dear irish friends,
how does this sound for a 7 day trip---
already have r/t tickets to dublin from texas
day 1 - arrive at 0800..relax..see city..stay night in dublin
day 2 - up early .. see city. pick up car rental at airport..head to kilkenny. find b&b there or close by. explore
day 3 & 4 - 2 nights in kenmare...avoid ROK but visit other areas
day 5 - dingle
day 6 - blarney/cork - have to kiss that stone!
day 7 - back to dublin - spend night
day 8 - flight home

or should i head to dingle from kilkenny..then to kenmare?
i've been to dublin several times so don't feel i need longer there...just wondering
about the remainder of the trip. yes....i should have flown into shannon..but $300 r/t to dublin..couldn't pass it up.
thanks for any/all suggestions.
one more thing - how is the traffic from dublin airport to kilkenny? i plan to
avoid driving in dublin city...but will take the loop around and out.
i'll be using a platinum mastercard...suggestions on which car rentals
allow one to skip the CDW without putting a $1000 hold on the card?

Why not pick up the car in Dublin, rather than go back out to the Airport by bus or cab? I haven't gone yet, but I've compared all the car rental enterprises, and Dooley Car Rental seems to offer the best service, flexibility, transparency, choice of vehicle, and price. I hope you're ordering in advance. And I wouldn't skip the CDW. In fact, I'm getting the Super CDW (zero deductible).

The traffic in Dublin is awful. If I pick up the car at the airport, I can hop on the M50 and loop around and out of the city. The bus fare is only 2.20 from city centre to the airport..well worth it to avoid the city traffic (for me anyway).
I found out nearly all the rental agencies in Ireland
accept US Platinum MasterCard in lieu of the CDW. It is one of two cards that actually provides full coverage (CDW) while in Ireland...and one of the only cards the car rental companies in Ireland actually honor in lieu of getting the CDW. Might be worth your while to get a Platinum MasterCard for your upcoming trip if you're able..will save you the extra $$$ you'll be paying for that Super CDW.
Platinum MasterCard will provide you with a letter stating such to present if needed when picking up your car.
I actually have two cars on hold at the moment..one through Expedia ($167 for 5 days-Hertz) ... one through Orbitz ($212 for 5 days-Alamo). Neither require deposit or full payment up front..which is a plus.
Have you been to Ireland before? What I'm looking for is suggestions on my itinerary from someone that has traveled or lives in the SW region.
Thanks and have fun on your trip!

You need to double-check with MasterCard (not the Bank that issued your Card - call 1-800-MCASSIST) as NO Platinum MC covers CDW in Ireland since Sept of 2006.

ONLY a WORLD MasterCard, certain Canadian Issued VISA cards or Diner's Club cover the Republic of Ireland, and then, ONLY if the Car Hire company CHOOSES to accept it. Often, companies such as dooley or Hertz will put a 1-2000 Euro "Hold" on the card as well, if you waive the CDW and/or 'Super' CDW. Not necessarily a Deal Breaker, but you might want to know that ahead of time.

Also, the prices you are quoting PROBABLY don't include 'Local Fees', such as Premium Location Fees (around $35-40), Road Tax (about $2-3 per day), OR the initial tank of fuel (about $80-95). You should also inquire if the Car Hire company utilizes the 'Bring It Back Empty' Scheme, or if you are credited for returning the vehicle with a full tank. SOME companies are also actually charging a 'Handling' Fee for the "extra paperwork" of accepting the CDW waiver!

All that is said NOT to discourage you -- merely to make you AWARE of how COMPLEX Irish Car Hire CAN be.

I call it. "KISSING THE FROG".

As to the REST of your request, this June will mark my ELEVENTH visit. My wife has family near Midleton.

Your over-all looks pretty decent, except the Blarney night. To me, it would make much more sense to make Blarney your Night Three, enroute to Kenmare. The, your return drive to Dublin would be from Dingle.

The drive Kilkenney to Blarney can be via Waterford (or at least, Lismore) , via the "VEE DRIVE" and on through Cohb, with a visit to the EXCELLENT 'Queenstown Story'. You could take the ferry from there, bypassing cork City and end the day in either Blarney or Kinsale.

Other than Blarney, you haven't really said what interests you, so hard to make too many suggestions.

While the drive from Kinsale or Blarney to Kenmare IS more scenic via the N71, the N22 through Macroom and Killarney is more direct and quicker. Along the way, you could detour out to Gougan Barra.



Bob

Love your suggestion to change the Blarney night..will make that night 3. What interest me is avoiding big towns and sticking to the smaller villages to experience the non tourist Ireland (aside from kissing the Blarney stone of course).
Appreciate your input!

Regarding the insurance, I spoke with MasterCard twice now and they DO cover CDW in Ireland up to $50,000. Surely I won't damage anything over that limit (knock on wood). They are sending their basic letter stating such along with a separate letter written directly to me and car rentals in ireland..stating my name/card number etc..listing exactly what they cover...but they instructed me NOT to take the CDW or theft coverage since they do cover it. YAY! I spoke with Hertz/Alamo/Dan Dooley..all agreed stating they except the card I have in lieu of holding x amount of money on the card for the CDW..no need to present a letter..but coming from a family of attorneys..I'm bring the letters anyway! http://irish-car-rental.com/faq.html (question/answer #7 explains it through this website)
Thanks for your input..and enjoy your upcoming trip.