Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [614]
House Swapping
House swapping has become a popular and affordable way to visit a country and enjoy a real home away from home. There are several agencies in Ireland that, for an annual fee, facilitate international swaps. The fee pays for access to a website and a book giving house descriptions, photographs and the owner’s details. After that, it’s up to you to make arrangements. Use of the family car is sometimes included.
Homelink International House Exchange ( 01-846 2598; www.homelink.ie)
Intervac International Holiday Service ( 041-983 7969; www.intervac.com; Frank & Hillary Kelly, Drogheda, Co Dublin; 7-9.30pm Mon-Fri)
Rental Accommodation
Self-catering accommodation is often rented on a weekly basis and usually means an apartment or house where you look after yourself. The rates vary from one region and season to another. Fáilte Ireland publishes a guide for registered self-catering accommodation; you can check listings at their website www.discoverireland.ie.
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ACTIVITIES
There are plenty of cheap and relaxing activities on offer in Ireland that provide a unique experience of the country. See also Ireland Outdoors.
Birdwatching
The variety and size of the flocks that visit or breed in Ireland make it of particular interest to birdwatchers. It’s also home to some rare and endangered species. For descriptions of some of the birds found in Ireland, Click here.
There are more than 70 reserves and sanctuaries in Ireland, but some aren’t open to visitors and others are privately owned, so you’ll need permission from the proprietors before entering.
More information on birdwatching can be obtained from the tourist boards and from the following organisations:
Birds of Ireland News Service ( 01-830 7364; www.birdsireland.com)
BirdWatch Ireland ( 01-281 9878; www.birdwatchireland.ie) Runs birdwatching field courses, all of which take place on Cape Clear Island in County Cork.
National Parks & Wildlife Service ( 01-888 2000; www.npws.ie)
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB; 9049 1547; www.rspb.org.uk; Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast)
Some useful publications on birdwatching are Dominic Couzens’ Collins Birds of Britain and Ireland and the slightly out-of-date Where to Watch Birds in Ireland by Clive Hutchinson.
Cycling
The tourist boards can supply you with a list of operators who organise cycling holidays. For more on the practicalities of travelling around Ireland with a bike, Click here.
Both Irish Cycling Safaris ( 01-260 0749; www.cyclingsafaris.com; Belfield Bike Shop, UCD, Dublin) and Go Ireland ( 066-976 2094; www.goactivities.com; Old Orchard House, Killorglin, Co Kerry) organise tours for groups of cyclists in the southwest, the southeast, Connemara and Counties Clare, Donegal and Antrim.
Fishing
Ireland is justly famous for its (generally no-fee) coarse fishing, eg bream, pike, perch, roach, rudd, tench, carp and eel. The killing of pike over 6.6lb (3kg) in weight is prohibited, so anglers are limited to one pike; the killing of coarse fish is frowned upon and anglers are encouraged to return coarse fish to the water alive. Freshwater game fish available here include salmon, sea trout and brown trout. Some managed fisheries also stock rainbow trout.
The enormous Shannon and Erne river systems, stretching southwards from Leitrim and Fermanagh, are prime angling spots, and Cavan, the ‘Lake County’, is a favourite with hardcore fishermen. In the west, the great lakes of Corrib, Mask and Conn have plenty of lakeshore B&Bs, good sturdy boats and knowledgeable boatmen. These lakes can