well Clare Island was gorgeous. We managed to hit a week when the weather was boiling hot and had lovely long med-style evenings on the beach. Bit of a schlep to get there, but not too bad and everyone along the way super nice and helpful. My 10 yr old was hugely jealous of the Clare Island kids who spend their summer on the beach. The 10 yr old in our B&B would put on a wetsuit at about 9pm every evening, climb over her back wall, walk along the jetty and jump in the sea. Loved Grace's castle and the kids really locked onto the story about her sailing all the way round to the Thames to meet Elizabeth 1 and do political deals. We visited the 12th C abbey where she's thought to be buried - it's got the highest level of gov't cultural protection but as it's on a remote Mayo island, you get the key from under the mat of a cottage nearby and put it back when you're finished! Slightly sad thing was that my small daughter, 8, asked me why the Irish kids don't say anything to you about looking at them. She's really used to the aggressive London kid "why are you looking at me" and she has learned to be careful about looking. She said it was lovely that the kids on the island just talked to her without any hassle.....