First timers in Ireland
 

It is our first time to Ireland and we are really excited.
I am meeting my 20 year old daughter in Dublin mid April and I shall be renting a car. We plan to head down to Kenmare, Co. Kerry for a few days where I have found a lovely cottage to rent in town. We shall head back to Dublin for the weekend as we are meeting up with my son (22 years old). My daughter will unfortunately leave us and I shall be taking my son back down to Kenmare. We shall use this are as our home base for 5 nights.

2 nights - Kenmare (daughter)
2/3 nights Dublin (son & daughter)
5 nights - Kenmare

I enjoy driving and we are all looking for fun pub nights, beautiful country sides, warm people and memorable traditional Irish experiences.

We welcome all and any advise.
Thanks in advance.

I recommend some time on Beara whilst based in Kenmare http://goo.gl/c1RV6W gives some great advice.

Kenmare is not a big town and Mid April not as busy (except Easter) as might be expected, plenty of chances to get to know the locals.

You will be 30 miles away from one of the most beautiful spots in Ireland: Gougane Barra. See http://www.gouganebarra.com/.

Not wanting to highjack this topic...but...
Padriag-
We are driving from Killarney to Ardmore in May and I haven't pinpointed where and what to do on the way. What can tell me about Gougane Barra that would make a good stop albeit a bit out of the way?

Do you need recommendations for places to stay or things to see in Dublin?
My mom and stayed that at a lovely, albeit tiny, hostel literally right next to Trinity College. That was a worthwhile stop for us because I studied the Book of Kells, but I would recommend it to anyone. It's a beautiful campus! If you have the time, getting a guided tour is a great way to learn about the history of the school. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe which is important to our family but if you'd rather, you'd certainly be able to find a more traditional Irish pub style place to eat. Later we visited St. Patrick's Cathedral which has the tomb of Jonathan Swift and not much else. Finally we visited the Guinness Storehouse. If you or your daughter/son appreciate beer and how it is made, this is a absolute must-see. For someone who does not like beer, I was very interested. It's a very well-done, modern museum. Besides that, walking along the river and taking in the sights made Dublin a memorable spot.

Just a word of caution on the subject of Gougane Barra.
The Forest was due to be closed in January to permit a programme of tree felling, made necessary by an attack of tree fungus.
The plan was to close the forestry for about 6 months so the ongoing activity might take away from the tranquillity of this gem of a location.

Thank you everyone!
I have checked out the Beara Peninsula and it is on our agenda. Thanks for the link tony2phones, the review of their drive is very detailed.
spanishsarah47 thanks for the advice on Dublin and the hostel beside Trinity College - I will have my son look into it. He is responsible for finding accommodations for the Saturday while we are in Dublin.
We were concerned about being in Dublin on Good Friday (closed), although now I am coming across many 'must do' visits that do not require alcohol. We will save Guinness Storehouse for Saturday.
Cheers

We are a family of 6 coming to Ireland in early July. We fly into Shannon. Any suggestions on where to stay the first couple of nights that will fit our family of 6 or do we book more than one room? I know the Irish love big families, so hopefully it won't be to difficult to accommodate us.

Kljbm... probably better to start a new question with some ideas on what you want to see/do. with a group of 6 you will need 2 rooms and a big car..

thanks tony2phones….just new to all of this.