Shannon Travel Forum

My family and I were thinking about traveling to Ireland November 1-5, 2006. We have a 9 year old and 7 year old. Is November a good time to come, or will it be to cold for the children. Will there be activities the children could do while we are there. ex. Dolphin watching, horse riding Any recommendations on castle type hotels in the area? Thank you!

HI
NOVEMBER IN IRELAND CAN BE QUITE COLD AND WET. TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 5-10 DEGREES. BRING PLENTY OF WARM CLOTHES FOR THE KIDDIES. LOTS OF THINGS TO DO BUT EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE.

I've been to Ireland twice in November, and even though I love it in the cooler weather, it might limit your outdoor activities. Expect temperatures to hover between 40-60 degrees F. It won't be freezing cold, but it can be damp, foggy and windy. Many of the tourist attractions, particularly outside the cities, close in November, although the big ones (like Bunratty Castle) stay open year round.

With only four days, a lot depends on where in Ireland you plan to base yourself.

Because the climate can be "variable" ;-) throughout the year, there are a fair number of indoor things to do. As mentioned, your real problem is likely to be that smaller attractions and some accomodation will have closed as the Summer season is over. Dublin still has things to do for kids and there are some great places scattered across the country but you'll need to plan your trip carefully.

Not sure what off-season is like, but my 3 kids ages 12, 11, and 9 really enjoyed King John's Castle tour in Limerick, Bunratty Folk Park (also in Limerick), Blarney Castle, the Waterford Crystal Factory Tour (very cool), and Newgrange (Bru na Boinne) north of Dublin. They also enjoyed the Trinity College Book of Kells exhibit in Dublin, and the National Museum is awesome! As for castle accomodations, near Shannon everyone loves Dromoland Castle; we stayed at the Adare (a huge manor house) near Limerick which we loved. We actually stayed in rooms in the golf Clubhouse which I think are bigger and better for our family--and you can still use all the hotel amenities. There are so many great places to stay--check some of the tourism websites for ideas. You might want to try a Bed and Breakfast--my kids really enjoyed seeing a real Irish home. Good luck!