lenlu

Ugh...I feel overwhelmed. For some reason, I don't know how to plan this trip. I am flying into Dublin and out of Belfast. I have about 7/8 nights for Ireland. I know it's a whirlwind but that is how we travel. Here's what I think I want to see.
Dublin
Glendalough/Wicklow (day trip?)
Kilkenny or Tipperary (not sure which or both or even why)
Adare in Limerick?
Dromoland Castle
Clare Ashford Castle
Cliffs of Moher
Head North to fly out of Belfast.

This is very rough. Ireland is a place we thought we'd see one day and this is the year because the miles took all of us there! I do fancy a castle, quaint towns, scenery--Glendalough--local people, some ruins and nice lodging. My husband would love to golf and my kids also like the idea of castles (plain or haunted), knights in shining armor, etc. We are going to drive, per everyone's advice but we'll need to book hotels in advance, so careful timing is essential. There isn't time to do Kerry or Cork.

I guess I want any opinions on what I really should see (outside of Dublin) in this beautiful country and what could be skipped? I'm cutting off time for the North. Is that a mistake? Should I provide more time there? I'm not one for huge cities while traveling and we won't do museums, much shopping or fancy dining since our kids are with us. We want to enjoy the countryside, hit local villages, but try to stay in nice places (400/night). Ashford Castle is too much but Dromoland is okay. Any other suggestions of where to stay would be helpful. Any insight at all?

Thanks in advance and for being patient!

Cowboy1968

Yes, I do think that it is a mistake to cut off time for the North.
7/8 nights is not that much. I'd stay in the Northern half of the island and skip anything South of a line Dublin-Galway.
From Dublin you could go West via Clonmacnoise to Galway / West Co. Clare. See the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Then Connemara and further along the coast until you get into NI. And even that loop from Dublin to Galway to Belfast is quite a lot of driving for 7 nights.

irishface

Might I suggest this itinerary?

1 Land in Dublin-drive to Trim, visit castle and spend night there.

2. Head for Galway area via Clonmacnoise (monastic ruins)

3. drive through Burren and Cliffs of Moher and back to Galway area for another night. Dunguaire Castle in Kinvarra

4. Drive through Connemara--maybe you will see the wild ponies. Watch for sheep in the road. Stop at Aughnanure castle near Oughterard. Head to Westport for two nights Thre are lots of pubs with trad music here, but not that music starts late if you have young children

5. Explore Achille Island (no ferry needed), visit Grace O'Malley country. Museum dedicated to her story in Louisburgh. Croagh Patrick is in this area.

6. Head north to Giant's Causeway area. Visit Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Carrick-a-Rede bridge. Stay in Ballycastle, Port Rush, or other small towns around.

7. Head toward Belfast, explore one of the Glens of Antrim. Carrickfergus Castle.

8. flight home.

Alternate itinerary which includes more of the things you want to see.

1. Land in Dublin and walk to sights to fight jet lag.

2. Dublin sights

3. Pick up rental car and head towards Kilkenny via Glendalough--nice hikes near the lake, site of monastic ruins, very calming atmosphere In Kilkenny visit St. Cannice Cathedral and round tower.

4-5 Head to county Clare. There is a good golf course in Lahinch (one of my neighbors and a bunch of his buddies go there every year for golf) Visit the Burren, Ailwee Caves, cliffs of Moher. Perhaps Dunguaire castle in Kinvarra

6-7 Head toward Belfast --This is too long a drive for one day so look at a map and find something halfway there for an overnight.

8 fly home

since you are flying in and out of east coast cities, you might want to look at spending your time in the east.

Dublin two nights, Kilkenny three nights, Trim one night and Belfast area one night.

Neither of these are especially good itineraries, but might be a starting point. If you look at a map, you will see that your sights are all over the place for 7/8 days, and that it is hard to fit them in efficiently. Look at distances on that map. Think 35 mph optimal driving speed. Personally, I find 150 miles a day to be the limit of my driving endurance and then I need a couple of shorter days.

This is your trip and you know what you and your kids can handle, so plan accordingly.

Have a great trip!

GreenDragon

I agree, you should at least give the Antrim coast a chance, since you are flying out of Belfast - it's supposed to be incredible, and I'll be going in May to see it I wrote an article on planning a trip, perhaps it will help. http://www.greendragonartist.com/Art...clesEurope.htm

lenlu

Thank you very much for your insight and suggested itineraries. I will really look at them. It seems you both suggest the same important sites;Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Clonmacnoise and Connemara as well as other parts in the North. I'm tackling one part of the country at a time. I read about Kinvara? Any thoughts if we can't see Lismore? We wondered if Newgrange was worth seeing too?

Also, in your opinion, shall we skip Kilkenny and Tipperary? I guess I'm not sure why I thought we needed to go but it seemed like a natural loop. I didn't think about crossing from Dublin to Clare because I felt like seeing Glendalough/Wicklow was worth the effort to drive the loop around. Am I wrong about Glendalough? Should we skip it, Kilkenny and Tipperary for points North? Is the Giant's Causeway worth the travel all the way up? We have not booked tickets out of Belfast yet. We have to fly to Paris.

Thanks again...there is a TON of research to do. I appreciate your insight so much!

lenlu

Also, if given the choice, would you guys suggest skipping Galway and heading South from Clare to Dingle/Tralee or Killarney? Then coming back to Dublin via Wicklow?

Cowboy1968

Sorry, I thought that you already had booked flights into Dublin and out of Belfast. You can fly to Paris from more airports than just Dublin or Belfast. I think Shannon got a flight with Ryanair to Paris (Beauvais), and maybe Cork or Kerry, too. You can check your options at whichbudget.com

Since you seem to be still flexible, I suggest you go back to your guide book and also familiarize yourself a bit with the geography of Ireland on Google maps.
Glendalough, for example, is very close to Dublin, so you can see it regardless whether you want to go South, West, or North afterwards.
Every destination or sight you mentioned is worth seeing, from Glendalough to Kilkenny to Tipperary to the Antrim coast.
The point is that you have only a very limited number of nights and you cannot see it all. And that some itineraries will be easier to drive than others.
So you should pick your personal favorites, and then see if you can line them up in a sensible itinerary.