We will be staying in Galway for two days. While there we are planning to drive toward Westport to see the Connemarra area. Is it feasable to drive back to Galway the same evening or is it better to stay in Westport. The next day we will be heading back to Shannon to f ly home.

Also what are some good stops to make from Galway to Shannon?

You say that the next day you'll be heading back to Shannon to fly home. Do you mean you're actually flying home the next day? Or heading that way in order to fly home the day after that?

If you're not actually flying until the day after you'd leave Westport/Galway, I'd definitely recommend staying in Westport. For one thing, driving from Galway to Westport, with stops along the way, and then back to Galway, will make for a very long day. For another thing, Westport is a fun place for an overnight stay!

But if you're actually leaving the next day, then I wouldn't recommend staying in Westport. I assume your flight leaves around noon (give or take an hour). So you wouldn't want to be leaving from Westport that morning.

We spent an entire day driving from Galway to Westport (left Galway around 9:00 AM, arrived Westport around 6:00 PM) with stops along the way. And then we spent another day driving from Westport to Ennis (via Knock, the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher).

Most people choose to stay relatively close to Shannon the night before they leave. Remember that you need to be at the airport a couple of hours before your plane leaves. And that driving in Ireland takes a lot longer. The rule of thumb is to figure that you'll cover about 35 miles an hour.

I just noticed that when I searched Ireland this post didn't come up. At the risk of being flamed, I suggest that you repost this, clicking on Ireland. If you don't, it's going to sink and a lot of people who come on and search for Ireland posts won't see it.

Yes, I know that there's only one Europe forum and that the best way to read these boards is to go through all of the posts. But the reality is that many of us have neither the time nor the inclination to do that. So if you want the most people with Ireland experience to see this, your best bet is to repost it, clicking on Ireland.

I assume you mean to spend your last night near Shannon.

What is your objective -- to experience Connemara or to visit Westport? You can do a good Connemara tour starting and ending in Galway, but trying to include Westport makes it too long a trip. You would rush things on a trip that should be done in a leisurely way.

Thanks for your reply. I did repost this on Ireland ( which is what I MEANT to do originally) Oh Well!

We will arrive in Galway June 15 and will drive back to shannon on the 17th to stay overnight. We leave for Chicago on the 18th. I guess I am a little confused because I thought Westport was part of Connemara. If it is not where is the best place to spend our time.?

There is nothing wrong with going to Westport, except that the total journey would be long. If you chose to overnight in Westport, your journey to Shannon the following day would be longer. It's up to you to decide how much driving you are comfortable to do, and if changing location is worth your while (personally, I don't like moving to a different place every day).

Do a search for "connemara weekend" and you will find a trip report of mine that might give you some ideas.