"Where to Eat, Sleep & Play in Ireland in 2013" during The Gathering

Where to Eat, Sleep & Play 2013 $4.99

2013 is going to be all about The Gathering which is basically an open invitation to anybody with Irish roots to come back to Ireland this year to reconnect with their relatives and celebrate what it means to them to be Irish.

There are all sorts of events being planned for what promises to be a year-long festival which kicked off on New Years Eve. But, even if that is not the main focus of your visit, there are plenty of other Things To Do and Places to See in Ireland and this guide contains all of what I consider to be the cream of the crop for 2013.

Where to Eat, Sleep and Play in Ireland in 2013 is designed to simplify planning your trip to Ireland. For example, when it comes to choosing accommodation, did you know that there are over 100,000 bed options available daily in Ireland. So, unless you fancy trawling through a maze of discount hotel sites, why not take the easy route and trust my advice gathered over four years of independent travel and research throughout Ireland and discover 10 Posh Places to stay for Peanuts, 10 Rooms with a Sea View or 10 Pubs with Snugs and Firesides plus many more. 

The lists are tight and limited to the Top 10 for 3 reasons? To narrow down the choice obviously but also to ensure that these establishments keep at the top of their game and that you, the visitor not only gets the most bang for your buck, but also the best possible experience of Ireland.

Similarly, we want you to ensure that you enjoy every meal or food experience you have in Ireland. Visitors assume that we have great food and yes we do, but it is certainly not to be found everywhere and it can be expensive, very expensive ! As anyone who follows my Facebook Page will know, I love and appreciate good food and I am a great champion of those restaurants, listed in my guide, that are making a serious and consistent effort at producing top class food at affordable prices e.g. 10 Gastro Pub Grubs, 10 Luscious Lunches or 10 Top Notch Noshes etc. As well as information on all the must see Visitor Attractions, festivals and tours this year. For a full list of contents or to sample a 'taster' of each category please click here

Where to Eat, Sleep & Play in Ireland 2013 - Price $4.99 is available as an Ebook or in Kindle format on Amazon (if you haven’t got a Kindle reader you can download a free Kindle App) and read it on your iPad or smartphone.

By Susan Byron  Author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Learning Irish has never been so easy - marrying culture and technology, learning Gaeilge online

Eoin, Sasa & Uisce (the dog)

Learning Irish, with Bitesize Irish Gaelic, has never been so easy even for me,  a born and bred Irish woman, I learned a few new things when I signed up for their  free 14 day trial. For example, did you know that there only 18 letters in the Irish Alphabet or that the Irish word for zero is (a náid), I didn’t!

This is great, because it is very trendy to be able to speak Irish or labhairt (talk) ás Gaelige (in Irish) these days in Ireland, we even have a dedicated Irish speaking television channel, TG4, which has some of best Irish made documentaries (with subtitles) you will see anywhere and yes you can watch it online.

The brain child of Limerick Eoin Ó Conchúir, a native Irish speaker and computer science graduate, Eoin, has successfully and playfully married culture and technology with the launch of this very easy and accessible online learning, Irish language course.

So, whether you would simply like to learn the basics ie the cúpla focal (a few words) before coming on holidays so as you can meet and greet people, order a drink and more properly ‘have the craic’ as they say in Ireland, this is the course for you. Sign up for the free 14 day trial with Bitesize Irish Gaelic and you will get access to 150 easy lessons instantly, which you can work through at your own pace, with good, clear audio recordings for you to listen and repeat as often as you like. It’s really simple and intuitive and great fun, in fact it will have you speaking Irish in a matter of minutes,  Each lesson is about 5 minutes long, leading up to your first full-on conservation in just Lesson 4.

Bitesize Irish Gaelic is really well written and presented and can be accessed from all devices which is very handy when you are travelling. Even the difficult topics like dialects and grammar are handled calmly and sensibly so you won’t get stuck on any unnecessary hurdles. Eoin and the team build your confidence quickly which is a sure fire recipe for success. Indeed many of his long term clients, that started out with a general  interest in the Irish language as result of tracing their Irish Heritage are staying with the program with a view to becoming fluent one day.

Go n’éirí an t-ádh leo - Good luck to them...

If you would like to watch a bitesize snippet please click here

For full details and to sign up for a 14 day free trial of Bitesize Irish Gaelic please click here.

By Susan Byron author of Irelands Hidden Gems.com

The changing face of Bed and Breakfast in Ireland

Beach Cove B&B, Ballinskellig, County Kerry

The idea for this style bed and breakfast holiday sprang up years ago when farmers’ wives or Mammy’s with extra rooms opened up their houses to paying guests during the summer holidays, which I am told put many sons and daughters through university, even if their own had to sleep in the attic! You could roll up of an evening wherever you saw a vacancy sign (you still can) and get a reasonable priced bed for the night and a hearty breakfast often in very wild and lovely places. Basically, you became one of the family, sharing home-cooked meals and sampling what life was like on the farm, that you would not ordinarily get to see if you were staying in an hotel, besides there were not too many hotels in remote locations 50 years ago.

But, gone are the days of shared bathrooms and revolving bedrooms, bed and breakfasts nowadays are Bord Failte approved (and inspected annually) and have the highest standards of hygiene and accommodation while remaining true to their roots of staying with an Irish family. This kind of holiday is not for everyone, many like the anonymity of staying in hotel but if you want an insight into what it is really like to live in a rural community than you should definitely try one or two. Indeed by the end of your stay you will probably feel like one of the family, often lifelong friendships are forged with generations revisiting time and time again.

Apart from a more authentic experience of Ireland, the main difference between bed and breakfasts and hotels is the personal touch and insider knowledge of a particular area. Forget Facebook and Facetime this is back to basics and a ‘real deal’. You will be assured of a genuine Cead Mile Failte an Irish welcome, with complimentary tea or coffee and homemade scones or cake on arrival. Bedrooms, single, double or twin have en-suite bathrooms and breakfast is included in the price which ranges from €29-€39 per person sharing, depending on the quality and location. The breakfasts in Irish bed and breakfasts are legendary (no luke-warm buffets, that have been cooked for hours) but freshly made especially for you with a choice of a ‘full Irish’ which usually includes rashers, sausages, pudding (black and white) tomatoes, mushrooms, toast and brown bread. Or, porridge with cream and honey or continental style cured meats, cheese and fruit. Either way you certainly will not go on your way hungry....

Speaking of which, a sight you will often see after breakfast is the hosts pouring over maps with their guests pointing out best sights to see, walks to go on, picnic stops, deserted beaches, pubs to have lunch in or where the best music is on that night? This kind of information is priceless, no paper guide or website could ever keep track or know what is happening this weekend in Ballydehob but your hosts will, for sure.
With over a 1000 properties nationwide, there is plenty of choice depending on your area of interest. A recent move has seen each bed and breakfast categorized to include specialist activities like walking, angling, golfing, cooking, Irish language, genealogy etc and much, much more which will add an extra dimension to what already is a fantastic and affordable opportunity to see and experience those parts of Ireland most tourists never get to see....

For more information visit BandB Ireland

By Susan Byron author of Irelands Hidden Gems.com

Irelands Hidden Places enchanting hideaways...

I am not sure I should really be telling you about the Hidden Places of Ireland, an amalgamation of five of the nicest self-catering properties you will find in the Midlands, as I seem to have stumbled upon a little corner of paradise tucked away in North Tipperary that I would rather keep to myself. Previously I had only imagined what treasures might lie at the bottom of those seemingly endless driveways that wind their way through grassy parklands, studded with magnificent mature trees with only the odd racehorse lazily lifting his head to see who it is that has interrupted his bucolic peacefulness. For this is Aga-land darlings, where life in the big house rubs off nicely on the little houses this nice group of people let out on occasion to the savvy few. There isn’t a sound in these quiet back waters, apart from the rhythmic slushing of the watermill or the butterflies dancing through the flowery borders. Or the buzzing of bees in the organic gardens filled to bursting with exotic varieties of vegetables, asparagus peas anyone....

Not only are each of the properties totally unique like the Manhattan meets Moneygall style stone loft at Ballylina or the rose strew romantic Cottage by the Well at Fancroft . But really clever piece is that the owners each bring something, other than delicious food to the table, that they are happy to share with you. Roderick has a passion for classic cars, Tessa and Wink have horses and love all things equestrian, you can even stay with one of Ireland’s most acclaimed garden designers Angela Jupe and enjoy free access to her beautiful walled garden! how cool is that? There are breakfast packs of organic rashers and sausages from Oldfarm available if you fancy? not to mention brown bread homemade from locally milled flour and fresh eggs from the curious chickens that wander about freely, including vegetables and fruit in season. It’s a little peak at paradise and how the other (wise) half live, that can be yours for a week or a few days at a time....

For more information and details about price and availability visit

http://www.irelandshiddenplaces.com/


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

Belan Lodge - boyhood playground of Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton

With fine weather on the horizon there has never been a better time to expand yours or your childrens by taking a self catering holiday at home. Only an hour from Dublin the lovely Belan Lodge, boyhood playground of the great Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton can be yours too for a week or a weekend. No long bank holiday drive, its a genuine hidden gem of a place, wild out with plenty of nature walks, canal banks and gastro pubs to be explored and whats more its very affordable, child and animal friendly, so what's keeping you?

Originally part of the very large and prestigous Belan House Estate which belonged to the Earls of Aldborough for over 400 years, before unfortunately being abandoned due to bad debts and mismanagement, although the Cornmills attached were always very successful. And they belonged once upon a time to Ebenezer Shackleton, uncle of the famous Irish Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. The Cornmills had one of the longest and deepest millraces in Ireland at the time which must have been a haven for the young boy with adventure in his veins.

As it was for another young lady, who wrote in the 1830’s of her childhood reminiscences of Belan, being the happiest of her life. “Here, on hot summer's evenings, we used to sit and watch the dragon files. I had never seen dragonflies before, and could not associate them with flies, I could only think of them as tiny winged spirits, whispering messages from afar to the reeds and irises which grew at the water’s edge...

She describes the warm welcome received from her hosts at Belan, with its turf fires and speaks eloquently and longingly of the breakfasts...hot potato cakes, eggs, cream, honey and freshly baked bread. The ‘accommodations’ even then were perfect with sunny windowseats to while away the hours with a book or out and about amongst the farmyard animals, dogs, ducks and donkeys...

She tells the story of a pastoral idyll, which is still true and exists today for a new generation of weary adults or adventurous children to delight in nature. Belan Lodge is a true haven of peace, tranquillity and genuine rural charm. The rates are very reasonable, you can stay as a bed & breakfast guest or fend for yourself (always a great option for families) and there is so much to do and see in the area.

For more information visit www.belanlodge.com

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

Advice on planning your own trip to Ireland - Don't!

It’s a minefield out there and while Ireland is truly a wonderful country to visit for any or all of the reasons and places mentioned in Irelands Hidden Gems.com we have our share of rotten apples. I take my hat off to those of you who are doing just that, judging by the amount of enquiries I get daily about where to go and what to do and while I am happy to help if I can, I would be the first to admit I certainly don’t know it all.....

The people that do, are Authentic Ireland.com. they have been putting packages together for people travelling to Ireland for over ten years, so they have handled just about every enquiry you can imagine. And if the thought of tailor made packages being expensive frightens you think again.....

Did you know that if there are nine or more of you in a group, they can have you chauffeur driven for the same price as carhire, now you are talking , how's that for peace of mind, someone who knows the road systems and all the best places to go, watering holes included. But that is only one perk?

These guys have long term relationships with the best hotels, castles and restaurants so their business is about keeping each other sweet. So you the client are automatically going to get any free upgrades that are going, plus the most coveted tables by the window or fireside.

It’s a no brainer if you ask me, why spend hours trawling the net in search of a good deal, I cant tell you how many ‘good deals’ I have heard about that I would consider rubbish. For example an email from a honeymoon couple whose ‘tour operator’ had almost exclusively booked them into B&Bs?

Why would they do that when you could get a deal in a romantic castle (we’ve dozens of them) for the same money or less. Not that I am knocking B&Bs we have some excellent ones, but these were dives altogether in the middle of nowhere and that wasn’t an isolated case.

Seems to me these ‘tour operators’ are charging a mighty mark up and ripping off the American public. My advice go to the experts Authentic Travel, it is in their interest to give you the best possible experience of Ireland and yours in getting the most bang for your buck.

And if that isn’t enough to convince you? Think on? As an independent traveller, what happens if your flight is delayed, cancelled, you get ill, or heaven forbid you have any kind of mishap while you are here.

Wouldn’t you like a 24/7 back up service, to a real person, never a machine, who's on the ground, ready to make all the necessary alternative arrangements and meet you at the airport with a hot water bottle and a brandy?

Thought so, or if you are like me and change your mind 50-100 times before finally settling on a plan, having someone hold my hand through that wont lose their patience and cut me off mid demands....well that kind of service is priceless and as they say for everything else there's visa…..

For a stress free holiday of a lifetime visit http://www.authenticireland.com/

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