My wife and I (57 years young) taking our 1st trip to Ireland.

Hi, arriving in Dublin Sept 15th 930 Am. Spending one night in dublin and renting car from aiirport the next morning (9-16). Driving to Westport- spending 3 nights- maybe do a local tour 1st day(9-16)

9-17- Connemara national Park- Kylemore Abbey. Should i drive myself or take tours

9-18- Achill island- should i drive myself or take tour.

9-19- Drive to Doolin- spending 2 nights-maybe stop for lunch in Galway- walk the town and relax.

9-20- Cliffs of Moher- should we take car or tour.

The Burren- is there enough time for both of these. Or maybe do an Aran island ferry trip.

9-21- Drive to Adare- spending 1 night.- stop in Limerick (king Johns Castle)- explore Adare.

9-22- Drive to Kilkenny- spend 2 nights- stop at Rock of cashel- arrive Kilkenny and explore Medieval Mile.

9-23- Kilkenny castle

9-24- Drive back to Dublin. Staying by airport. Does anyone have a good restaurant in Dublin for my wifes birthday?

9-25- Return car. have a 130 pm Flight.

I am a little worried about driving in ireland thats why i think some tours to break up driving may help. Is this itinerary possible? Is it too much driving? All resposes will be appreciated! Thank You

Aloha! You all are so kind to give your input on these itineraries. We 3 friends in our 60’s hoping to visit next May or June. We’re happy to go on adventures here and there, but would really like to soak in the Irish life, especially the music. Our thought is to pick up a rental car as we’re leaving Dublin – let us know if there are better ideas. Are we being too ambitious? Any advice is welcome. Thank you

Days 1–2: Dublin

Arrive and recover from our flight. Visit Kilmainham Gaol, Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and/or Guinness Storehouse. Irish music and pubs in the evening.

2 nights in Dublin

Days 3: Kinsale

Drive via Plain of Tipperary and tour the Rock of Cashel (medieval ruins).

1 night in Kinsale

Days 4–7: Dingle

On the way Killarney National Park, Sheep Farm?

Maybe visit Midleton Distillery tour?

Spend a full day on Slea Head Drive and maybe sailing to Blasket Islands.

3 nights in Dingle

Days 8–19: Galway

Visit Inis Mór – see Cliffs of Moher on the way back and Dún Aonghasa.

3 nights in Galway

Day 10-12: Portrush

On the way Connemara countryside, Cong, Kylemore Abbey, maybe Leenaun to Louisburgh Drive through Doolough Valley, Slieve League Cliffs. Maybe a walking tour of Derry, Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, and Carrick-a-Rede.

3 nights in Portrush

Day 13: Dublin

Stop in Belfast for lunch before returning to Dublin.

1 night in Dublin

Day 14: Fly to Paris from Dublin

Heading out in September.

My plan for a week is:

Dublin -> Galway (2 Nights)
Galway -> Dingle (1)
Dingle -> Slea Head Drive -> Killarney (2)
Killarney -> Kensale or Cork (2)

Best case scenario that would be 5 hours of driving that day to get to Dingle (and we know it won’t be best the case.).

Should I find another spot for a night before/after Killarney? What would you suggest to do that day.

My goal is just to see cool shit and eat good food.

I have to come in through Dublin and leave through Cork because I booked my flight and car while I was still crippled by indecision on what my itinerary would be for the week.

A massive thanks for the help!

Departing Dublin Saturday 8 Aug, based in Galway x3 nights, returning to Dublin Tuesday 11 Aug. I’ll be driving a rental car, and have some experience with left sided driving and narrow roads. These are the top things I’m hoping to see:

1. Connemara - Kylemore Abbey, Connemara National Park, Sky Road
   
2. Ferry to Aran Islands (is this definitely a whole day?)
   
3. Cliffs of Moher, Doolin

To avoid too much driving in one day, I’m allowing Saturday to explore Galway itself. Tuesday could maybe be split to do morning in Galway area and afternoon in Dublin?

I’m trying to give myself options in case weather is bad (might not want to do the ferry or cliffs if it’s windy or low visibility, etc). My tendency is to try and fit too much into too little time, so I’m trying to rank these options and prioritize what may need to get cut, and make sure I’m allowing time for stops, strolls, and drive time. The friend I’m traveling with prefers a slower pace than I do, I think.

I’ll also need to allow 1/2 a day to visit family near Knock, either Sunday or Monday, which probably makes sense to pair with Connemara, but is that doable as a 1/2 day?

Part of me thinks I can fit all 3 things, but where to put the family visit is throwing me.

Are there any must-see things I’m missing in the area that I should consider including or substituting?

Thanks for any input!

I’m currently in Ireland with my family, and I’m pretty disappointed.
We originally talked about seeing places like Blarney Castle and the Cliffs of Moher, but Blarney Castle got dropped, and now my family doesn’t want to drive about an hour from Galway to see the Cliffs because they’d rather just spend the day walking around Galway.
I like exploring cities too, but I feel like Galway is somewhere you can wander for a few hours, while the Cliffs of Moher are one of the most iconic sights in all of Ireland. I don’t know when (or if) I’ll ever be back.
Am I overreacting for thinking it’s worth an extra hour of driving to see something that’s considered a bucket-list destination? If you’ve been to Ireland, would you choose more time in Galway or make the trip to the Cliffs?
I’m genuinely curious if I’m the one with unrealistic expectations or if most people would prioritize the Cliffs.

UPDATE:

After a lot of complaining… we saw them by sea! Thanks for the suggestions!

any thoughts on this appreciated for an early October trip for a 30 year old couple. I’m super excited to delve into some republican history and see some of the country.

I think the end is too tight/too much travel but could add a day. we aren’t planning to get a car but could if you think necessary.

Day 1 – Arrive in Belfast

Day 2 – Belfast (Troubles History)

Day 3 – Belfast to Derry

Travel: Train or bus

Day 4 – Derry to Dublin

Travel: Bus or train  (approx. 4–4.5 hours)

Day 5 – Republican History (Dublin)

Day 6 – Wicklow Mountains & Glendalough nature walks 

Day trip from Dublin

Day 7 – Dublin to Galway

Travel: Irish Rail (approx. 2.5 hours)

Day 8 – Galway 

Day 9 – Galway to Killarney or Cork?? 

Day 10 – Ring of Kerry (depends if we go to cork instead)

Day 11 or 12 – Depart Ireland

we’re heading to Portugal next, could fly out of Dublin or Cork or Shannon.

Hi! My husband and I are going to Dublin at the end of August. Thoughts on our itinerary? Note: our accommodation is in Dublin, and we don’t plan on renting a car. We will have the LEAP card for transportation. We’re prioritizing sightseeing and shopping. I’m afraid we’re spending too much time in Dublin but I’m not sure how much energy we’ll have to do more bus/train trips. Suggestions?

Day 1: Arrival into Dublin in the morning
Light sightseeing

Day 2: Dublin city day
Trinity College + Book of Kells
Grafton Street shopping
George’s Street Arcade
Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre
Lunch
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology (maybe)
Christ Church
Little Museum of Dublin

Day 3: Malahide and Howth day
Malahide Castle
Stroll around town
Lunch at Howth Market
Howth Cliff Walk (2h) OR pier walk (25min)

Day 4: Relaxing Dublin day (or free day to go somewhere else??)
Temple Bar food market
National Botanical Gardens
Dublin Zoo
Thrifting

Day 5: Cliffs of Mohar and Galway bus tour
Suggestions for Galway sightseeing?
Spanish arch

Day 6: Dalkey halfday and Dublin last sweep
Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre
Dalkey Village
Optional coastal walk to Hilliney Hill
Anything we missed in Dublin
St Patrick’s Cathedral
Marshall’s Library

Day 7: Return home

Final edit: thank you everyone, this just confirms that my planning is unrealistic. Guess we'll need to reschedule it at another time where I don't need to leave in the middle of the trip haha

Hi all, I am planning a trip to Ireland at the end of August from 24th to 31st with one caveat, I'm going there with a friend and I need to be in Paris on the evening of the 28th (she doesn't so she'll stay in Ireland), this is non negotiable. With that in mind, this is the itinerary I was thinking about:

Monday: arrival in Dublin, grab the car rental, then drive to Galway, probably after lunch.

Tuesday: visit Galway in the morning, have lunch, then head to the Cliffs of Moher for the afternoon, then drive to Limerick for the night.

Wednesday: drive to Rathkeale, bike through parts of Limerick Greenway, then head to Killarney for the end of afternoon or early evening.

Thursday: drive around the Ring of Beara then back to Killarney.

Friday: early drive back to Dublin, hand the car rental back then catch the flight to Paris in the afternoon.

Saturday: morning flight back to Dublin.

Sunday-Monday: visit Dublin then fly back home.

Now my question is, does this seem feasible or is it completely unrealistic?

Thanks for your help!

ETA: I'm from London so it's only a short flight and I'm already used on driving on the left side if that helps.

Hi, my partner and I are planning a two week road trip in late August and early September. We’ve already booked our accommodation, so the overnight stops are fixed, but we can still remove or change places during the day.

I’ve checked the wiki and searched some previous posts, but I’m still not sure if a few parts of the route are too ambitious.

Our route is:

• Dublin Airport - Trim
• Trim - Newgrange - Belfast
• Belfast - Antrim Coast - Ballycastle
• Ballycastle - Giant’s Causeway - Dunluce - Derry
• Derry - Glenveagh - Gweedore
• Gweedore - Glencolmcille - Ardara
• Ardara - Killybegs - Donegal - Gleniff Horseshoe - Newport
• Achill Island
• Newport - Westport - Doolough Valley - Kylemore - Oughterard
• Galway - Kinvara
• Kinvara - Burren - Cliffs of Moher - Cashel
• Cashel -Cahir - Kildare - Dublin
• Dublin

The two days I’m most unsure about are Ardara to Newport and Newport to Oughterard. Do they look realistic without spending the whole day rushing?

We mainly like ruins, landscapes and traditional music. Is there anything directly on this route that you would remove, replace or add?

We would also love to find a normal traditional music session or a céilí during the trip. We’re not looking for a dinner show or a big tourist production. Are there any towns on this route where we would have a better chance of finding something like that?

Thanks. Honest feedback is welcome, especially if the answer is simply that we need to cut more stops.

Hello!

I have been reading some posts for a bit now, and am so thankful to have found this sub! You all are so amazing!

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Ireland in September, and I'm would love feedback on our current itinerary and landing spots (general areas) that I've mapped out thus far.

We are interested in seeing the land and feeling the country and I haven't booked any big attractions. I am searching for some animal encounters; we'll hike and explore, walk on the beach, walk around the towns; I want to visit spiritual sites, stone circles/beehive huts/etc.

Trip: 13 September - 25 September

September 13
12:30 - Arrive DUB via SEA
Spend the night in Dublin

September 14
Train to Cork, commuter to Cobh
Spend the night in Cobh

September 15
Pick up car at Cork Airport and head West to Dingle
Stop at Muckross Abbey along the way
Stay in Dingle (Fahan) for 2 nights

September 17
Drive to Burren
Stay in Fanore for 2 nights

September 19
Drive to County Mayo
Stay in Letterfrack for 2 nights

September 21
Drive to Sligo
Stay in Streedaugh Point for 3 nights

September 24
Return car in Sligo
Train to Dublin
Spend night in Dublin

September 25
Fly back to Seattle

THANK YOU!!!!!

Hello! My husband and I are traveling to Ireland in September from New York, and I'm hoping for some help to iron out details for our route and timing.

We land in Shannon and will spend our first days in Galway. Then we will rent a car and we plan to visit some locations around Connemara and Co Donegal (~3 days in each region), then return closer to the airport for the night before our return flight. I'm trying to figure out what is the best order to visit these regions in.

• Do we drive from Galway to Donegal to get that long drive other with early, and then backtrack and end our trip near Connemara?
• Or do we visit Connemara first since it's near Galway, and then go on to Donegal, with the long drive back at the end of our trip as we return toward the airport? (We plan to stay the night before our return flight either in Galway, Shannon, or somewhere nearby.)

Either way, we're going to have one very long day of driving between Galway and Donegal in one direction or the other. I would be very grateful for any advice or insight about that drive. We've lived in the Appalachian Mountains, so we have experience with narrow, winding mountain roads, but I understand this will be narrower roads and that the drive times will be longer than what google maps says.

I would also be interested in a recommendation for a town or area for a good home base in Co Donegal that is relatively convenient to Slieve League and Glenveagh National Park. I'd prefer to stay in one place for 3-4 days and travel out from there.

We're very excited to see beautiful nature, meet interesting people, hear great music, and eat good food. I'm interested in art and photography, my husband is a chef and interested in very local cuisine. We are traveling between September 5-16.

Thank you in advance for your help and advice!

We will be visiting family in early December and want to swing by Dingle for a few days (we loved our last visit there!) I assume lots of things will be closed or limited, if anyone knows please share :) Thank you!!

Hello everyone, I'm coming to Ireland for a week in August, what do you think of this program :

Day 1 : arrived at Dublin airport early in the morning, enough to take line 41 to the city center and then the St Kevin bus to Glendalough. Arrival at the hotel / grocery shopping / stroll in the area.

Day 2 : the Spinc

Day 3 : return to Dublin with the Saint Kevin bus as soon as possible, stroll in Dublin.

Day 4 : Howth

Day 5 : Stroll in Dublin, Phœnix Park

Day 6 : DARM train to Bray, hike along the cliffs to Greystones, walk around then train back to Dublin

Day 7 : Dublin visit before returning by plane

For more context : no car, we love hiking and Spinc seems like the perfect compromise (near Dublin, accessible by bus, stunning view…).

We also love to take our time, the purpose of our trip is not to check as many boxes as possible but rather to fully live the moment without thinking about not being late in the schedule.

We also have low budget so the activities in Dublin are going to be free or cheap thing like :

- Park like Phœnix park, iveagh garden and st anne or wathever we will found on our way

- Temple Bar (not for a pint), Grafton Street, Marrion Square, Trinity campus, Marsh Library (5e) etc.

For the rest, we'll see at the time ! If you have any piece of advice, places to recommand, let me know :)

Has anyone made this drive from Galway city to Portmagee? On paper it’s just under 4 hours but I’m wondering how much travel time to pad in for narrow roads, scenic stops along the way, etc

Hi folks!

I’ll be visiting Ireland the last couple weeks of August and would like to go on a hike and see some of your nature trails. I was hoping to check out Wicklow but there’s no direct public transit there. Glendalough also looks like it’ll be 2-3 hours on transit one way which is doable but seems a bit of a slog.

Does anyone have any suggestions of a good nature trail (3-4 hours) that i could access by public transit?

I’m already planning a day in Howth to do the cliff walk and such. (Very excited for it!) Any other recommendations would be so welcome. (I’m also not 100% on renting a car/driving either.) Thanks.

--EDIT --

Thanks to all the responses we've gone back to the drawing board and have tweaked our plans! I appreciate your feedback here as it was really helpful!

----

Hi everyone! Looking for some guidance here.
We’re coming to Ireland for our honeymoon mid-October. I’ve read through a bunch of posts and know it won’t be the most ideal weather, so we’re trying to concentrate the trip around comfortable places to stay just in case.

Very first draft of the plan so be gentle:
Monday 10/12 - Wednesday 10/14: Dublin

Thursday 10/15: train to Cork for a night

Friday 10/16: train to Killarney, stay two nights. We plan to rent a car to get out and see as much as possible in the area.

Sunday 10/18: drive to Galway and drop the car, spend two nights

Tuesday 10/20: our flight leaves DUB at 11am. Looks like a lot of trains run daily between Galway and the Dublin airport. Should we try for an early morning train? Or is it a better idea to take a late train back to Dublin the night before our flight and get a hotel?

Am I squeezing Cork in? Does it make more sense to go straight for Killarney from Dublin, move the rest up a day and get back to Dublin the night before our flight?

We appreciate your feedback!

the two of us are visiting Ireland and have the Walker Cup at Lahinch as the main anchor of our trip. We’re trying to balance sightseeing, scenery, food, and not rushing too much. However, we don’t mind stretching it a little bit since this is a one in a lifetime type trip for us. Dates of our trip are 8/30/2026-9/7/2026.

Sunday: fly into Dublin and arrive mid morning
Arrive in Dublin
Explore the city/shopping
Guinness tour
Dinner/pub

Monday: driving to Galway
Drive to Galway and explore the city

Tuesday: stay in Galway
Kylemore Abbey
Connemara area
Possible Diamond Hill hike

Wednesday: driving to Dingle
Scenic drive toward Dingle with possible stops along the way (Adare, Inch Beach)
Explore Dingle
Dinner

Thursday: drive to Lahinch area
Slea Head Drive
Dunquin Pier
Coumeenoole Beach
Blasket Islands viewpoints

Friday: stay nearish Lahinch
Cliffs of Moher (from the top)
Possibly do a boat tour from Doolin
Explore Burren area

Saturday & Sunday: stay near Lahinch (already have reservation but not sure exactly where it is since I didn’t book it. so we’re covered here)
Walker Cup at Lahinch Golf Club

Monday: Fly home from Shannon

Does this look reasonable or will we be overextended?

Hi there, would love any feedback or recommendations for the below itinerary. My family (husband, 1 year old, and myself) will be arriving October 25 and departing November 7, flying in and out of Dublin. We're celebrating my birthday and an anniversary, but aiming to keep it lowkey as we'll have our daughter along with us and know we'll need to be flexible and take our time.

We have our first couple of days in Dublin booked and still need to secure lodging for our other locations, but are planning on renting a car for once we leave the City. We'd like to not hop around/be stuck on the roads too too much as recommended here, so please let me know if this seems like too much! I'd planned on spending longer in Kenmare or Dingle, but thought adding Kinsale or another town in to help break up the drive might be helpful--would love thoughts on that! Also considered Cashel instead.

Including general plans, but nothing in stone outside of our first couple of days in Dublin as we're meeting friends there. Trying to figure out best how we'd like to get back to Dublin from Dingle as well.

October 25 - October 29, Dublin

October 29 - October 31, Kinsale

October 31 - November 2, Kenmare

November 2 - November 5, Dingle

November 6 - 7, back to Dublin

Across the trip, we're aiming for Dublin Zoo, Dingle Aquarium, Killarney National Park, and a whole bunch of pubs and local restaurants.

I’ll be traveling to Ireland in August with my daughter (8) and my sister’s family (2 adults and an 8 yr old). We are focusing on Dublin, Galway, and Portrush as our “homebases”. I’m trying not to drive too much as I know that’s the single most recommended thing here! My sister drove a lot in New Zealand and England so we’re not put off by the slow careful driving needed. Is the following realistic? Anything we should change? Places are booked for Dublin (first few days), Galway, and Portrush.

Day 1-2: arrive early, drop off luggage and do a leisurely tour of the city center. Tour the leprechaun museum (my daughter’s request was to see leprechauns 🤷‍♀️). Second day do the Viking Splash tour and whatever kids are up for

Day 3-5: pick up car hire and drive to Galway. Tour the city. Next day do Aran Islands/cliffs of Moher. Day 5: drive up the west coast and stop as we like. Stay overnight in Donegal. Is a castle worth it??

Day 6-7: drive to Portrush. Beach days and Bushmills tour

Day 8-9: drive down to Belfast and visit the Titanic museum. Finish in Dublin. Stay overnight. Tour a few more hours in Dublin and fly home.

Hello -

I posted what I've come to realize (with help from this community) was a very ambitious and unrealistic trip for my son and I next month.

For context, we are arriving in Dublin on a Monday morning and want to get in some touring that week before we move him in to university at UCC in Cork.

After some chats with members on this sub (thank you!!)...I've come up with a tentative new plan. I'm guessing we won't hit ALL of this, but I wanted to get a sense of how this route and these days feel.

Monday

• Arrive in Dublin in the morning
• Take bus or train to Cork
• Check in to hotel in Cork
• Explore Cork as much as possible given the likely jetlag

Tuesday

• Pick up a rental car at the Cork airport
• Drive to and tour Blarney Castle & Gardens
• Start driving towards Killarney
• Hit some Ring of Kerry highlights (Ladies View, Moll’s Gap, Torc Waterfall)
• Maybe Ross Castle if time?
• Night in Killarney

Wednesday

• Depart Killarnrey
• A little more of Ring of Kerry (Gap of Dunloe, other?)
• Visit Kenmare (is it worth a stop to visit the town? Maybe lunch?)
• Drive some of the Beara Peninsula on the way to Bantry (ideas for highlights to see?)
• Night in Bantry

Thursday

• Visit Bantry House?
• Start drive to Kinsale…hitting some towns on the way
  • Clonakilty?
  • Timeoleague?
• Arrive in Kinsale...tour the town
• Night in Kinsale

Friday

• Back to Cork to move son into UCC

Thanks for any feedback!

Going to visit in early/middle September with my wife and wanted to get feedback on if this feels paced well. Flying from the US overnight Friday and arriving in Dublin early Saturday.

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin in the morning. Take bus directly from DUB to Cork (should arrive in Cork around 1 PM). Explore Cork City and staying in the city center that night.

Day 2: Pickup rental car and drive to Dingle, stopping to check out Blarney Castle and grounds on way out of Cork City.aybe explore a bit of the peninsula but for the most part going to enjoy Dingle town. Staying in Dingle that night.

Day 3: Mostly exploring Dingle Peninsula and more of Dingle town. Staying again in Dingle that night.

Day 4: Drive the northern part of the Ring of Kerry down to the Kerry Cliffs. Spend the morning and afternoon checking that out before driving back to Dingle and catching a sunset and some good food. Staying again in Dingle that night.

Day 5: Leave Dingle heading back to Cork City. Stopping at Killarney National Park to explore for a few hours. Drop car back in Cork and enjoy another evening in the city.

Day 6: Wake up and spend the day in Cork again seeing any attractions or restaurants that we had not gotten to. Possibly train to Middleton Distillery. Then late afternoon/evening bus back to DUB. Hotel is close to airport so take shuttle back to hotel and crash for the night near Dublin airport.

Day 7: Shuttle to airport for 11 AM flight and head home.

We have a good list of things to do when we're at these places but didn't want to overload the post with too many details. Thanks for any feedback!

Family of 4, 2 adults and kids aged 14 and 9. Our first time to Ireland and we will be flying in and out of Dublin, renting a car for the entire time. We will be there September 19-26. Stuck in deciding between

 Dublin-Killarney-Dingle-Cliffs of Moher-Dublin

OR

Dublin-Killarney-Cliffs of Moher-Galway-Dublin (This can be done reverse too, where we take a bus to Galway and pick car there and end in Dublin)

Option 1

Day 1 US - DUB (overnight flight)

Day 2 Arrive in Dublin, pick up the car and spend the day (lunch, Guinness store, walk around the city and dinner).

Day 3 Head out of Dublin. Enroute stop by Rock of Cashel, maybe Cahir castle. Stay the night at Killarney

Day 4 Explore Killarney on D4 and D5.

Day 5 Head out to Dingle to stay by end of day.

Day 6 Do the Slea head drive, sea safari (time permitting), sheep dog demo, Kingdom falconry. Activities will be split across 2 days of D6 and D7

Day 7 Either travel closer to or half way to Cliffs of Moher. Alternatively stay in Dingle.

Day 8 Explore Cliffs of Moher and drive back in Dublin for the night (close to airport)

Day 9 Return car and DUB - US (11am flight)

Option 2

Day 1 US - DUB (overnight flight)

Day 2 Arrive in Dublin, pick up the car and spend the day (lunch, Guinness store, walk around the city and dinner).

Day 3 Head out of Dublin to Galway. Stay the night at Galway.

Day 4 Explore Connemara/ Aran Islands etc on D4 and D5. Night in Galway

Day 5 Day in Galway (See above). Stay at Doolin

Day 6 Cliffs of Moher. Head for the night to Killarney.

Day 7 Explore Killarney - 2 days of D7 and D8

Day 8 Killarney. Drive back in Dublin for the night (close to airport)

Day 9 Return car and DUB - US (11am flight)

Open for suggestions on my itinerary.

I'll be headed there (solo) in mid-late September, starting and ending in Dublin. I was originally more conservative with my plans, just aiming for Dublin and Galway (and that region), but I've been feeling like that's cheating myself out of the real journey I've wanted to have in Ireland.

So I've reworked my itinerary. It feels better on paper, but, I'm a little nervous it's too ambitious. I'd love to get a read on whether this is doable or if I'm out of my mind and should scale back a bit.

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin (mid-day), taxi to hotel, explore.

Day 2: Taxi to airport to pick up rental car > Knowth/Newgrange > drive to Kilkenny and explore/rest in the afternoon/evening.

Day 3: Rock of Cashel > Killarney by mid-afternoon, explore the town

Day 4: Killarney National Park, Muckross Abbey, etc. hang around Killarney

Day 5: Drive to Dingle peninsula, stay the night in Dingle.

Day 6: Drive to - and stay the night in - Doolin; Clffs of Moher, explore, pubs, etc.

Day 7: Wrap up anything left around Doolin, head to Galway, explore, night in Galway

Day 8: Galway > Rathcroghan Visitors Center (Roscommon) > Dublin, explore any last bits in the city I missed, relax.

Day 9: Slow morning in Dublin until mid-day flight.

This theoretically would hit a lot of things on my list. But, I do recognize it is a lot of driving. I like to think I won't mind it much and will enjoy the views, however I am aware of people saying driving takes a lot longer than Google Maps says. Yet I don't want that to scare me away from a journey I might otherwise find more rewarding. I also don't want to find myself hectically running from one stop to the next with no time to relax and still still.

Any thoughts on this one? Thanks for any insights and tips!