A raincoat! for sure.

Summer not very good hear at the moment but I do hope it improves for you. Enjoy!

A notebook and a good pair of walking shoes.  I had an absolute blast in Ireland when I went in '05, but there is a lot of walking required.  I took along a small notebook so I could record some info on my shots.  That way when I got home, it would be much easier to keyword and describe.  Also, it was nice to have a record of everything I saw and did for the family and friends back home when they got subjected to my DVD of images! 

Most of all, have fun and good luck on your shooting!

Shannon

Well, I am back. The suggestion to bring a P&S was a good one. Late on the second to last day before I left, I was out on a Jetty made of rocks on Galway Bay and I stepped on a mossy, wet rock and fell. My Canon XT and my Sigma 24-70 lens were shattered. My hip was almost shattered too.

Many of my photos have really bad skies due to the gray overcast conditions. So I will be learning how to replace skies in photoshop. I have just tried with one photo but have so far been unsuccessful.

I will need to get a new camera. It will be between the Rebel XTi and the 30D. Any suggestions on which to go for?

I will also need to replace my "normal" range zoom. Instead of the Sigma I broke I will get the Canon 24-70 or the 24-105 F/4 L. Any suggestions here?

Oh yes. The trip was great. We saw a lot of beautiful sites with The Cliffs of Moher topping the list. Galway City is very nice (we stayed in Spiddal not far away) but I could not keep my wife out of the shops.

I did have some trouble driving. I was driving a Ford Transit rental which is a very large van and was not used to something this big or the very narrow streets in some locations. But driving on the left side of the road was not much of an problem.

I loved the fact that it stays light out so long. One day when the sun was out I had from about 5pm to 10:30pm with great light. I spent the time photographing Gallway Bay with the Burren in the background.

Good to hear you had a nice trip, despite the fall and your broken camera.
Well I would go for the 30D. I just bought it and it is amazing compared to the D60 which was a quite good camera. The colours are amazing, the speed is amazing, the auto focus is amazing, the iso is amazing. That is compared to the D60. I do not know the rebel XTi. I just had it once in my hands. It felt too small and I missed the adjustment wheel on the back.
Regarding the lens, I do not have any experience with these lenses, but I want to get the 24-105L lens myself one day. Just waiting to justify it with my income.
The 24-70 L is more expensive, has less range and has no image stabilizer, but probably it has a better Image quality and it is faster. Thats what I heard..

Sorry about your fall and your camera too.  Hope you're doing okay with that.  But, other than that, I'm glad that you had a good time and got lots of images.  I can't wait to see them!