Hi -- hoping you can help me with ideas for one or two towns to stay for a total of three nights outside Dublin.

We will be arriving in Dublin early in the morning from NYC and we thought we would rent a car and spend the first three nights out west and the last three nights in Dublin. We would prefer to stay in one place for the first three nights, if possible, (or for at least two nights) rather than hopping around from hotel to hotel.

We're really interested in seeing some major sights and experiencing some interesting towns. Our problem is there's too much we want to see -- The Rock of Cashel, some castles, Moher, Kenmare/Killarney area, Galway, etc. They all really excited us. Plus, we're open to other suggestions. But we don't want to have to be running at full speed the whole time. Therefore if we miss a few things, so be it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Galway and Killarney are the usual two spots, both with good access to local tours with a lot on the doorstep.

The other option is the tourist triangle of Dublin, Doolin, Dingle and now Kinsale thrown in. Quite possible to come to Ireland and never meet anyone Irish that isn't in the service industry.

For your needs, 1st night Cashel/Cahir 2nd night Killarney, 3rd night Galway. of course that means moving every night althoug you could pinch one of your Dublin nights to spend 2 in either Killarney or Galway.

Thanks -- for some reason, the Rock of Cashel is high on my list. Why? I'm not sure. Am I correct that it's well worth while? I can easily be convinced to skip it. If it's worth while, how about one night there and then two nights in either Galway or Killarney/Kenmare, knowing that we'll have to save the other for another trip?

Far better if you can arrange to fly into DUB and out of Shannon (SNN), if it's not too late to change your flights. You should be able to fly to SNN from NYC.

This will save you the time and added expense of driving east to west and all the way back east again.

I wish I could change to Shannon but unfortunately we're locked in to Dublin. Thanks for the thought.

If you rent the car in Dublin, after two nights, the route to Killarney takes you right past the Rock of Cashel and the restored Cahir Castle, so you could visit them. Once in Killarney, the tour of the restored Ross Castle is highly rated. Returning to Dublin, swing by Blarney along the way and spend the night before your flight in Dublin, probably near the airport.