But let's face it: Tourists really go there to experience the old Ireland — lush, sweeping landscapes dotted with medieval ruins and castles; picturesque thatched-roof cottages still warmed by a peat fire; the lively sounds of traditional Irish music; a pint of Guinness at a century-old village pub.

With both sets of grandparents having been born in Ireland, it's always been my husband's dream to visit — or "return home," as he puts it. But it wasn't until our oldest son, Dan, left to study for six months at the university in Galway that we finally scheduled a B&B trip through Aer Lingus' Vacation Store, www.aerlingus.com.

Due to work schedules and baby-sitting issues, we wouldn't have much time: just four and a half days and four nights. So we decided to bypass Dublin and the east coast and focus instead on the rural (read: authentic) Irish towns to the south, west and north. Our itinerary included everything from Kilkenny and Cork, where we could kiss the Blarney Stone, to Galway, Westport and Bundoran, the tiny seaside resort just south of Donegal, where my husband's maternal grandmother was born.

Here's where we made our first mistake. Even though Ireland is a relatively small country, the map is deceiving; tiny, windy roads mean it takes a lot longer to get from point A to point B. Though our first planned stop, the medieval city of Kilkenny, was just 84 miles from Shannon airport, it took us nearly four hours to get there (jet lag, an unfamiliarity with driving on the left side of the road and an hourlong traffic jam in Limerick didn't help). So, not wanting to spend all our time in the car, we quickly regrouped and scrapped planned trips to Cork and Killarney.

After a quick nap in our luxury room at Newland's Country House B&B, we headed into town to tour the landmark Kilkenny Castle, built in the 12th century and restored to period splendor in the 1960s. But we got there 15 minutes too late, so had to console ourselves with simply walking its beautiful grounds along the River Nore. (Tip: Most tours end an hour before closing time, so plan accordingly.)

A quick bite at the charming Matt the Millers pub reinforced what our son had been telling us for months: Ireland is amazingly expensive! Soup, salad and two pints of Smithwicks cost us 29.90 euros, or about $40.

From there we headed 15 miles south to the scenic village of Inistioge. A favored romantic hideaway for local Irish, this teeny-tiny hamlet boasts a tree-lined square and a stone bridge with nine low arches spanning the Nore. So lovely is the backdrop that two Hollywood movies, "Circle of Friends" and "Widow's Peak," were filmed there.

On the way back to Kilkenny, we passed through Thomastown, a market town founded in the 13th century by Welsh mercenary Thomas FitzAnthony.