Help in making plans for Dublin and the west coast of Ireland
 

We are coming to Ireland to spend time in Dublin for a couple of days and then mid week traveling to the west coast. We would have three days to travel but need to be back in Dublin on Friday night. Any suggestions to make the most of the days in Dublin and also those 3 days outside of Dublin? Would we need to rent a car or could we take the rail or bus? Any suggestions on where to stay in Dublin near the DCU campus and where to stay on the west coast?

It sounds as though you're planning to leave Dublin on a Wednesday and return there on the Friday. That really only gives you one full day on the west coast.

What are you hoping to see or do on the west coast?

Galway and Killarney have direct links to Dublin and each has a range of tours.

Would a tour to the Cliffs of Moher or the Ring of Kerry be workable in three days?

Has anyone done a rail tour?

For three days, I suggest an evening bus/train to Galway. Stay by Eyre Square and get a Burren Cliffs tour from there you could then get a late bus to Killarney and take either a Ring of Kerry or Dingle tour and return by late train to Dublin. Backpacking rather than hauling luggage would be of benefit.

I don't know about the Ring of Kerry, but you can take a bus or train to Galway, and then a bus to the cliffs of Moher. From Galway you can also visit one of the Aran islands, but you may not have time for both. Galway is a great city, so I wouldn't consider it just a base.