Wanted to know which would be a better choice between a day in Glendalough & Powerscourt Gardens at the beginning of my trip (landing in Dublin prior),...or Connemara at the end of my vacation in the West before departing from Shannon. Due to limited time, I can do only one or the other based on my number of days in Ireland. If Connemara is the choice (which I'm leaning towards), ...I can re-structure my itenarary accordingly and cut-out Glendalough & Powerscourt Gardens in the beginning of my trip (I have a rented a car).

Also ,...I forgot to mention I will be in "relatively" near-by Galway from Connemara at the end of my trip before heading south to depart from Shannon.

When are you going?

Sept 14th in dublin- driving to the west on the 15th.

It sounds as if Glendalough is out with your time in Dublin. Too bad as Glendalough is a special place. However, a trip around Connemara from Galway will stun you as well. Spectacular scenery and lovely little towns.Lots of interesting stops on a day trip.

Hi irishface,

How much time would you recommend seeing Glendalough (the main site excluding the endless hiking trails etc.)? I figured about 2 to 3 hours at Glendalough after a couple of hours having visited Powerscourt Gardens (coming from Dublin).
After Glendalough we will be on our way to Kilkenny for the rest of the day and overnight,...then going to Killarney the following day.

If going to Kilkenny after Dublin is on your itinerary, then definitely stop in Glendalough. Sorry, but I wasn't clear about how your itinerary would work.

2-3 hours should be ok if you are not doing the hiking trails. The visitor center in Glendalough has a good introductory video (history and geology of the area), a pleasant cafe and a diorama that I found very interesting. the scale model gives you a good overview of how the site is laid out.

Maybe if you gave us a brief look at your basic itinerary, someone might be able to give you a way to tweak things so you could get both areas in. There are lots here who are much more knowledgeable than I and more up to date on which roads have been upgraded.

Have a great trip?

I loved Glendalough & Powerscourt Gardens -- but I haven't spent much time in Connemara. If you're not walking the trails I don't think you need more than an hour at Glendalough.