What makes Ireland so SPECIAL?

Posted on June 16, 2010 by DiscoveringIreland

In our last newsletter we were amazed by the feedback we got on our suggestions for the top 10 places to visit in Ireland. Plenty agreed with some but no one agreed with all and we got many suggestions on special places to visit all across or wonderful little Island.

That got us thinking….instead of publishing all the feedback we received why not get you our Guests to write about the places you think all visitors to Ireland should make that extra little effort to fit into their vacation.

Summer CompetitionWhether you have a list of 3 or 23 why not talk about it either on your own blog or website? Alternatively comment on our facebook page, send them to us via twitter or simply email them in and we will publish the very best of them here on our website.
To mark this we are also offering an amazing FREE vacation to Ireland to the person we deem writes the best blog post/s about the reasons that make Ireland such a special place to visit.

How does it work?

  • Our starting prize will be a basic vacation to Ireland for 2 people staying in a cottage vacation rental with rental car for a week
    – great if you can get it but how about some more? …
  • Once we reach 25 entries the bar rises and the vacation includes a mix of B&B’s & Hotels
  • At 50 entries, the vacation includes all luxury hotels
  • Get us to 75 entries and half the stays will be in genuine Irish Castles
  • When we have 100 or more entries, all entrants will have the chance to win a luxury castle vacation in Ireland.

Rules:

There are no rules for entry as such but here are some things we won’t say no to:

  • Nice mentions of DiscoveringIreland
  • Becoming our friend on facebook … www.facebook.com/Discoveringireland
  • Links to our website
  • Constructive comments of our website
  • We love lists – top 3, top 5, top 10 etc.

Looking forward to hearing from all you Ireland enthusuiasts soon.

Once you have written about Ireland – email: seamus.omurchu@Discoveringireland.com
with details of where the article is posted,
Entering is as simple as that!

Posted in ireland special offers, Ireland Travel, Ireland vacations | Tagged , , | 39 Comments

Cork Week 2010 – Ireland’s sailing festival

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Discovering Ireland

The eagerly anticipated staging of Cork Week 2010, Ireland’s premier biannual sailing regatta is just weeks away and is shaping up to be a spectacular event. The organisers have confirmed boat entries from throughout Ireland & the United Kingdom and also from France, Holland, Australia the USA and Canada.

Cork Week is the largest international sailing regatta in Ireland and is held in July every two years but it’s not just about sailing……..There is a huge lineup of entertainment provided within the grounds of the Royal Cork Yacht Club during the week-long event in Crosshaven.

The competitions on the water are complimented by a party atmosphere back on dry land making Cork Week a favorite destination for sailors and non-sailors alike every 2 years.

With an array of hotels near Crosshaven there is no better time to visit this scenic village.

Read more about Cork Week:

http://www.discoveringireland.com/cork-week
http://www.accbankcorkweek.ie/
Latest News
Fastnet Line the number 1 Ferry to Ireland is back up and running after 4 years.

Posted in Festivals in ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

USA-Today names Ireland as Top 5 Bargain Destination for 2010

Posted on June 3, 2010 by DiscoveringIreland Travel Tips

I just came across an article from USA-Today from May 21st where they name Ireland in the Top 5 Bargain Destinations for Summer 2010.

Ireland is the only European destination to make the list and is included in the Top 5 along with California & Myrtle Beach in the USA, Quebec City in Canada and the Bahamas.

There is exceptional value available for Ireland Vacations this year, with hotel prices at the lowest they have been for many years. This combined with the 20% fall in the cost of a Euro in US$ since its peak earlier this year makes Ireland especially good value for visitors from the USA. For example, our basic, go-as-you-please package now starts at $349 compared to an average $499 last year.

We can testify to the resonance this is having with US tourists here at DiscoveringIreland. With the volcanic eruptions in Iceland now in the past, enquiries for 2010 vacations and the exceptional value available, enquiries are growing strongly. Our advice? Book as soon as possble before the most popular areas get booked out!!

Posted in cheap ireland trip, Ireland Travel, vacation to Ireland | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Irish Surnames – Sheehan, Sheahan, Sheen coat of arms

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Discovering Ireland

To further enhance our ever popular profiling of Irish surnames we’ve decided to move the fearure to our blog and allow for better and improved user interaction and feedback.

Taking the spotlight today is the name Sheehan or Sheahan.

Sheehan coat of arms

Sheehan coat of arms

The popular name Sheehan or Sheahan, often referred to in the USA as  Sheen or Shean, is the anglicisation of the Irish Ó Siodhacháin, from a diminutive of siodhach, meaning ‘peaceful’.
The eponymous ancestor of the family is disputed, but must have been unique among the Irish of the day to have deserved the description “peace maker”. Not every scholar accepts this origin of the name, but given the fact that the sept’s traditional coat of arms features a dove of peace, there will be few of the name who will want to consider any alternative. One ancient genealogy places the sept’s ancestor as a brother of Brian Boru while another has him as a member of the Scanlan sept. The Book of Leinster refers to “Muintir Sidechain” from a distant relative of Brian Boru.

Cormac Cas was King of Thomond (Tuathmhumhan, modern county Clare with adjacent parts of Limerick and Tipperary) around the fifth century and he spawned a tribal grouping known as the Dál gCais or Dalcassians which dominated Munster until the final suppression of the old Gaelic order in the seventeenth century. Their most famous family is that of O’Brien, but the group includes other well known families such as McNamara, O’Grady, Heffernan, McMahon, Hickey, Clancy, etc. Regardless of the precise identity of their ancestor, the sept of Ó Siodhacháin is believed by most authorities to be part of the Dál gCais, having a chief residence in Lower Connello, Co. Limerick. O’Sheehan, O’Meehan and O’Cullane all served as chiefs in that barony. Over the centuries, however, the members of the sept migrated southwards and in modern times the name is most common in County Cork, though also found in Kerry(profiled in our top 10 places to visit in Ireland) and Limerick. The name starts to appear regularly in the records of Cork from the fourteenth century mentioned in connection with Kilcredan parish in the diocese of Cloyne on several occasions. We find John Shyghan of Youghal who was a tailor there in 1617. In the same town we find William Sheehan as town clerk in 1688. We also find one Thadeus O’Sheaghan as a Church of Ireland Vicar of Inchigeelagh in 1639. In 1689 we find one Capt. William Sheehan in King James army list. Continue reading →

Posted in Irish Genealogy, Irish Surnames | Tagged , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Delta reinstate JFK-Shannon Winter route

Posted on April 28, 2010 by DiscoveringIreland Travel Tips

In a major boost to Irish Tourism, Delta Airlines have announced that they will reinstate their winter schedule between JFK  and Shannon Airport for the 2010-2011 winter season.

Delta withdrew the route for winter 2009/10 opting only for a summer service, however the resumption of the winter link is a huge boost for Shannon Airport, Ireland’s midwest and Irish tourism in general delivering greater cometition for North American tourists looking to fly to Ireland

Posted in cheap flights, Fly to Ireland, Ireland Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Comedy Festivals in Ireland

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Discovering Ireland

What is it about Ireland and the world renowned Irish sense of humour?
Maybe it is a nationwide sense of mirth to laugh at everything about ourselves, coined by the Irish phrase of “taking the mick”, meaning having a laugh.
It is an ingrained trait that has seen the Irish through the centuries, when things don’t go to plan instead of collapsing in despair we have learned to look at the funny side and laugh at the irony and stupidity of everything. Irish humour can be thought of as the ultimate in sarcasm where nothing or no one, not priests nor politicians, is too sacred to mock or to “take the mick out of”.

Welcome to a land where nothing runs on time, where the transport minister heads away on a sun holiday in the middle of a 3 week freezefest, where a prominent airline considered charging people for the “privilege” of using the airline facilities during the recession, and where a former finance minister and taoiseach quotes from “Father Ted” when asked about the “serious matter” of his private finances. All in all a land where no-one takes anything seriously and a land that has spawned some of the best comedy shows, writers and comedians of all time. Comedians such as Dave Allen, Brendon Grace, Sean Hughes, Tommy Tiernan, Dylan Moran, Dara O’Briain, Ardal O’Hanlon, David O’Doherty, Meave Higgins, Deirdre O’ Kane, Jason Byrne, Neil Delamare to name just a few.

For a chance to relax and lay back and witness some of this Irish sense of humour you can watch the news and the political and sporting commentary (and that’s the serious stuff) or better yet why not sit down with a pint and checkout great comedy in action at the many comedy venues and pubs around the country.

However if you have the chance why not see some of the best of national and international stars in action in some of our world renowned Comedy festivals.  Here’s a sample

Carlsberg Cat Laughs Festival

3rd June to 7th June 2010
Cat Laughs 2010
The Mother of all Irish Comedy festivals and one of the top five comedy festivals in the world, Ireland’s favourite festival, The Carlsberg Cat Laughs Comedy Festival runs in Kilkenny for the June Bank Holiday.  Since it’s inception in 1994 this festival has rapidly established itself as one of the best comedy festivals in the world.

Attracting a host of the best national and international stand-up comedians and comedy improvisers, the comedy festival provides for simple fun and exhilaration. Five days of fun and laughter are guaranteed with over 85 live performances in the relaxing surrounds of 14 of Kilkenny’s best loved venues. Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy Festivals Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

10 Best Places to visit in Ireland in 2010

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Discovering Ireland

DiscoveringIreland have just compiled a list based on our Guest’s feedback as to the top 10 places to visit in Ireland for 2010.

We’d love to hear what you think…

Posted in Best Attractions in Ireland, Best Places to visit in Ireland | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Croke Park Shuttle Bus relaunch

Posted on April 8, 2010 by DiscoveringIreland Travel Tips

The shuttle bus service for the Croke Park Stadium Tour is to be relaunched on Tuesday April 13th and will run for the Summer Season until Spetember.

The service evolves from the very successful introductory service last year; and the 2010 Shuttle Bus will include an extended service to the new Glasnevin Museum.

The service will take tourists from the centre of Dublin city to two landmark venues deeply embedded in Irish history. Starting out from Trinity College, the bus will stop at three ‘pick-ups’ along the way –  at Trinity College, Suffolk Street and Parnell Square before reaching the Croke Park and then onto the new Glasnevin  Museum.

The extension of the shuttle service to Glasnevin will allow tourists and the public greater access to two of Dublin’s “must see” attractions. The Croke Park venue hosts the Stadium Tour and the GAA Museum, both of which are a fantastic celebration of the history and heritage of Ireland’s native sports. Glasnevin Trust Museum located at the famous Cemetery site is also host to a fully interactive exhibition highlighting the lives of those buried within the walls of the famous cemetery and historical details of the workings of a Victorian Cemetery.

“Last year the shuttle bus service to Croke Park was a resounding success as it facilitated access for a large number of visitors to one of Ireland’s premier and most celebrated venues. We are delighted to bring back the service for the forthcoming year, whilst also welcoming the extension of the route to the Glasnevin Trust Museum. The premise behind the shuttle bus is again to provide a quick, direct and inexpensive trip to both of the popular venues for tourists and the public alike. We hope the extension will encourage even more people to take advantage of the service this year” said Mark Dorman, GAA Museum Director.

The service from Dublin City Centre to both Croke Park and Glasnevin will run daily from Tuesday to Saturday each week. While there are currently no plans to arrange pickups at Dublin Hotels, the extension of the service to hotels near the shuttle route or near the start and end points has not been ruled out.

If one wishes to stay in the area there are also a number of accommodation options available, just checkout our page on Hotels Near Croke Park

Posted in Activities in ireland, dublin, Ireland Travel, Irish Hotels, vacation to Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ryanair to launch new route from Kerry

Posted on April 7, 2010 by DiscoveringIreland Travel Tips

Ryanair announced its seventh route from Kerry Airport today with a new route to Dusseldorf (Weeze) in germany from July 1 2010. Tickets for the new route will be on sale on Ryanair’s website from tomorrow.

The announcement comes just a day after Ryanair announced that it was going to overlook Cork Airport for new routes in a claim that high charges made the airport too expensive for the low cost airline and onthe same day that it announced plans to charge for toilet use on board its aircraft.

related stories:

http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/ryanair-to-bypass-cork-airport-over-high-costs-116403.html
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/ryanair-set-to-charge-pound1-to-use-toilet-on-flights-14757317.html

Posted in Ireland Travel | Tagged , | Leave a comment

RyanAir CEO named in top 30 in the world

Posted on March 29, 2010 by DiscoveringIreland Travel Tips

Leading US Financial & Business newspaper, Barron’s, has named Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary in the top 30 Global CEO’s.

O’Leary is the only Irish citizen to make the list which is limited to top CEO’s who have “been in the job at least three years and have made shrewd acquisitions or taken advantage of the economic recession to expand at the expense of rivals.”

Despite attracting the wrath of government and the courts recently here in Ireland, Michael O’Leary is certainly being noticed on the international stage and recogntion like this will undoubtedly bolster him further.

Posted in Ireland Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment