The Gathering 2010

[Eileen]

Dates for the 2010 Gathering:
Wednesday, February 24th - Sunday, February 28.

In planning for your 2010 Gathering experience, here are some things to consider:

Travel Dates and Airport Shuttle to hotel:
To access the free bus shuttle from Shannon, Ireland, to Killarney and back to Shannon, book your Gathering accommodations with Geri Cooney-Browne (Boston) by email at cooneybrowne (at) yahoo.com. Plan to arrive in Shannon Wednesday morning (leave Boston or other USA airport on Tuesday night). The shuttle bus returns to Shannon from The Gleneagle on Monday morning.

Hotel Accommodations:
The focal point of activity is at the Gleneagle Hotel and the INEC (large hall) next door. The Brehon hotel and the Gleneagle River Apartments are all in the same "campus" area and are good alternatives for accommodations, the Brehon being a bit more upscale than the Gleneagle and the apartments being spacious and modern, good for small groups - four beds total in 2 bedrooms with possibility of adding a cot or two. View more details on hotels on The Gathering website. The hotel stays come with breakfast, whereas the apartments do not but have a full kitchen with coffee maker (French press), stove, microwave, refrigerator, washer-dryer, all utensils and linens provided. We experienced a very nice welcoming touch at the apartment: a quart of fresh milk and a loaf of that wonderful Irish brown bread was left for us and there was a stock of tea and instant coffee in the canisters (bring your own ground coffee for the press) .

Activities While at The Gathering:
If you are staying at the festival site (Gleneagle, Brehon, G.River Apts.), it may take 15 - 25 minutes (approximately a mile) to walk into town. Many people do walk to town and back, even late at night. If you don't go on the optional bus ride to a ceili (about an hour?) and a pub, try the set dancing at The Grand Hotel in the back with the Johhny Reidy Band (Wednesday nights). There is a car rental office (Budget) just at the end of the road from the hotels at the beginning of the downtown area, just across the street and straight ahead, in case you wanted to take a tour of the area on Thursday or Friday afternoons. [If you arrive on Wednesday, you have the day for activities or to recover from jet lag with a nap in preparation for staying out late on Wednesday night.] If you're ambitious and have good walking shoes, there are interesting places to tour in both directions by foot. The music sessions in the hotel pubs are not to be missed - they go on into the wee hours of the morning and there is always impromptu dancing and singing as well.

[Frank K]

If you are thinking of renting a car, get a US Airways Master Card from Barclays bank before you go. This card covers the cost of the car insurance in Ireland, a fee that can double to cost of the rental. All you need to do is contact MasterCard before you leave and they send a certificate that covers the insurance. US Credit card companies do not cover the insurance.