Still planning May 2005 tour of Ireland. Can anyone give insights into alternatives to 'caravan camping' areas in southwest and western Ireland. Have any touring members tyoured Ireland and tent-camped and not stayed in the caravan/R.V. campgrounds?

You dont need to camp in Ireland, there are plenty of independant hostels.
https://www.hostels-ireland.com/county.php?County=Cork

Most of the hostels have campgrounds if you really want to use canvas and you can use the kitchens and other facilities.

Hostels tend to have weird and stupid rules that will annoy you.

The Irish Youth Hostel Association hostels have some hostelly rules, but the independant (IHH) ones are much more laid back.

One example (this happened to me):

A hostel in Cork had a fully staffed reception at all times.
The luggage room was locked, which was a good thing.
But the rule was that you could only access your bags for one minute every hour.
11:59-12:00, 12:59-13:00, and so on...
Even though the staff just sat there, doing nothing, they refused to open the door right behind them unless you timed it right.
It didn't matter that I had an urgent and important meeting and needed a change of clothes.
I immediately "checked out" and never returned.

That was far from the only weird thing I experienced, but it was the worst.

When you get out in the rural areas almost any farmer you meet will give you permission to camp in his field. Fortunately Ireland is not plagued with the type of liability lawsuits we have over here so people are still happy to let you camp. I would ride all day and as evening approached I would find a farmhouse and seek permission to camp, I was never turned down and was often treated as an honored guest. My father often let bike tourers and backpackers camp in our fields or barns. He would always ask them about their trips and home countrys. You will find that it is exciting for the rural people to have a visitor. Just make certain you are a good ambassador for bike tourers.

Thank you for the great information. That's exactly what I was and still am hoping for. Not to expect that much generousity but to accept it when it affords itself. Are there the equivalent of "state parks" in Ireland?

Thanks for the tip MichaelW. I do plan to use some hostels, an perhaps a B&B or two. But I love backpacking and thought the transition to bike touring would be eased a bit. Also the $$$budget thing thanks

You don't have to use formal campgrounds, though many are nice. I always asked a farmer if I could camp in his fields. Hostels tend to be filled with folks who just wandered over sh*tfaced from the local bus station.

roughstuff