GLBT Travelers - Vacation Travel to Ireland

My husband and I will be traveling to Ireland this July for 11 days and are looking for advice. We plan to spend at least three days in Dublin but will also rent a car to travel around the country. Are there certain "must sees" that we should plan for? And are there any place we should avoid to anti-gay sentiment? We know Ireland is a Catholic country so don't want to unnecessarily make our trip uncomfortable.

Ireland has become quite progressive. They enacted civil unions two years ago. Still, as in the U.S., I'm sure there are pockets of ultra-conservatism and anti-gay sentiment.

The George is a classic pub you may want to check out (www.thegeorge.ie)

The Guinness brewery is interesting too.

A short trip to Belfast is interesting.

The Catholicism you'll encounter is mostly cultural and historical, like museums, castles, and old churches. You're free to partake in religious activities, but I doubt you'll encounter a lot of overt piety.

The Irish are more interested in going to the pub than going to church, most of which (except for old ladies) are empty. I just saw a poll which shows the Irish overwhelmingly support SS marriage.
The most difficult part of your adventure will be driving on the wrong ( to us) side of the road.

The Irish are more interested in going to the pub than going to church, most of which (except for old ladies) are empty. I just saw a poll which shows the Irish overwhelmingly support SS marriage.
The most difficult part of your adventure will be driving on the wrong ( to us) side of the road.

And the fact that the road is frequently a two-lane twisty affair with a GIGANTIC TRUCK APPEARING FROM THAT CORNER AHEAD HEADED RIGHT FOR YOU TAKING UP THE WHOLE ROAD OMG WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!

See Jameson in Dublin.
I flew into Cork then took the train from Cork to Dublin
I enjoyed Cork more than Dublin, you can kiss the Blarney stone
(and see Blarney castle) John Redmond bvld
The 4 faced liar.
The people were all very nice, but it was quite expensive.
I am not sure if people thought I was "with" the person I was traveling with or not but no one seemed interested in knowing.
(and he is Asian so they didn't think he was my cousin)
I had no questions about getting one bed.

You might not want to kiss the Blarney stone. Local youths have a habit of urinating on it to play a practical joke on all the tourists.

Rick Steves is great when planning trips to Europe:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/ireland/ire_menu.htm

For Dublin this thread might be of interest: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/glbt-travelers/901801-dublin-ireland-mlk-day.html

As you have plenty of time you might want to consider Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Dublin/Wicklow mountains, Belfast. Cities with notable gay scenes are: Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast.

Yes Ireland is a Catholic country but not that Catholic and our style of Catholicism is not a patch on the US evangelic style homophobia (which at least from here looks a lot more mainstream). We have civil partnerships (good chance this will be "upgraded" to marriage soon), clear anti-discrimination laws (you are not going to be refused service anywhere because you are gay) and generally a very welcoming public. That is not to say that there are no bigots in Ireland but broadly Ireland is very gay friendly, even in very rural parts.

As you have plenty of time you might want to consider Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Dublin/Wicklow mountains, Belfast. Cities with notable gay scenes are: Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast.


I am also in similar circumstances and travelling around Ireland for 10 days in August so the information in here is really useful.

In smaller cities what sort of accommodation would people recommend?

In smaller cities what sort of accommodation would people recommend?

All depends on your taste and budget. Ireland has glut of hotels everywhere (due to tax breaks in times past) and most provide now good value. Of course there are times when prices are astronomical, for example during the Galway races or St Patrick's Day.

It's probably easier to avoid family run B&Bs unless they specifically say they are gay friendly. They might be uncomfortable with it, especially the further in the countryside you go. You could try renting a cottage for a few days - I stayed at this one a few weeks ago - lovely place and the owners are gay friendly.
http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/ireland/IR617.htm