I've read some old posts and now I'm reeeeally undecided. I'd like to know which coast of Ireland to pick, east or west. Would be flying in to Dublin or Shannon airport, then taking small day trips. So what's your pick and why?

If the objective is to pick just ONE place to stay, and changing places is out of the question it will depend on your interests and preferences.

Dublin and surroundings: lots of history, museums, architecture, busy city & pub life, some nature sights nearby (eg Wicklow Mtns)

The West: rugged landscapes like the Burren or Connemara, wild coast line and cliffs, small towns like Ennis or bit bigger like Galway, pubs, day trips to the Aran Islands

The Southeast: probably the best weather, stunning beaches and nice coastal towns, Cork City, manors & castles

But when you plan just "small day trips" you will hardly see any other region than the one you are staying in because driving can take some time, and you cannot do, for example, the Ring of Kerry when you stay in Dublin.

Thanks for your reply Cowboy. I did want to pick just one base and then go from there. Still hard to decide.... your descriptions are great! It just seems like all coasts have something great to offer, so I don't know which one to choose. I was leaning towards Dublin but maybe a busy city is not the best choice, part of the objective of this trip is to de-stress!

Go to the west coast if you want to relax.
Fly into Shannon, its such a breeze. Last time I flew into Dublin it took over 1 hour to get our luggage. Dublin airport is just too busy .

Look at places like Clifden and Spidal in Galway, Ballyvaughan and Doolin in Clare or Dingle and Kenmare in Kerry. All are very good bases.

We based ourselves in Doolin and did trips to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and the Aran Islands.

We both loved Ireland. All of it..but if we were to go back again,the West Coast would be our base. The scenery is magnificent and breathtaking. And the food,I still think about all that seafood and the size of the scallops.
Hire a car,the driving is easy and gives you so much freedom.
Oh,did I mention the pubs and our daily lunch of seafood chowder and soda bread. You will love Ireland!

You can get a great Seafood Chowder at Garvey's Hotel Restaurant on Eyre (aka JFK) Square in Galway City.

Most Airlines that serve the Irish Republic from the U.S. allow arrival in one Port of Entry and departure from the other (i.e., arr. Shannon & dep. Dublin, or vv). I actually prefer to depart from Shannon: more/better Duty Free shops.

Depending on how many days you have available in Ireland, I recommend a 'Base' in the East (Dublin?) and another in the West (Ennis, or Galway?). If it's Galway, look at Salthill or further west, like Spiddal.

We spent nine days in Ireland, the first half in the east and southeast areas, the second half on the west coast. The first part of the trip I was actually disappointed - it was "OK", some nice stuff, but I could not see what all the fuss about Ireland was. Then we got to the west coast and I realized that was the part of the Ireland that you think about when you think of Ireland.

But I agree that just day trips from Shannon will limit you. Couldn't you do at least two bases, one in Shannon and the other further south nearer the Ring of Kerry area. We did a lot of one and two night stays, just going from B&B to B&B and it didn't have that rushed feel it does in a lot of places when you move each night. Meeting the B&B owners is pleasant, parking no problem, etc.