The Volvo Ocean Race is coming to Galway - six of the fastest sailing boats battle as the city parties

There is great excitement about the Volvo Ocean Race coming to Galway on the 30th June 2012 so much so that Galway has built a huge quay side festival around it which will cater for pretty much everyone even if you haven’t the remotest interest in the boats or the racing itself.

It was a rip roaring success the first time Galway hosted the event in 2008. This was mainly due to the fantastic weather and fingers crossed we’ll get the same again.

The the city is gearing up to welcome some 100,000 visitors over the next week when the Volvo Ocean Race, which began in Alicante, Spain in October 2011 comes to a close after 39,000 grueling miles. Six teams - Abu Dhabi Racing, Camper with Emirates, Puma Ocean Racing, Team Sanya, Team Telefonica and Groupama (the French team leading the race at the moment) - will set off from L’orient in Volvo 70 footers (the fastest in the world) for the final leg and finish of the race in Galway.

And while the star attraction will undoubtedly be those six Volvo yachts and their crews battling it out to the finish in Galway some time next Tuesday the 3rd July. There is going to be so much sailing and waterside action with a full programme of in port racing, daytime events and evening entertainment, we wont even notice if it rains. In fact it is going to be one huge party from start to finish!

For full details of the festival and events visit Volvo Ocean Race Festival or as they say there is an App for that.

But be warned access will be limited so to avoid the inevitable traffic jams either Park & Ride from Ballybrit Racecourse €5 or hop a rib from Kinvara with Ribwest €18 or take a ferry across Galway Bay from Ballyvaughan with the O’Brien Line €20.

Failing all that and if you cant make it to Galway one of the days you can always watch the live action here.

For more information about Galway please visit http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/galway.html .

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Discover the best of the west of Ireland - going west without your car

Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

If you're visiting Ireland and have decided not to hire a car, never fear. There are plenty of options for travelers going west without a car and considering the island of Ireland is only 200 kms across (at its widest point) getting the best out of the west is a breeze.

Here's just one option for the carless traveler in Ireland.

Discover the best of the west of Ireland with the Dublin Tour Company which operates a twice daily coach trip from the Discover Ireland tourist offices on Suffolk Street in Dublin.

Departure times are 7am and 8.30am with an optional day or open return for those wishing to extend their stay in the West of Ireland. Early birds (leaving at 7am) will arrive promptly in Galway after a short rest stop in Athlone at 10am.

They can then take advantage of a complimentary guided walking tour of Galway which lasts approximately one hour, taking in all of the interesting sights, sounds and images of this historic medieval city of the tribes, prior to boarding the 11.30 am Burren / Cliffs of Moher Tour from the Galway Bus Station (opposite the Tourist Office).

Sleepy heads can enjoy a couple of more z’s by taking the later 8.30 departure from Dublin (as above) skip the walking tour and hop on that same 11.30 tour departure to the Burren / Cliffs of Moher.

Another excellent and extremely popular package by the Dublin Tour Company is what they call the ABC option which includes two nights accommodation and three trips to (A) the Aran Islands, (B) the Burren / Cliffs of Moher and (C) Connemara, full details of the accommodation options and prices are included in their website But, an approximate guide is €25 per tour from Galway, €45 from Dublin, €75 including one night’s accommodation & two trips and €125 for the ABC Tour which includes two night’s accommodation and three trips.

Discounts of 10-20% are available online when booking two or more tours. What is especially good about the Dublin Tour Company is that all admission fees are included in the tour prices (apart from the gardens at Kylemore Abbey) There is also a free collection service from your hostel, bed & breakfast or hotel in Galway.

Tours operate daily apart from the 25th & 26th of December so your options are always open, and a really big plus? You will not have to pay extra for intercity transfers by public service providers. But more importantly it means you have plenty of freedom and flexibility, time and weather wise, which is just as it should be on holidays.

For more information or to book online visit their site here.

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Go regal this vacation - castles to visit in Ireland

Irish history, and the castles we see today, are a legacy of some 6,000 years of occupation from megalithic times when the Celts arrived here from mainland Europe.

Impressive burial mounds such as Newgrange or the ring-forts and dolmens like those at Craggaunowen are attributed to these hunter gatherer tribes.

Followed by successive waves of invaders such as the Vikings, Normans, English, and even the Spanish we finally achieved our Independence from England in 1916 for 26 of the counties while six in (Northern Ireland) still remain part of Britain.

The commercial foundations of Dublin were laid by the Vikings (Dublinia) followed by the Normans who built impressive strongholds such as Trim castle where the epic movie "Braveheart" was filmed. Our infamous claim to fame? Some 2,000 bare-bottomed extras recruited from the Curragh Army Camp in County Kildare.

Other castles in Irish history range from large fortified towers and keeps such as Bunratty Castle to smaller ones like Thoor Ballylee, former home of the poet and playwright Willaim Butler Yeats. Grand country houses like such as Tullynally and Birr were castle-ated with fairy tale parapets and towers as was the fashion assuring the reign of Queen Victoria. Many of these big houses and castles on vast estates were given to often absentee English landlords in return for military duty. As a result, many of these were ransacked and burned down during the 'troubles'. Others were saved and restored privately or are now under the management of Office of Public Works or the auspices of the Irish Georgian society and so have survived to tell the tale.

There are hundreds of castles all over the country, many in ruins that you can explore freely, just be careful.

For the complete list visit 

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Ireland's best beaches - for treasure hunting or nude sunbathing -- Ireland's secret spots

Bask in the beauty of Ireland's beaches

Ireland's best beaches are not a secret, pick a beach any beach at all and feel free to claim it as your own.

When my children were young, as well as 'treasure' hunting in castles, we used to go beach 'combing'. It was not unusual to find coconuts (from the Caribbean or fishing buoys from New England) on the West Coast or lumps of coal from Wales on the East Coast.

Fortunately, we have never lived far from the sea as is the case with most people living in Ireland. We can proudly boast of having possibly the most spectacular coastline in Western Europe...pity about the weather. There are no ‘costas’ in Ireland (Thank God) however on a ‘pet’ (unseasonably warm) day in May or September, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Greece should you find yourself on a deserted white sandy coral beach, lapped by turquoise waves with only a couple of cows or sheep to keep you company.

Ireland's best beaches on the east coast are much busier due to their proximity to the capital, Dublin city with the added bonus of being able to buy an ice-cream or a coffee close by/ Whereas on the west coast the beaches can be pretty isolated, fabulous if you fancy nudey sunbathing or skinny dipping but be warned, even with the north Atlantic drift warming the water the temperature never rises much above 6C. And of course, never, ever swim alone, it can be very, very dangerous no matter how inviting it looks. There are plenty of Blue Flagged (ie water quality tested beaches throughout Ireland), with lifeguard stations, but only during the summer months.

For a list of the ten best beaches in Ireland visit click here.