8-day Ireland trip?
 

Hello all,
My husband and I have set our sights on Ireland for our 2016 vacation. We'll have 8 nights, and it'll be our first trip overseas (and likely our only to Ireland.) I've hatched out an itinerary, and I'm hoping you'll help me refine it. Do you think this itinerary is doable/a good use of our time?

A little about us: We live in a small town (population 750) in midwest, USA; This will be our first trip overseas; It may be our only trip to Ireland; We are in our late 20s/early 30s; enjoy outdoors, scenery, more remote areas, historical value, good food and good beer at good prices; speaking with locals; we prefer a more action-packed vacation schedule rather than relaxing one; we don't mind to drive a lot (our trip this summer to Yellowstone included 4,900 miles in 10 days); enjoy more down-to-earth pubs to fancy restaurants

Let me know what you think. Thank you in advance!

Jessi

(2 night stay at Lawcus Farm, Stoneyford)

Day 1 - Arrive in Shannon on red eye (7:35 a.m.), get hotel nearby to sleep for a few hours if we feel like we need to, drive to Stoneyford, visit nearby Kells Priory if we feel up to it

Day 2 - Hang out at Lawcus Farm, fish King's River onsite -OR- Check out Stoneyford, Thomastown and later travel into Kilkenny to visit/explore

(4 night Stay at Friar's Glen, Killarney)

Day 3 - Drive from Stoneyford to Killarney with a stop at Rock of Cashel, explore Killarney National Park if we feel up to it on arrival (jaunting car or by foot?)

Day 4 - Hike/boat tour Gap of Dunloe

Day 5 - Dingle Peninsula, Slea Head Drive

Day 6 - Beara Peninsula, Healy Pass -OR- if we're too tired, explore Killarney more

(Stay at Marless House, Salthill)

Day 7 - Drive from Killarney to Salthill, explore Salthill/Galway

Day 8 - Drive to Connemara National Park -OR- if we're tired stay in Galway

Day 9 - Get up really early and take rental car back, catch 11 a.m. flight out to Shannon

You have had advice on the TA forums about time management and possibilities.

Stoneyford wouldn't be a drive I would recommend straight off a redeye. The Park Inn at SNN used to take day bookings, you could check with them about a room when you arrive. Or you could reverse the trip, Start in Galway end in Stoneyford but stay in Shannon the night before departure?

If you stick to the plan as is I would take one night from Killarney and put a night between Killarney and Galway. Adare/Limerick/Ennis or on the coast Kilkee to Lahinch. That way you can drive round Dingle on the way north and have time to see some of west Clare including the Cliffs and Burren before arriving in Galway.

I might also suggest you spend the last night closer to SNN as you will need to be there for 7 am if you have a 11 am flight.

I know you have the fixed base plan but in honesty I would make this into a road trip with only 8 days and the list of locations.

You need to be at Shannon airport three hours before departure. To return car and get there early enough you should stay closer to airport.
Long drive first day. I am old and have never got a hotel to sleep after landing. I am always ready to go when I land but not in the habit of driving far the first day. Galway or Doolin would be my first night.

You need to be aware that in Ireland you can;t figure on the sort of average driving speeds you get in the US. Away from the fairly few motorways the local roads are narrow - often very narrow and the shoulders verge from not very wide to hedges to ditches. And there can be sheep anywhere at any time. (We have been delayed 20 minutes while a farmer collected his and got them out of the road.)

So you can figure 35 mph at best for driving. Plus you need to be aware of the vagaries of driving on the opposite side of the road - can be esp confusing if you have a standard transmission car (most are).

Tony's Dingle drive-by is a daft idea. Doing the Slea Head drive starting and ending in Killarney is already constraining your opportunity to make the most of a Dingle experience.

Killarney to Galway is quite a manageable same-day transfer that allows some scope for sightseeing on the way.

Very few people can manage a long drive after a transatlantic flight.

Explain Padraig how doing the same distance in a logistical manor is any Dafter than adding 100's of miles in the wrong direction and then redo some of the same the next day? If it wasn't "Dingle" you would probably agree with my suggestion rather than wearing blinkers.

If you could justify the extra miles/hours then you would have done on one of the several times I have asked you the exact same question before.

To explain my option for the umpteenth time;
Breaking the drive between Killarney and Galway gives the chance to see some of the west Clare (Wild Atlantic Way) coastline and a few sights, in a relaxed full day fashion. The Cliffs and Burren "geo" park alone covers twice the area of the whole Dingle peninsula without even considering Loop Head and other points in south/mid Clare.

no hidden agenda's no everyone has to go to my favourite tourist town just simply adding options and making use of time.

It's very simple, Tony: Dingle is worth more than half a day.

OP has a proposal that involves crossing Co. Clare without doing a great deal in the county. Nothing much wrong with that.

Thanks for all the responses.

Tony2phones: I do have a forum topic on TA, and someone responded with a comment about how the plan wasn't good. I followed up with a series of questions to clear up some confusion on what they meant and asked for suggestions on how to change it, but I didn't see where they had answered them (was that user "HarveyIreland" you?)

I also got comments from some others, and revised my plan. I asked for advice on TA on the revised plan, and one TA user said it was "much better!" No other answers. So I'm now asking the Fodor community if the revised plan sounds OK.

I originally had my days broken up more, but received advice that it'd be better to base ourselves in one place for longer (hence the 2 nights, 4 nights, 2 nights plan). If I were to break a night out of Killarney and one out from Salthill, I think I'd be back to nearly my original plan. I guess it all depends on different people's preferences.

I wish we had more time, and we could incorporate all of this!

No Harvey like Padraig and many others would have you spend 2 days in Dingle and anything less is deemed a bad idea. It is also deemed to be a bad idea to move every night or every other night but to me it makes best sense.

If you start in Galway.

Arrive Shannon, have breakfast in the Limestone café then collect the rental car. Galway is an easy reach up the M/N18 possible stops would be Coole Park and some Yeat's sights around Gort, maybe Kilmacduagh https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=f7d9458b6e . Two nights in Galway taking in Connemara on the middle day.

Day 3 head down west Clare via Kinvara to Ballyvaughan, right turn and via Blackhead to Doolin and the Cliffs. from there past Ennis and end the night in Cashel.

Day 4 from Cashel to Stoneyford

Day 5 Stoneyford to Killarney

Day 6 & 7 Killarney

Day 8 from Killarney to Adare/Limerick/Bunratty/Shannon via Dingle peninsula. Or if you have night 7 in Dingle you can have from Breakfast until 4 or 5 pm for the Dingle peninsula. ending the day within an hour of SNN

Harvey?

Nice lass lives in Carlow and spends more than enough time in Dingle.

And, so far as I can see, does not post here. If you have a beef with a poster in another forum, it seems better that you take the matter up in that forum.

And I would prefer that you did not misrepresent my position.