajv . One picked from scores. Here is a luxury hotel on the coast, west of Galway www.connemaracoast.ie/

Spoiled for choice I would think even in the low tourist season

edited tinyurl link as wasn't previously working
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 13 Apr 12 at 10:12
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 09:00 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Meldrew
www.laterooms.co.uk has 49 hotels in Galway city and loads of B&Bs out of town too
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 14:30 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Gromit
Most of the discount hotel websites will find plenty rooms available. Except for high season in prime tourist spots, hotels can work out very cheap due to huge oversupply. You should be able to get good deals at 70-80 euro per room per night.

If you fancy somethigng other than chain hotels (or hotels in receivership, of which we have many in Ireland!), try Ireland's Blue Book for country houses and inns, or the Bridgestone Guides for good accomodation and places to eat, ranging from pubs and cafes to Michelin starred restaurants.
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 14:44 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Armel Coussine
1968 or 69 herself and I rented a cottage for less than a week in Carraroe, on the coast West of Galway city. Magical landscape and very exotic, with many natives unable or unwilling to speak English. They thought we were pretty weird too. 'You will be Germans?' one guy asked.

It may have changed a bit since then, but the landscape will still be there.
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 15:10 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Duncan
>>with many natives unable or unwilling to speak English. They thought we were pretty weird too. 'You will be Germans?' one guy asked.
>>

Was the geniality better or worse when you pointed out where you were from?

When I used to travel to Italy regularly, I found the reception in rural areas was better when I told the locals that we were English, not German!
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 15:43 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Armel Coussine
>> Was the geniality better or worse when you pointed out where you were from?

No real change that I noticed. The point was that we seemed extremely foreign.

Of course Ireland was neutral in the second world war and the official IRA was soft on nazism, while Irish nationalists have an anti-British side easy to understand.
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 15:53 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - R.P.
So I guess my usual pint of "black and tan" is off the menu ? Booked a nice little Guest House in Oranhill....52 squid with Breakfast !
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 17:09 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Armel Coussine
If you're biking around Rob go to the Coral Strand at Carraroe: a whole beach made of sort of coral shingle. The locals use it to make psychedelic stucco or pebble-dash for internal walls and ceilings, and we still have some in a jar. Perhaps there's still a lot there. It was a whole beach or even two.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Fri 13 Apr 12 at 17:09
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 17:21 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - R.P.
Top recommendation that AC - just had a look at the Wiki page - just what we want. Booked a nice liitle Hotel for 50 quid B&B (per room) top Tripadvisor recommendation and away from the city.
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 17:27 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Armel Coussine
While on the subject of Connemara, I had forgotten that as well as seeming very foreign in the late sixties, we also seemed incredibly rich to most people there with our Londonish gear and shiny Cortina hired in Dublin. That will certainly have changed. Even then - the other thing I had forgotten - Germans were said to be buying property there in the far West. Anyway tourists will no longer be a rarity and their input and the convulsions of the Irish economy will have made the locals richer.

I hope for your sake the tiny fields, high drystone walls and shiny sprauncy small black cattle are still there. It was as exotic as China or somewhere.

Being on bikes of course you won't be trying to get poteen from paranoid, rather drunk moonshiners...
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Fri 13 Apr 12 at 17:29
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 17:44 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Runfer D'Hills
They have those kilometer things in Ireland you know. Or is it kilometres? Never can remember. Anyway, means you can go faster see cos they're shorter now. To be sure...

:-)
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 17:48 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Armel Coussine
You can't go fast on most roads in Connemara, especially on a big touring bike I would think. Stone walls, sharp horizontal and vertical bends and surprise herds of cattle. Pootling country I seem to remember.
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 18:11 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Duncan
I remember that on one of my trips a guest was given a dressing down by a boarding house owner because he lived in Cromwell Avenue!
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 18:56 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - R.P.
My GS displays a small St David's banner in lieu of a GB sticker - will dig out some "dragons" as well.
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 20:43 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Duncan
Why is that? I thought you were English?
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 20:46 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Zero
He's gone native
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 20:56 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - Armel Coussine
>> gone native


Baa-aa-AAAA! Unhaaaand me sir!
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 21:01 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - R.P.
Cunning plan to endear myself to our Celtic neighbours !
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 21:11 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - MD
GERMAN BIKE!
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New Fri 13 Apr 12 21:22 
 Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. - NortonES2
To the north and west of Galway is a village called Roundstone: nearby superb coral beaches, ruined graveyards (erosion exposing remains) on the tombola adjacent to Dogs Bay. Inland there are fairly steep climbs to the quartzite hill Errisbeg overlooking the drowned coastline. South of Galway: Black Head and the Burren. Good maps and detailed gazetteer by Tim Robinson. Parochial house (Father Ted) is due west of Mullach Mor - limestone pavement etc.
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