Writing retreat to Ireland

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A traditional B&B (Bed & Breakfast) will be a better option for two people sharing than an AirBnb; also breakfast is included (a full Irish breakfast, not just cereal, toast and tea.)

  • see www.bandbireland.com for listings. There are many more B&Bs than Airbnbs in Ireland. Somewhat ironically, some B&Bs also list on Airbnb (and Booking.com, et al).

  • Advantages: B&Bs always serve you a proper breakfast. You may get more privacy. The hosts may be more friendly and not have to rush out to work (not stressed-out people trying to cover their mortgage by AirBnb'ing a spare bedroom) and can suggest you places to go and give advice; look for reviews of places popular with foreign visitors. Some B&Bs are over a pub.

  • Availability & Price: for example, I found 45 options in County Galway under €300 alone for your spec (6 nights from 7/1/2019 for two people sharing).

  • Reachable from an airport by train+bus: first figure out are you flying into Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock or Belfast (NI)? And look at the train and bus maps.

  • Search listings on www.bandbireland.com and turn on Map view. Or read the official tourist site https://www.ireland.com for guides and inspiration.

  • "Traditional small-ish town in the middle of nowhere" Do some reading of guides and reviews, but most of Ireland (RoI and NI) outside the major cities fits your description:

  • east/southeast: County Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow, Kildare, Laois, Waterford, Wexford are all near Dublin. I imagine you'll probably fly into Dublin Airport as it has the most flights, also the train+bus network.

  • south and southwest (Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare, Limerick). Fly into Cork Airport if possible.

  • Galway (in the west) is a very literary place, great scenery, history and affordable; direct train from Dublin. Galway City is nice, as is County Galway; the further west you go, the harder to get to and sparsely populated, but also very scenic (bring your raincoat). If I remember, Galway City has the most bookshops-per-capita of any Irish city. You might fall in love with Galway.

  • the northwest: Mayo, Sligo, Donegal are all nice but a bit harder to get to (>4 hours from Dublin)

  • the midlands: sometimes said to be boring but has some gems and you might find something you like (Birr, Co. Offaly for example). Here are some tips. There are some small towns on the Shannon, where you get the river cruiser tourists passing through.

  • border/northwest:

  • Northern Ireland is also very nice too. Land of such literary giants as Séamas Heaney, CS Lewis, the Brontes and others. The Séamas Heaney Homeplace is said to be a mind-blowingly great museum and arts events centre, in Bellaghy, Co. Derry. 2hrs by train/bus from Belfast. And of course you must see the local sights like the Giants Causeway, Rope Bridge of Carrick-a-Rede, Dark Trees, Enniskillen, etc.

  • You can search for literary holidays, summer schools, festivals, etc. The universities have some summer activities too.

  • one random guide I found: "Ireland literary itinerary - Ireland: by the Book"

  • a 10-day itinerary for a tour you can't afford, but the itinerary is a useful read: Destinations Ireland & Beyond: Grand Literary Tour of Ireland

Hope this gives you a couple of ideas :) Happy writing. Remember a proper raincoat.

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