Ireland Vacations with MyGuideIreland » Ireland

myguideIreland Guest blogging about her Ireland Vacation

Seamus O'Murchu — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:40:18 +0000

I was delighted to hear another wonderful story of a myguideIreland Guest enjoying their Ireland vacation last week.

However I was even more thrilled when they enquired about our affiliate program and how they could work with myguideIreland to earn a little extra income for themselves from promoting our website.

Our Guest has create a lovely Irish blog about visiting Ireland and I was just delighted to share it with you all.

Anyone else who would like to promote their blogs or learn about our affiliate program – please be sure to contact us at ireland@myguideireland.com

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Watching the Radio – End of an era for an Irish passtime

Seamus O'Murchu — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:29:09 +0000

Today was the end of an era in Irish broadcasting as the legendary Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh presented his last All Ireland Final. Micheál has been commentating on GAA games for over 60 years and announced earlier this week that he was to retire at the age of 80. He will be missed by hundreds or thousands of listeners both in Ireland and worldwide for whom he was as much a part of a game as the players or the referee.

It was commonplace for Irish GAA fans to watch a game on TV with the sound turned down and have the radio nearby to enjoy Micheál’s unique style. His knowledge of the game itself was second only to his ability to put it in context from so many points of view. He also entertained and many of his quotes will last the test of time as the history of the GAA is written for decades to come:
Being from Cork, I remember some of those that relate to Cork best; For example:

“Sean Óg o Hailpín….his father’s from Fermanagh, his mother’s from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold.”
Or
“Colin Corkery on the 45 lets go with the right boot. It’s over the bar. This man shouldn’t be playing football. He’s made an almost Lazarus-like recovery from a heart condition. Lazarus was a great man but he couldn’t kick points like Colin Corkery.”
Or
“Teddy McCarthy to Mick McCarthy, no relation, Mick McCarthy back to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation”

But for me, what I will never forget is the sense of literally seeing a match through Micheál’s eyes;

I lived in Philadelphia in 1997 and at the time the internet as a mass media outlet was in its infancy. RTE had only recently started streaming radio content and on the morning of the second Sunday in September I decided to put it to the test. Being 5 hours behind Ireland, the match started about 10:30 in Philly and having been out the night before, I was not interested in going to an Irish pub as would have been the norm to watch a match from home.
So at about 10:25 I logged into rte.ie and found the link for the live stream, it took a while to ‘buffer’ but once the stream started it was just like having a radio from home. The All Ireland hurling final was about to start
I lay on the couch with Micheál’s tones booming from the PC nearby and as I listened to his description of the action closed my eyes. Micheál’s commentary is so descriptive, as I relaxed I began to picture the game. To this day I recall actually seeing the action as it unfolded and what a game it was with excitement from beginning to end and Clare eventually emerging as victors over Tipperary with the minimum score advantage.

Micheál’s ability to bring the action into the living room or indeed the car meant that if you had occasion to miss a game on the TV, the disappointment would be short-lived as the radio coverage was often better. Hard to see now if that will ever be the case again.

At myguideIreland we wish Micheál the very best in his retirement!!

Ireland Vacation – Why are you waiting?

my guide Ireland — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:57:58 +0000

You probably already know that there are some great reasons to come to Ireland on vacation that never change. You will find thousands of reasons throughout literature, news and on the web as to why Ireland should be chosen as a destination.
However, right now, there is one new big reason why you should choose Ireland and why you should choose it now!. That reason is value;

Ireland is a member of the European single currency, the euro, which has seen its value fall by up to 30% from its peak in recent years. That means that, for example, the US dollar buys almost 30% more Euro’s now than it did in 2009. But there’s more: The prices of vacation products such as accommodation, car rental, restaurant meals etc have fallen dramatically over the last year. When these savings are added to the greater value of the US$, the savings can be up to 50% in total.

This is an opportunity not to be missed! By booking now you can lock in this great value even if the Euro strengthens again before you travel.

Come and experience for yourself the reasons why Ireland is one of the world’s favorite vacations destinations and benefit from amazing value by booking in 2010.

So…. back to the “other” and permanent reasons to book a vacation in Ireland:
We have surveyed many of our Guests over the years about what they liked about Ireland. Here are the top 10 reasons given by people who said they would return to Ireland on another vacation:

1. Warmth and Friendliness of the People

2. Stunning Irish Scenery

3. Ireland’s History and Strong Heritage

4. Culture – Irish Music and Dance

5. Irish Food and Drink

6. The clean, fresh air and countryside of Ireland

7. Festivals in Ireland

8. A variety of activities

9. Pubs are about atmosphere not just alcohol

10. Irish Sports – Especially Hurling

Do a quick survey yourself of the web and look at various travel publications such as The Lonely Planet, Shermans Travel magazine, even Conde Naste Traveler: You will find that the above themes are repeated again and again. There are very few destinations that can offer such a broad range of reasons to be chosen for vacation, but Ireland has them all.
Combine these great reasons with the exceptional value available when booking right now and we honestly believe that Ireland is the world’s best Vacation destination for 2010.
We look forward to welcoming you!

Here are just some of the great deals we have right now:

7 day B&B vacation with 100% flexible route: from $49.99 per day

A week in Ireland with B&Bs and a Stay in an Authentic Castle: from $399

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Free Rail Travel in Ireland for Tourists

myguideIreland Travel Tips — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:02:56 +0000

From Yesterday, St. Patrick’s Day, all senior tourists (aged 66 or more) are entitled to travel on the Irish Rail Network completely free of charge.

The scheme, known as the “Golden Trekker” applies to train travel in Ireland on the Iarnród Éireann (Irish rail) network.

Golden Trekker Tickets take the form of a four-day Trekker ticket, or a sequence of four-day tracker tickets for longer stays, providing senior visitors with unrestricted rail travel within the republic of Ireland. Each four-day Trekker ticket is worth at least €100 ($140) per person.

The scheme makes Ireland vacations even more affordable for seniors. Any of our selfdrive Ireland vacation packages can be purchased excluding the rental car and you can get around using your free rail pass and take a bus or taxi to your hotel.
Alternatively choose from our list of hotels near Irish train stations to make that vacation even more convenient.

To get your Golden trekker ticket you must contact your local Tourism Ireland representatives:

For visitors from the USA the process is:

Call Tourism Ireland on 800 SHAMROCK (1-800-7426-7625) at least 48 hours prior to your arrival in Ireland, and provide the following information:

- First and last name
- Date of birth
- Passport Number
- Date you wish your Golden Trekker Pass to commence (each pass is valid for four days. If you intend to travel for longer periods, you have to apply for more than one pass.)
- Country of residence
- Email address and/or Postal address
- Origin of first rail journey

Once you have provided this information, your Tourism Ireland agent will process your application for a Golden Trekker, and a confirmation will be delivered to you in time for your trip to Ireland.

For visitors from other countries visit www.discoverireland.com for details.

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Paying tolls when driving in Ireland

myguideIreland Travel Tips — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:30:12 +0000

We often get questions about how to pay at toll roads in Ireland and their costs. It struck me that it would be a good topic for a post and an opportunity to put together a comprehensive list of car charges and payment methods for tolls in Ireland.

As of today there are 8 places in Ireland where you must pay a toll. The 2010 toll for a passenger car is as follows:

- East Link (Dublin City) €1.80
- M50/West Link (Dublin) €2.00/€2.50/€3.00 depending on payment method
- M1 (Drogheda Bypass) €1.90
- M4 (County Meath) €2.90
- M6 (County Galway) €1.90
- M8 (County Cork) €1.90
- M25 (Waterford City Bypass) €1.90
- Dublin Port Tunnel (Dublin City)
-€10 Mon-Fri 6am-10am Southbound
-€10 Mon-Fri 4pm-7pm Northbound
-€3 All other times

Update: As of mid-2010 there is a 9th toll in operation. See below for details.

There are a number of options for paying road tolls in Ireland:

1. Cash (€ only) can be paid at the toll plaza for all toll roads except the M50/WestLink in Dublin

2. An Electronic Tag can be used (All tolls are operated under the eToll interoperability program of the National Roads Authority). Tags are available from any of 7 suppliers and can be post-paid or pre-paid depending on the account type chosen. Most tag providers charge a monthly fee ranging from €0.50 from easytrip.ie to €1.25.. See tagcompare.ie for a list of suppliers.
The M50 Toll is €2 for a passenger car using this method.

3. Credit Cards can be used at the M4 Toll and at the Dublin Port Tunnel

4. Prepayment Cards can be used at the M4 Toll (cards can be purchased at the toll plaza and offer a 10% discount on tolls)

5. Online Payments can be made for the M50 Toll at www.eflow.ie (payment must be made by 8pm on the day following your use of the road)
The M50 Toll is €3 for a passenger car using this method.

6. Telephone Payment can be made for the M50 Toll by calling 1890 50 10 50 from Ireland, 0845 301 5405 from the UK or +800 50 10 50 11 from other international locations (payment must be made by 8pm on the day following your use of the road)
The M50 Toll is €3 for a passenger car using this method.

7. Payzone can be used for the M50 Toll. Any retail outlet displaying the Payzone logo can accept M50 Toll payments (payment must be made by 8pm on the day following your use of the road) See payzone.ie for details of outlets.
The M50 Toll is €3for a passenger car using this method.

8. Your vehicle can be Registered for the M50 Toll. Similar to an electronic tag, you can prepay or postpay your toll based on video recognition of your car registration plate as it passes the toll point.
The M50 Toll is €2.50 for a passenger car using this method.

For myguideIreland Guests on vacation in Ireland, the payment is very straight forward for all tolls except the M50. For the M50, check with your car rental company as to how you should handle the M50 toll. Some will have registered the car under option 8 above and will charge you based on number of passages when you return the vehicle. Others will leave the responsibility with you to pay the toll. If this is the case, please be aware of the 8pm deadline on the day following usage as penalties apply after this time.

Update July 2010: A new stretch of motorway opened in June 2010 completing the M7/M8 link between Dublin & Cork. This motorway costs €1.80 per passenger car.

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New Route between Derry Airport and Faro

myguideIreland Travel Tips — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:22:34 +0000

Discount Airline, Ryanair today announced that it is to launch a new twice weekly route from Derry Airport to Faro in southern Portugal.
The service runs from April 2010 and is the low-cost airline’s second international route from the north western airport.

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Cork gets Top 10 listing in Lonely Planet

myguideIreland Travel Tips — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:22:02 +0000

It is with great pride, here at myguideIreland, that we welcome the announcement that Cork City has been listed alongside well known cities in the USA, Canada, UAE and Japan in a new Lonely Planet guide for the top places to visit in 2010.

The “Best in Travel 2010″ published earlier this week lists Cork as the only city in Britain or Ireland among the best places to go and best things to do in the year ahead.
Cork was listed as a “top city” alongside Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Charleston in South Carolina, USA, Cuenca in Ecuador, Istanbul in Turkey , Kyoto in Japan, Lecce in Italy, Sarajevo, Singapore and Vancouver in Canada.

The guide describes Cork as being now “at the top of its game: sophisticated, vibrant and diverse”.

Tourism figures in Cork have strongly welcomed the inclusion of the city as being “a major boost”. This achievement brings Cork out from the shadow of Dublin as the city destination when tourists plan travel to Ireland and may be start of a movement that will see other commentators take notice and give Cork the recognistion it deserves.

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Taste of West Cork Food festival 2009

myguideIreland Travel Tips — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:01:58 +0000

The annual “A Taste of West Cork” food festival takes place this month in Skibbereen in West Cork.
At myguideIreland we are proud to support this showcase of produce from Ireland’s most famous food producing region.
This year’s festival takes place from September 14th to 20th…..Read more here

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Four Star Hotels in Ireland -The official List

my guide Ireland — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:35:13 +0000

Following last week’s listing of 5 Star Hotels in Ireland , the full Fáilte Ireland list of Irish 4 Star hotels is below.

This list is correct as of 30/11/09 – The 2010 list will be added asap

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Five Star Hotels in Ireland – The Full Official List

my guide Ireland — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:08:05 +0000

We often get questions about the official Star Ratings of hotels in Ireland.
It is often much easier to find the many other ratings that are voted for by hotel Guests including on sites like Tripadvisor and, indeed, on our own website from genuine Guests that have booked the hotel through us.

Today I got the official list from Fáilte Ireland and decided that it would be a good idea to share with our readers. I’ll start with the five star properties and list other classifications in the coming days:

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Ireland Vacations with MyGuideIreland » Ireland

myguideIreland Guest blogging about her Ireland Vacation

Watching the Radio – End of an era for an Irish passtime

Ireland Vacation – Why are you waiting?

Free Rail Travel in Ireland for Tourists

Paying tolls when driving in Ireland

There are a number of options for paying road tolls in Ireland:

New Route between Derry Airport and Faro

Cork gets Top 10 listing in Lonely Planet

Taste of West Cork Food festival 2009

Four Star Hotels in Ireland -The official List

4 Stars Hotels in Ireland

Five Star Hotels in Ireland – The Full Official List

5 Stars Hotels in Ireland