Visiting Glendalough and returning to Kilkenny is back tracking, so I would spend the early morning of the 12th seeing Kilkenny Castle and as soon as possible with opening times leave for Dublin via Glendalough and then you will have a full day on the 13th to check out a few things in Dublin.

Great advice! I thought that might make more sense logistically, but I haven't yet gotten to the detailed mapping portion of my planning (still trying to see if any of this makes sense). So would you then say spend one night in Kilkenny and two in Dublin (with Friday night really just being arriving around dinner)?

I would do.

Sounds great. I was going to recommend an automatic car but since you are used to using the other side of the road a standard would be fine. I do recommend taking their insurance however. We did not thinking our insurance would handle anything and we ended up paying a lot of money as we were not used to stone fences on the sides of those narrow streets, and another car through a stone and broke our windshield which we were liable for.

Per the recommendations of Fodorites, we used Dan Dooley to rent our car.

You won't have the energy, likely, to explore the Burren (I assume you are flying in from Africa, a long flight) on the first day.

Dan Dooley is who I recommend for rental car. All their costs are quoted up front, no surprises. They are very helpful!

Don't miss Conor Pass in Dingle, just north of the city - gorgeous! But often misty, so plan for a couple opportunities.

Check out the Swiss Cottage and Cahir Castle, on the way to Kilkenny. If you run short of time, Rock of Cashel is the best - very impressive.

Kilkenny - I loved the Castle, the Black Abbey, Dame Kyteler's Inn, and Jerpoint Abbey in Thomastown.

From Kilkenny to Dublin - go by way of Glendalough Abbey and Powerscourt Falls and Gardens - a long day, but well worth it.

It will be fast paced, but still doable.

I would recommend easytourireland.com for car rental. The Husband used them recently for his golf trip to Ireland and was quite pleased with the car, the price, everything. They include everything, even Super CDW, and the price at the end was what was quoted and guaranteed at the beginning! Have a wonderful trip!

Personally, I was not crazy about the overnight we did in Doolin. It's really small--basically 3 pubs and a couple shops and the pubs are crowded with tourists in the evening. You might want to look elsewhere for a more interesting overnight stay.

If you enjoy hiking, that would be a good way to see the Burren (and would help with the jet lag). Here's a link to a fabulous hike we did through the Burren last year: http://www.shannonregiontrails.ie/FindaTrail/Walking/LoopWalks/TrailName,7510,en.html

Yes, Doolin is very small. We enjoyed our nights in Ballyvaughan, on the north end of the Burren - but again, not very big (a bit bigger than Doolin, though). Ennis is larger, and centrally located for exploring the region. A nice, walkable city.

I realize Doolin is small, but if you wanted to arrive in Shannon and see the Cliffs on day 1, where would you suggest? Should we drive up to the Cliffs, and then drive down to Ennis to spend the night?

I appreciate all the suggestions, especially since I'm flying blind as I plan! You've already been so helpful!

Ennis isn't all that far from the Cliffs, and the Cliffs will likely take you no more than an hour or so.

Thanks everyone for your help! I've done some searching on the forums to find recommended places to stay, but I'm wondernig if you can help me think of a place to stay in Dublin? My husband and I would like to easily be able to go out on Saturday night (or Friday night) but also be able to see some of the key sights (with as much walking as possible).

As for other places we're staying, I'm planning on:

Ennis: Temple Gate
Dingle: Emlagh Lodge
Kinsale: Desmond House
Kilkenny: Avila Kilkenny

Do these seem like good places? We're mainly interested in a comfortable place to stay, where we can walk into town in the evenings for dinner/drinks.

Thanks again so much for all your assistance!

Temple gate is one of the two main Hotels in Ennis and is a good option. Not sure what might be going on in town with the 8th being a Monday but lots of options for places to eat. Apart from food in the Temple gate you can get good Pub grub in Brogans to full restaurant spots like the Town Hall (part of the Old Ground Hotel)