One thing you might want to think about is do you need a car in Dublin itself. The airport is close and there are regular buses/taxi to and from. The city is small and even with buses to help out there is plenty to see in the centre on feet. I don't know where you come from but many Americans find the lack of a car "difficult" but you might enjoy the first bit without (and the pain of finding somewhere to park it etc)

Ireland has some great B&Bs due to a major investment in the 70s so don't just look at hotels look at B&Bs, try www.booking.com and tripadvisor.com to find the sort of thing you want. Then come back and suggest the itinery with hotels listed and you will get lots of advice.

Apropo of nothing, and I'm not a share holder, I like the King Sitric in Howth which you will see is close to Dublin and no way near the route you want to take, why, because the port is lovely and the people are friendly and you are more likely to meet the real Irish here than around the tourist hot spots. www.kingsitric.ie‎

bilboburgler: No, we won't be having a car in Dublin. We pick it up on our way out. We are staying in the city center and won't be needing one, that's for sure.

We want to stay in B&Bs. That is our hope. Hotels are only a last resort.

Here's what we did, which doesn't mean it's what you should do but might give you some ideas. We had the advantage of a few more days and in/out of Shannon. We stayed in Killarney, Dingle and Galway.

Good luck.

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/ireland.html

Thanks, Indy dad. I read your blog and looked at your photos. Beautiful trip.

We have come up with an itinerary and all we need now is to fill in places to stop along the way to our next destination (and also some interesting things to do while we are at our desinations). Here goes:

Day 1 - Arrive Dublin early afternoon. Do either a self-guided walking tour or organized walking tour of the city. Not much planned for the evening in case we conk out early, Overnight in Dublin.

Day 2 - Bike tour of Dublin in morning. Shopping and exploring in the afternoon. Bruce Springsteen concert in the evening. We need something for husband and 15 yo son to do while mother and 18 yo daughter go to the concert. Overnight in Dublin.

Day 3 - Walk about Wicklow walking/hiking tour (all day). Evening - Pub crawl. Overnight in Dublin.

Day 4 - Pick up car in a.m. Drive to Cashel. Any good places to stop along the way? We are looking for a picturesque and quaint village for lunch, historic ruins, etc. Arrivce in Cashel in time to tour the Rock of Cashel. Overnight in Cashel.

Day 5 - Drive to Dingle. Once again, any nice places we should stop along the way? Overnight in Dingle.

Day 6 - Some walking and driving along the Dingle Peninsula. Overnight in Dingle.

Day 7 - Drive to Lahinch via Ballybunion. Not sure whether husband will play golf there. If he does, is there anything for the 3 of us to do? Overnight in Lahinch

Day 8 - Drive to Doolin for ferry to Aran Islands (Innisheer). On way back to Lahinch stop at Cliffs of Mohr and The Burren. Overnight in Lahinch.

Day 9 - Golf at Lahinch for husband when course opens. Rest of the family packs and explores the town. Drive to Galway via The Burren (if we cannot visit on Day 8). Spend afternoon in Galway. Late afternoon, early evening, drive to Dublin Airport.

Day 10 - Depart for home.

Since we still have about 6 weeks before we leave, we have plenty of time to fill in the empty spaces in our itinerary. We are looking for some out-of-the-way, off-the-beaten path places to stop along the way.

Thanks!!!

Would question the advisability of devoting a night to Cashel; unless you leave Dublin late, a reasonably early start will leave you done with Cashel by mid afternoon.

I would opt to do your tour in the reverse direction to what you are currently planning.
Cashel can be included on your day 9 - incorporated into your return trip from Dingle to Dublin.
I would favour driving to Galway on day 4 - you will be there by lunchtime, leaving you time to explore one of Ireland's livliest small cities. You can get to the largest of the Aran island Inishmore (Dun Aenghus fort is a must-see) on day 5 from Galway either by ferry or Aer Arann.
Moving south on day 6 you can combine exploring the Burren with golf in Lahinch.
Days 7&8 can be given over to getting to Dingle and touring the peninsula/ golfing at Ballybunion.

Thanks, SeeDee for your advice. I looked into the possibility of reversing the order of our trip, but unfortunately, it won't allow my husband to play golf at Lahinch (as we would probably be there over the weekend). As we have it now, he will be playing Wednesday morning. We will be leaving Dublin mid- to late-morning on Friday and will probably make a stop in Kilkenny before reaching Cashel.

What I've done is look into ways to maximize our time in Dingle and around Lahinch and I've come up with some ideas. We will still leave Cashel on Saturday morning, but stop somewhere along the way before reaching Dingle. Any suggestions? Maybe Tralee or some less touristy place nearby)? Should we take the Conor Pass road to Dingle or N86? This will be the first time my husband will be driving on the opposite side of the road, so I'm not sure how well he is going to do with the Conor Pass.

We will find something to do on Sunday in Dingle. We'll do some driving, some walking and maybe rent some bikes. That I am sure will fill up the day nicely.

On Monday, we will leave early and drive to Lahinch, via Ballybunnion, where we will stop for a bit.

Tuesday, we'll drive early to Doolin, passing the Cliffs of Mohr, to catch the 10 a.m. ferry to Inishmore. We'll do the pony cart tour of the island and some walking and take the 4 p.m. ferry back to Doolin. We can spend some time in Doolin or go back to Lahinch.

Wednesday, my husband still will play golf early at Lahinch. When he's done at around 11 a.m., we'll drive to Ballyvaughan, where we'll hopefully be able to go on a guided walking tour of the Burren for a couple of hours. If we are not too exhausted or it's not too late, maybe we'll drive to Galway for dinner and then head to Dublin Airport.

Thanks.

It is a long and can be a rough crossing from Doolin to Innis Morr far better the short crossing from Rossaveal or just head to Innis Orr from Doolin with the cliffs cruise added.

Tony2phones, unfortunately we won't be anywhere near Rossaveal to pick up the ferry to Innis Morr. My original plan was to take the ferry to Innis Orr from Doolin but SeeDee convinced me that it would be better to go to Innis Morr. How rough is the crossing? Will a dose of Dramamine take care of seasickness, or is it worse than that?

If the crossing is too bad the boats don't go or more importantly come back. It is rare but can happen. I think if you read SeeDee's answer they recommend going from Rossaveil Personally I prefer Innis Orr but then I wouldn't be maximising my time for Dingle either.

Wednesday golf in Lahinch certainly shapes your whole itinerary. Given that a round of golf on the championship course will take well over four hours, being finished by 11 am sounds a little optimistic.
Personally I would favour getting to Inishmore by the 10 minute hop on Aer Arann Islander service, much less weather dependant but you have to drive beyond Galway city to get to the airfield (similar problem with the Rossaveal ferry). Given the time limitations of your trip, I fear that the Aran Islands may be a destination that may not tie in well with your golf plans for Wednesday.
I would also question visiting Ballybunion unless golf is on the agenda; warning - there would be limited options for non-golfers in the area to spend the 5/6 hours that need to be dedicated to a full 18 hole round.
I would also check what time the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre opens as it seems very ambitious to view the cliffs and be at Doolin by 10.00 am as per your plan for Tuesday should you decide to try getting to the islands by Doolin ferry.

No matter how you get to Inishmore (from Doolin or Rossaveel, which is where we departed), I would recommend renting bicycles over taking a pony cart tour. It sounds like you are an active family and I imagine you all (particularly the teens) would prefer biking to sitting in a pony cart. We toured by bicycle and were able to visit Dun Aengus, another ring fort (with a really long name I don't recall right now), the Seven Churches and Seal Beach. We even got caught behind a herd of cattle in the road and that was an adventure! Bring a picnic lunch with you to eat on the road or pick up supplies at the local Spar Supermarket. Bikes are rented from several shops near the docks and last year they were going for 10 euros for a day's rental.

Also, we used the following book for some of the walks we did on our trip. http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Walking-Ireland-Bardwell/dp/1864503238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338155402&sr=8-1

Here's a link to a site for hikes in the Burren region. We did the Caher Valley Loop (under Loop Trails) and the scenery and views were spectacular. http://www.shannonregiontrails.ie/FindaTrail/Walking/

Hmmm. Lots to think about. My husband is a golf fanatic and he's hoping to tee off at 7 am. He usually finishes 18 holes in 3 hours (that's walking the course, not riding). Of course if the tee time fills up and he's part of a foursome, it could very well run 5-6 hours. As far as Ballybunnion is concerned, he wants to see it, not necessarily play it. We can make it a lunch stop for us.

We weren't planning on stopping at the Cliffs of Mohr visitor center in the morning, just driving past. We could change our plans, and instead of taking the long ferry to Innis More we'd go to Innis Orr and the boat ride under the Cliffs of Mohr. I guess we can still run the risk of being stranded in Innis Orr but I'll do a little research into that and see how often it happens.

I do appreciate all the input. It's a lot to think about, but that's why I'm asking for people's opinions and thoughts. I have little experience planning a trip to Ireland. The last time I was there was 33 years ago, and I have no idea how my friend and I planned it, although we did manage to see an awful lot in 2 weeks.

I love Lahinch and glad your husband is getting to golf there. https://www.facebook.com/lahinchsurfshop one of my fav places there and think your son will ejoy. You will see many surfers at Lahinch and even at the ferry in Doolin, look for them while you wait for the ferry. Bikes are better than a pony cart imo. The ferry is small but ok, take the ferry that goes up to the cliffs also. Best view. There are many B&Bs in Doolin, we love the three pubs and they have great food and music. You can horseback ride there also.
We did the Conor pass, busted a tire when a big truck took his half out of the middle. Strange how those rocks stick out of the mountain...We also folded in our mirrors. I think the other roads have improved greatly though.

Driving by road past the Cliffs of Moher is not really going to give you any views of the sea I'm afraid.
The championship course in Lahinch will operate a strict timesheet requiring reservation during the summer months.
As a golf enthusiast, your husband would probably enjoy the experience of standing on the first tee in Ballybunion - the graveyard on your right as you look down the fairway is a truly unique vista...... Whether real or not, a tradition of the club came to light when Bill Clinton came to play; this involved the player who failed to get his drive to clear the ladies first tee to drop his trousers while making his way to play his next shot. I'm sure I would have seen the photos if Bill had messed up his first drive......

flpab, did you take the ferry that went to Inisheer and then past the Cliffs of Mohr? How long did you get to spend on Inisheer? Enough time to rent bikes and explore the island?

We are staying two nights in Lahinch (we've already booked our rooms). I think it will be a lot of fun to see the surfers. But if we do take the ferry/cruise, then we'll spend time in Doolin for dinner and drive back to Lahinch later that evening.

Should we avoid taking the Conor Pass road? Is it worth the risk of a flat tire or worse damage to the car?

The Connor Pass is not that difficult and it is highly unlikely that a truck would be using the pass. Turning in your mirrors is a Rick Steves directive and is Illegal. Having said that the best direction to drive the Connor is towards Dingle rather than from Dingle (personal preference)

We use the O'Brien line when we go over with visitors and even taking the later ferry gives time to cover a fair bit of the island,

http://www.obrienline.com/products/product-002.html

Other than the island some idea's
http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-g212533-i7874-k5338022-What_to_do_while_others_are_golfing-Lahinch_County_Clare.html#40198549

Or book a Hawk walk at Aillwee Caves

http://www.aillweecave.ie/

SeeDee, my husband has already contacted Lahinch and will reserve a tee time as soon as he hears back from them. And he already has gotten a letter from our golf pro at home certifying his handicap. My husband is an extremely fast player and moves on the course.

I think I've been convinced to take the ferry/cruise to Inisheer and Cliffs of Mohr instead of going to Inishmore (that will have to be for our next trip to Ireland!). That way we will be able to enjoy the full beauty of the cliffs.

Ballybunnion is my husband's first choice, but Lahinch is more convenient to use as a base. Even though he has never played the course, he knows every hole and every story associated with Ballybunnion. For him, he will be thrilled just to see the course.

How's the drive from Dingle to Ballybunnion (via the Tarbert-Killimer ferry), Ballybunnion to Loop Head, Loop Head to Lahinch (to be done in one day)? Thnx.

http://goo.gl/maps/UhWA

Thanks, Tony2phones, for the link. Is it a treacherous drive (at least, do you think it would be for an unexperienced driver, i.e., someone who never before drove on the opposite side of the road?).

By the time you get past Tralee you will have had a few days and Dingle under your belt.

Never been out to the Golf club at Ballybunion so cant comment. You could just hang around in Listowel which is a great little heritage town and let Huuby venture out there all alone....

Do not be tempted to take the coast road heading back up the Loop Head peninsular it is a bit narrow with few passing points so stay on the main route. And if its a miserable wet day don't go down in the first place.
https://vimeo.com/27289582 (you will notice I did not get too close to the edge in the wind)

Randaddys is a good place for brunch in Lahinch http://www.randaddys.ie/

Tony2phones, thanks! Loop Head doesn't seem overrun with tourists. I guess we can see how we're doing for time that day. If we're behind schedule and/or the weather stinks, we can go straight to Ballybunnion. If not, we'll detour to Loop Head. Must run all this past my husband, who has the ultimate say because he is doing all the driving (at least, for now he is planning on it). I don't think my husband will play at Ballybunnion. For him, it's like a shrine that he must visit in his lifetime (along with St. Andrews, eventually). As I mentioned above, it would have been his preference to play at Ballybunnion, but Lahinch fits in better with our plans. Oh well, life is tough. I play, but not well enough to play on a links course. In fact, not well enough to play on any kind of course!

Randaddys looks good. What I do remember from my trip to Ireland in September 1979 (arrived less than a week after Lord Mountbatten was killed) was the food, and it wasn't very good back then. I was a recent college graduate with little money to spend on silly stuff like food, so I probably didn't get to sample any of the local culinary offerings. Even though I have kids now, one of whom eats nothing but pizza and chicken nuggets, I'll be able to enjoy the food. I am certainly looking forward to that!

The car that we rent will be equipped with a GPS but beforehand I've been mapping out routes on viamichelin, a site I've used for years. Do you recommend others, such as Google or AA? \

I like google because you can drag the route around. it can be a pain though because the programmers are probably from the emerging nations and loose places or place names anyway.

Ballybunnion is south of the Shannon loop head is the other side.

The day we were at loop head was for a limited opening of the lighthouse and the place was 10 times busier than normal. every other time we have been one of less than 5 cars on the car park.

Tony2phones, if we are planning to visit the Cliffs of Mohr (by cruise and car), should Loop Head be on our "must see" list? Is it worth the effort to go out of our way to visit Loop Head? I like the idea that Loop Head attracts hardly any visitors, but I don't know if it's worth the time it will take us to drive there and backtrack on our way to Ballybunnion.

Not sure I understand your route? You are leaving Dingle calling at Ballybunnion then taking the Tabbart ferry into Clare.

Once north of the Shannon you can decide whether to drop down to Loop Head or head north to Lehinch. see how long you have and what the weather is like.

An alternative might be to take the tunnel rather than the ferry and pass Bunratty Castle/Folk park.

This link set to the West Clare Railway gives other options for County Clare.

http://www.clare-tour.com/attractions/West_Clare_Railway/

Whoops, I made a mistake. I meant to say on our way to Lahinch (getting those golf courses all confused!). The plan is to leave Dingle, drive to Ballybunnion for lunch, and then set out for Lahinch, via Loop Head. By going to Loop Head, is that too much backtracking? Is there enough to see to justify the drive to and fro? I found someone's blog online, and the place, including Kilbaha, looked beautiful.

I know that Bunratty Castle is very popular (I went there in '79 for the banquet, one of the few splurges on my trip) but is it considered a "tourist trap"? I think someone here on Fodor's compared it to our Williamsburg, which I love visiting, but I don't want it to be like Disney World, where you feel like you're part of a shopping orgy, and you're there just to spend money (now you know my thoughts about Disney World!).

Personally I think the castle itself if just OK, the banquet is just for tourists, But, I do like the folk park and it is a regular stop on my where to take the visitors list. Course its touristy and I wouldn't be seen dead drinking in Dutty Nellies but apart from the shop at the entrance it's just a nice couple of hours wandering round. You Know how busy it is by the car park before you pay to go in and Craggaunowen or Knappogue are close (ish) alternatives

http://www.heritageisland.com/attractions/craggaunowen-the-living-past/
http://www.myguideireland.com/knappogue-castle

Throw the Rick Steves guide book in the bin he doesn't like the place so his fans don't like the place.

It all depends on what time you leave Dingle, How long you stay at Ballybunnon if you spend some time walking round the sights of Listowel, whether you take the ferry or tunnel. What the weather is like and if you would rather slum it with a few locals for evening pub grub in Brogans (Ennis) before you wander over to Lehinch. And indeed what time you want to be in Lehinch?

Not enough hours in a day I'm afraid that's why my usual saying is to relax take it easy and just go where the wind and the weather guide you.

Tony2phones, great advice. Thanks! I think going to Loop Head might be too much for us. We are planning to have lunch at the Ballybunnion golf club and spending some time looking at the course (from the club house, of course). That will take a couple of hours. I like your advice -- go where the wind and weather guide us. Overplanning can sometimes spoil the spontaneity of a vacation.

I read that kids are not allowed in pubs after 9:30 p.m. Is that true? If so, is it a strictly adhered to law? My son is 15 and I don't want to leave a pub at 9:30, but if I have to, I will.

Think the pub rule is 10.30 in season but depends on the pub and if your son can pass (loosely)for 18 (not that I would ever suggest such deception but tucked in a corner minding his own business shouldn't be a problem)

http://www.obrienline.com/cliff-cruise.
We did a trip to the island and then took went on this cliff tour, there is a combo ticket. The Puffins were everywhere.

I know it is illegal to fold your mirrors in but on our first trip in 2000 driving those very small streets we folded them in. You use to see many hanging off. We hit the mountain going into Dingle and it was not a large truck but still a truck and he was taking his half out of the middle. My husband is not a bad driver and he really did a great job. Ireland is not like driving in Germany. We just kept yelling Nissan Micro mini! We took the VW instead and wished we had taken the smaller car. I think the roads have improved greatly and most drivers are very polite. We spent a day with two locals exploring on the same trip and they flew and would honk going around corners to warn drivers. I learned a lot about history and driving that day. Now there are the big highways and really miss the bypasses around the villages.
We did have time to explore the island and eat lunch. The cliffs at Inishmore are still my favorite but save for another trip. I have been many times and still have not seen everything on my list.

One thing my son and I enjoyed was "trad" music in the pubs. Your B&b keeper, or hotelier may know when and where to listen to it. It was a wonderful way to round out the evening. Everyone packs themselves into the small pub and listens, or participates if they have a musical talent.
My son noted that the Scots played in a major key, and the
Irish, in a minor key.

Everything in Ireland is mellower than Scotland that's why we triple filter our whiskey. The further west the mellower we get.(general rule, excludes Blow ins)

JeanneV, I know that there are cheaper and maybe better car rental companies out there, but we reserved our car through Hertz. In all the times we've rented cars with Hertz, both here and abroad, we never had a problem. But thanks anyway for your advice.

I am sure my husband and son will find something to do for an evening in Dublin while my daughter and I attend the Bruce Springsteen concert. Unfortunately, however, he is not an old looking 15 year old, so I doubt if he could pass for an 18 year old, and might be kicked out of a pub whenever kids have to leave.

I am almost done putting the "final" touches on my itinerary and when it's completed, I'll post it for review. It's very different than the preliminary one I posted at the start of this thread. We're all very excited about going.

Just about finished with our itinerary. The only thing left is to figure out what we will do for the day while we are in Dingle. I have some ideas and a book with some walks/hikes, but I'm interested in what others have done.

Here is the itinerary:

Three nights in Dublin. Activities include a walking tour of the city upon arrival (have reserved places on the Sandemans free walking tour but am not sure if we'll arrive in time for the 1 p.m. start. If we can't make that tour, we'll take the historical walking tour that starts at 3 p.m.). Any ideas about a place for an informal dinner? We'll be staying at the Fitzwilliam Townhouse on Upper Fitzwilliam Street.

Day 2 - Dublin City Bike tour in the morning, followed by an afternoon of wandering. In the evening my daughter and I have tickets to see Bruce Springsteen at RDS Arena. Is it wise to walk back to the hotel on Upper Fitzwilliam Street after the concert? I am sure there will be lots of people walking as well. Also, the tickets and the Ticketmaster website say the concert starts at 5 p.m. Is that when the gates open? I am sure the concert starts later, but we plan to get there around 5. Unfortunately we don't have seats -- we're standing. Oh well.

I also need something for my husband and son to do while we're at the concert. Any ideas?

Day 3 - Walkabout Wicklow tour of the Glendalough Valley. In the evening, we're all going on the musical pub crawl.

Day 4 - Picking up car and driving to Cashel, stopping at Kilkenny along the way. We'll tour the Rock of Cashel when we arrive, hoping that most of the day tourist have left by that hour. Dinner at Chez Hans.

Day 5 - First stop, Golden (it looks very quaint in some photos I came across). Next stop, Adare, where we will visit the castle, walk around the town and have lunch. On to the Tralee Golf Club, where we'll stop for a snack and a look at the golf course. Then on to Dingle.

Day 6 - Nothing planned yet for Day 6. We like walking and beautiful scenery. A 2-3 hour circular walk would be nice (could drive to a spot and leave the car).

Day 7 - Drive to Listowel. I've made arrangements for a guide to give us a tour of the castle. On to Ballybunion Golf Club for lunch. After lunch, drive to Lahinch, where we will be staying for 2 nights.

Day 8 - Taking the combined trip to Innisheer and Cliffs of Moher cruise from Doolin. When ferry docks at 4 p.m., will go the Cliffs of Moher (closes at dusk). Any suggestions on which ferry company to use? Are they essentially the same?

Day 9 - Husband will play golf at 7 a.m. at Lahinch. When he's through, drive to Ballyvaughan to meet up with Burren Hill tours for a 3 p.m. tour of the Burren. Drive to Dublin Airport when tour is over.

Day 10 - Go home.

I would also like some recommendations on places we can stop along the way as we make our way across the country. We will be using a GPS, but my drives were planned using viaMichelin's recommended routes.

Thanks!