"HELP. My husband and I are going to Ireland for our 25th anniversary. He loves
the Ritz Carlton,so right now we are booked there,(on the east coast) but we're
also flying into and out of Dublin.(I have tentative bookings elsewhere too--as you'll see below)

I have 2 choices: go from Dublin airport, where a car is waiting and spend day 1 and 2
in Wicklow area, then on day #3, travel overnight to the west and see
????(not sure what--right now I'm booked in Killarney??).(we only have the car
for 4 days so we'd just go out west overnight). Day #4 still be in the west and head back to the east on that day and chill out day#5 and days # 6 and #7 we'd go to Dublin.
OR the other choice is, since I'm told that we're missing out if we don't go to the west coast, for a longer period of time, I might to able to get a connecting flight from Dublin to Shannon (we arrive in Dublin at 9:15 am from abroad), and we would arrive
on our first day to Shannon at 12:30pm.(I could pick up the car there) Thought
we'd go the the Cliffs of Moher and then what for day #2 and #3 day???If we're out west for 2 nights, 3 days, what is the suggestion???HELP.Right now I'm booked for the first night in Limerick,(we'll be pretty tired) and then we'd head to Killarney and stay there for the second night. then on day #3 we'd head back east (to Ritz Carlton) and see stuff along the way(which route to take??)and then spend day #4 around Wicklow.Day #5 we would chill out and enjoy the hotel and surroundings, and day #6 and #7 go into Dublin. Does this make any sense at all??"

OK, I'm a bit confused as to what's booked and what's a maybe

First of all, congratulations on 25 years!

Second, Ireland is a beautiful, mystical place. If you hurry through it, you get what Michele at www.irelandyes.com calls the Green Blur Tour - lots of nothing out of the window of your rapidly moving car. A lot of the charm in the place is relaxing for a pint in the pub, walking on the beach, climbing the trail, exploring the cathedral, etc.

It looks like you have one week in Ireland. If you tell us what you like doing, we can better advise you on what you would likely enjoy in terms of east/west, etc.

Do you like shopping? Nightlife? History? Landscapes? Beaches?

For instance, I'm not big on shopping and nightlife, and therefore I like Dublin, but I love the west. I love history and landscapes. I love the cliffs of Moher, the Burren with it's strange moonscapes and neolithic sites, the Dingle Peninsula with it's breathtaking cliff views and beaches. The Aran Islands and it's laid-back, last-century way of life. Killarney National Park's beauty, the Ring of Kerry.

See what I mean? Where you should go depends on what you like doing.

I love what you just wrote--the problem is my husband wanting to stay on the east coast at the ritz carlton--so i was trying to get something out of the west!!! We both like beaches and landscapes--is there any way we could do SOMETHING out west and still enjoy ourselves???? Or does the east have enough for us to enjoy. Thanks on our 25th!!!And whatever is booked, I could still un-book.

Could you change your return flight to leave from Shannon? That way you could see Dublin for a couple of days, then head to Dingle (or wherever in the west, but I like Dingle) for a few days without having to backtrack. I would do Dublin first, as it would eliminate the need to drive (on the left) when you're jet lagged.

If you do stay in the eastern half, I would definitely make time to visit Glendalough in County Wicklow.

I can't change my flight-it's too expensive; but i can fly from dublin to shannon on my day of arrival (it's pretty reasonable)--would that work for a few days?

If you have plenty of time to connect to your flight to Shannon, it could work. Just remember that that will be a separate ticket, so if you miss your flight due to your first flight being delayed, the airline has no obligation to rebook you. I would not drive very far on your first day, though - maybe to Doolin to see the Cliffs of Moher, then head to Dingle (or wherever) the next day.

It's interesting that the cost of booking a second flight is that much less than changing your original flight - airline pricing never ceases to amaze me.

thanks for your help--one last question; if we do decide to stay east most of the time and only head out west overnight--where do you think we should stay and what area should we concentrate on with limited time--do you know how far it is from cliffs to dingle? thanks

Well, I think anywhere would deserve at least two nights. That aside, I would do some research into what you would like to see and then make your choice. Dingle and Kenmare/Killarney are both very popular. Dingle is my preference, but it depends on whether the things around Dingle draw you more than those in Kenmare/Killarney.

For distances, I found that using viamichelin.com and adding 50% to their times was pretty accurate.

thanks so much