How do I plan a trip around one ancestral county and still see the wider island?
Put the county in the middle, not at the edge. Start with the surname map to confirm the heartland counties, then give the ancestral county two or three nights in its main town: time for the townland, the parish, the graveyard and the local studies room, none of which can be rushed into an afternoon. The planner's Surname Trip builds a starting route from the heartland counties, and it can be joined to a wider route: most counties sit within one driving day of the Grand Tour or Full Island arcs. Work the Coming Home pathway before travelling, so the record searches are done and the days in the county are spent in the places themselves.
Useful pages: Plan your journey · Public transport in Ireland · Dublin · Belfast · Plan your Ireland itinerary · Dublin and the East in 3 Days · The Grand Tour in 10 Days · The Full Island in 14 Days · Ennis · Galway city · Experiencing the Irish coastline · Guided versus self guided tours · Where to stay · Ready-made itineraries · Coming home · County Galway · Cashel · Northern Ireland · Travel notices
Sources
- Irish Escapes itineraries, planner trip type data and road dataset: shared/itineraries.json, shared/roads.json and planner code, irishescapes.ie
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