Irish Whitewater Forum

Greetings

Myself and a few friends are thinking about taking a paddling trip to Ireland and I was hoping for some suggestions on where to go / where to base ourselves.

Ireland sounds good as rumor has it that it rains there quite a bit and if the rivers aren't up then it looks like there would be a good chance of some surf.

We are thinking of a week long trip, there are about 10 of us, all reasonably experienced white water paddlers - relaxed on grade III, comfortable on grade IV, nervous on grade V. We mainly paddle inland white water in North Wales and West Coast Scotland but none of us have ever paddled in Ireland apart from the occasional Liffey Descent.

Can anyone suggest a good area to look at, or even suggest some accommodation to base ourselves in?

Thanks

Kev

Hi Kev,

Irish boating is a lot like Scotland and Wales, really, so the same weather conditions apply - don't commit to coming here for a week's boating until as late as poossible so you can check the water levels.

The two main areas to hit are Wicklow, just an hour south of Dublin, and Cork/Kerry, about 4-5 hours from Dublin. For Wicklow, you could base yourselves out of one of the hostels in or around Laragh village. For Cork/Kerry, Killarney might be best (others would know better on that score).

Keep an eye on the predicted rainfall and check back here and on irishfreestyle.com before jumping on the ferry.

Jim.