Eire - best route?

[RodTungsten]

Good evening, we have a wedding to attend outside Donegal town in December and we are deciding which route to take from deepest Wilts and will take the Spyder.

The usual route is via Cairnryan with an overnight stop in Dumfries both ways - Belfast, Stroke City and onwards.

Would like to try the A5- Holyhead-Dublin route as the crossing, though longer may be a little calmer than the North Channel. No experience of the Dublin roads Westwards.

Advice welcome.

 

[nfm]

Have you considered the overnight boat from Liverpool to Belfast? We took it recently and the cabins were decent, with en suite. Avoids the drive up to Ayrshire.

 

[RodTungsten]

Not yet. Thought that route was dropped. Could combine a ‘pool crossing with visits to old friends.

Still favouring the A5 as a pretty route - but in Dec???

 

[MarkMas]

Good evening, we have a wedding to attend outside Donegal town in December and we are deciding which route to take from deepest Wilts and will take the Spyder.

The usual route is via Cairnryan with an overnight stop in Dumfries both ways - Belfast, Stroke City and onwards.

Would like to try the A5- Holyhead-Dublin route as the crossing, though longer may be a little calmer than the North Channel. No experience of the Dublin roads Westwards.

Advice welcome.

I did Donegal to Dublin in about 3 hours last summer (cutting short the Maserati Club Ireland Tour as I caught Covid (!). Quite a nice run on the N3/M3 through Cavan and Enniskillen (or via Athlone and Sligo is more scenic). Also, the road from Chester to Holyhead is very good these days. The Holyhead ferries are modern and comfortable - one slightly faster than the other. We all stayed at the Trearddur Bay Hotel in Holyhead before going over - it's OK, but not particularly recommended.

Fishguard to Rosslare is also not a bad ferry route (although potentially rough in December), but the ferry itself is a bit old (but I think it is cheaper). Then it is 5 hours via Dublin or 7 hours if you take a straighter more scenic route, so you might want to overnight in Waterford or Carlow or somewhere, especially if you have an afternoon arrival (or early departure) in Rosslare.

(A few years ago I was given a hard time by some Irish people for calling their country Eire. I thought I was being culturally appreciative by using the Gaelic name, but apparently for an English person to call it Eire, not Ireland, can be seen as deliberately making the point that it is just part of the island (and so, by implication, to be supporting partition). I suppose we don't go round saying Deutschland or Sverige, so it is not totally unreasonable that to say Eire might be thought to have an ulterior motive. Even if it doesn't.)

 

[MarkMas]

When in Donegal, I recommend a trip out to Slieve League (Sliabh Liag). It's a bit of a trek from the parking (you might be able to drive), but the views are outstanding.


The beach at Malin Beg is spectacular, but maybe not worth the drive (or the walk down and up!).


We stayed at the Loghh Eske Castle Hotel which was pretty nice, although the service was a bit casual.


And I bought some bargain red trousers at the sale rail upstairs at Triona, next door to Magee of Donegal.

And this is a terrific little book:

https://collins.co.uk/products/9780008382889

 

[zagatoes30]

From Wilts I would take the ferry from Pembroke or Fishguard to Rosslare and then look to take the scenic route up through Carlow, Tullamore, Athlone, Roscommon, Boyle, Sligo not the fastest route but it will be quiet and you will see a lot of the irish scenery. The roads are mainly good single carriageway N routes (equivalent to quiet A roads) but due to the lack of traffic you will be able to keep up a steady pace. It will be about 5 hours driving but well worth it and much better than the traffic from Dublin North which really is a dreary run.

 

[RodTungsten]

Thanks all. Useful info too. I am tending towards Liverpool-Dublin.

Eire. Reminds me of the time we were in Gortahork in the Gaelic speaking area - Gaeltacht- in a bar and as I was fighting my way back loaded from the bar the whole tone changed as the band was playing. Back at the table I asked my Irish brother in law whose family have a house there, what was that about - “it’s the Irish National Anthem”. G Adams often to be seen around in a Rangie ICE’ing the local charge points.
Never had any issues - beautiful area and friendly and we always get the local wave driving about- the one finger raised off the steering wheel.

Magee in Donegal - all the women head in there and I end up sitting on the wall in the square watching the world, though I have a nice tweed pea coat from them.

 

[zagatoes30]

(A few years ago I was given a hard time by some Irish people for calling their country Eire. I thought I was being culturally appreciative by using the Gaelic name, but apparently for an English person to call it Eire, not Ireland, can be seen as deliberately making the point that it is just part of the island (and so, by implication, to be supporting partition). I suppose we don't go round saying Deutschland or Sverige, so it is not totally unreasonable that to say Eire might be thought to have an ulterior motive. Even if it doesn't.)

It certainly is not the done thing to call it Eire, like you I was picked up a few years ago and have never used the term since