First trip to Ireland need help.....
 

We will be flying in and out of Dublin in early September. We have 8 nights and the last two will be in Dublin. We are renting a car and are thinking of starting in Kilkenny then go down to Kenmare, Dingle, up to Bunratty and then back to Dublin. We don't have any thing set in stone except for the last two nights. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time for your help. We love smaller towns and want to soak up all the charm.

We did a somewhat similar route some years ago, flying in and out of Shannon and driving around the southwest - Dingle, Kenmare, Baltimore, Kinsale, and Bunratty. It's a beautiful area with tons of charm, perfect for exploring with a rental car. In Dingle and Kenmare, we stayed outside the towns in farmhouse B&Bs for two nights each. Very nice for exploring the area! We stayed outside of Kinsale at Kilbrittain Castle... one of Ireland's oldest castles that's now a B&B. In Baltimore and Bunratty, we stayed at regular homes that ran B&Bs.

One caution about driving in this area: some of the country roads are quite narrow, with stone walls quite close to the edge, and you'll encounter BIG tour buses. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to be passed by a tour bus on a narrow road when you aren't accustomed to driving on the left.

If I am understanding your itinerary, you have 6 nights other than Dublin.

I might suggest

1. To Kilkenny (stop at Glendalough, ancient monastic settlement, with interesting visitor center and cafe for coffee or lunch). Explore Kilkenny.

2. to Kenmare via Cashel.

3. Drive the Ring of Kerry and on to Dingle for two nights.

4. Explore the Dingle Peninsula. Stop at the Blasket Center, Gallarus Oratory, etc. If time take a short boat trip around Dingle Harbor and see Fungi, the resident dolphin who loves to greet the tour boats.

5. to Bunratty area for two nights. Travel via the ferry across the Shannon at Tarbert. Visit the folk park and castle at Bunratty. Maybe attend the banquet at the castle. Many on here deplore the banquet, but I enjoyed it.

6. from "home" base explore Clare--Cragganouwen (recreated farmstead/ringfort and animals), Quin Abbey, Cliffs of Moher,
Burren.

7 To Dublin (might stop at Clonmacnoise in County Roscommon), but maybe get right to Dublin so that you have at least the later part of the afternoon to explore the city.

8. Dublin.

There are others on this board who have other and perhaps better ways to spend your time. have fun!

Thank you Balto and Irishface for such a quick response! Any suggestions where to stay in Dingle? Kilkenny? Kenmare? Bunratty? We are so excited and yes a little worried about the narrow roads and driving.

In Bunratty you can't go wrong with Bunratty Lodge http://bunrattylodge.com . Mary is a delightful hostess. We also have stayed in Ennis at Eden Hill House.
http://www.bed-breakfast-ennis.com/index.html It's just south of Ennis and a straight shot on well-signage-ed motorways.

Don't worry about the driving; you'll manage just fine. I really like irishface's itinerary. If the banquet isn't your thing, consider the Traditional Irish Night in the corn barn at Bunratty Folk Park. Or the banquet at Dunguaire Castle.

Thanks I checked them both out, looks great......

MJCGLC -

On the Dingle Peninsula, we stayed at Moriarty's Farmhouse:
http://www.dinglevacation.com/

Near Kenmare, we stayed at White Heather Farm (the owner, Mrs. Lovett, was delightful!):
http://www.whiteheatherfarm.com/

Both were quite nice! Officially "working farms" but quite attentive to their B&B business

In Dingle check out James G. Asche B&B - they have great accomodations and awesome Beef & Guinness stew. There is a great pub right near by. It's called the Small Bridge - traditional irish music sessions regularly.

Just checked out the B&B and the two farmhouses...... everything looks great, so hard to choose one, they all look good. Thanks again. If you had to choose would you stay in Bunratty, Doolin or Ballyvaughan for two nights to see everything in that area? Are we missing out if we don't go into Gallway for a day? I liked Irishface's itinerary too!

Above is all good advice. We had a great stay in Kilkenny at Alcantra B&B, and it's a wonderful medieval city with lots to see.

Galway isn't a requirement, though it's worth seeing. It's a college town and a trading port for many years, so it has a younger feel than many other cities in the area.