posted
I just found out that my girlfriend is probably going to do Study Abroad in Dublin this summer. I have hatched a plan to fly out there with a ring and propose to her. The thing is, I'm looking for a really beautiful, romantic place to pop the question. I'm doing this on a budget, so I want to make my travel plans and stuff as early as possible. So, consider this an open solicitation . . . restaurant suggestions are also welcome! Thanks, everyone.
posted
When we were there, I don't think there were any places outside of the larger cities that weren't beautiful and romantic.
I'd suggest the ruins of the church in Cashel from which you can see the Rock itself.There's another chapel in the town that's been converted into a gormet restraunt. I don't recall the name, but if you give any local that description, they can tell you.
Or Dingle if you want something coastal. We didn't make it to Dingle, but everywhere we stayed, they told us that was the most beautiful coast line.
[ January 23, 2004, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: peter the bookie ]
Posts: 318 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
The Ruins at Kincora are stunning, the Shannon river, a forest, Cashel in the distance, and of course, you are standing where once Brian Boru stood.
Tara is also a very very beautifl area, the ancient capitol of Ireland, the seven gated city ruins, I think it is a bit closer to Dublin, but Kincora would be my choice.
I second what Tom said. And the west coast is only a four hour trip from Dublin if you rent a car.
I studied for three months in Galway and loved every minute of it. In the summer it'd be even more awesome, since I did it in the fall and had lots of wind and colder weather.
The Aran Islands are always nice, and there are lots of really out of the way awesome places on the main island that you can get to by renting bicycles (and then ditching the bicycles at some point because the way is only passable on foot).
The Cliffs of Moher are pretty amazing, but are busy with tour bus traffic and a little windy. They are however, totally breathtaking and awe-inspiring, so it's got potential. If you can go and stay in the nearby town at a B&B or something, then go up to the Cliffs at an off-peak time with no tour busses, that'd probably be the best bet with this option.
If you go north a bit, near Sligo is the Loch Gill and Yeats' "Lake Isle of Innisfree" - as well as a beautiful waterfall he wrote about in another poem. It's Yeats country up there, so if she's into english lit or poetry, that might be pretty cool.
Why is it that she's going to Ireland, btw? Are her ancestors Irish? If so, you might want to find the area where her name came from and a place near there, to give it the weight of history.
Again, I don't know how Irish she is, or into Irish culture, but a friend of mine got engaged when we were in Galway and he got her a diamond Claddagh ring as an engagement ring - just as food for thought (there are some good places for that in the Claddagh region of Galway, or in Dublin).
You might want to go to a bookstore and just grab an "Ireland by Air" or "Ireland in Pictures" book and flip through until you see someplace that's perfect. Remember how busy some of the places may be, though, with tourism in the summer.
Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Policyvote, that's so beautiful, I wish you (and your prospective fiancee) the best of luck!!
If it were Wales, England, or Scotland that she was going to, I could help... but I haven't actually been to Ireland.
I'm sure there are a GREAT deal of beautiful places, though, as people have been saying. Good luck, policyvote! Posts: 7877 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions! Now I'm going to have to go and go a bunch of research on Irish history . . .
FWIW, my girlfriend is not at all Irish and neither am I. She has to do an internship to finish her degree, and she's always talked about doing Study Abroad. I guess the opportunity in Ireland just happened to fit the schedule and academic requirements--plus Ireland is really cool.
Someone I know bought an engagement ring that was actually an old Roman ring that was cleaned and refinished. A cool alternative to a diamond.
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