RE: Visiting Ireland-What to See?
Ed,
We've been to Scotland, England, Florida (3 times ) and France doing similar vacations... we do the "self-catering" thing.
We rent an apartment or house/cottage for a week or two. It works out much cheaper than hotels, meals are cheaper because we prepare our own breakfasts and dinners... for lunches we either do "pub style" or grab a sandwich from a deli. Yes, it's more expensive than here in North America, but doing our own meals and renting a cottage out in the country side works out cheaper than staying in a hotel.
Also, being out in the country lets you learn a bit more about the local areas and people. We spent 2 weeks in France a couple of years ago and I got to meet a group of french RC flyers one afternoon, one of whom I still exchange emails with.
With young kids (10-12yo) it's a good way for them (and us) to learn a bit more about the local culture. Just shopping for groceries becomes an adventure....