Ireland itinerary
 

I plan to spend a couple of weeks with a hire car in Ireland, and after doing some preliminary research have come up with this itinerary. Any suggestions welcomed ...
Fly into Dublin late afternoon
Near Dublin airport (1 night)
Waterford (1)
Kinsale, near Cork (1)
Kenmare, near Killarney (2)
Dingle (2)
Galway (2)
Clifden (1)
Donegal (1)
Portstewart, north of Londenderry (2)
Belfast (1)
Dublin (2)
Fly out late evening

As elsewhere

16 nights is fine for your road trip. What I would suggest is driving to Belfast for the night when you land in Dublin, leave the Dublin nights to the end.

Personally I would add a night to Donegal which is a Touring base, taking this from Dingle which is not. I will be challenged on that but its just a suggestion. Its unlikely I'll be challenged for recommending Cork city as a base over Kinsale.

I absolutely loved Kinsale but I haven't stayed in Cork. Kinsale is cute and intimate with a cool fort guarding the harbor.

I infer that your wish is to enjoy scenery. If there is something different that you want from your itinerary, please say what else you hope for.

Of course Tony expects to be challenged when he advises on Dingle, because he has an idiosyncratic dislike of the place. It's true that Dingle is not a touring base; it's a destination, a place where people go to experience being there, rather than just sleeping there and then going driving in order to spend one's waking hours being elsewhere.

Why Waterford? And do you mean the city or the small towns and villages of West Waterford?

I like Cork, but if I wanted a place for dinner and night's sleep after a day touring, I'd sooner take Kinsale.

From Clifden to Portstewart with just one overnight stop involves passing fairly quickly through scenic areas. I'd plan for a second night on that route, and I don't think you need two nights at Portstewart because the following day's drive is quite short. The journey from Belfast to Dublin is also easy, because it is motorway, a contrast with most of your itinerary, which will involve slower roads.

After further research and valuable input from people on this and other forums, my tweaked itinerary is as follows ...

near Dublin airport (1 night)
Dunmore East, near Waterford (1)
Kinsale, near Cork (1)
Kenmare (2)
Dingle (2)
Galway (2)
Clifden (1)
Killybegs (1)
Annagry (1)
Portstewart (1)
Belfast (1)
Dublin (2)

That's the dinner, bed, and breakfast locations sorted.

Now all that remains is to plan what happens between breakfast and dinner.

I would do the two hour ride to Belfast the first night and start the coastal road early the next day. So many beautiful spots to enjoy and Giant's causeway is not to be missed unless you have already seen it. Portstewart is a good stop for the night. I would give Clifden an extra night or look at Westport. Clare Island is a good day trip. Maybe one night in Galway and head to the cliffs via the road to Dingle. Reason for Waterford? Glendalough is beautiful and would make a good stop for the night on way to Dublin. Drop the car and enjoy Dublin.
I am just happy to see you included NI. It is beautiful and people great.

It's not even 2 hours from Dublin Airport to Belfast M1 & A1 but the OP has gained conclusive information overnight on forums I don't touch.

Agree Tony. Best tip is head north from Dublin. Short drive. Belfast is easy to get in and out of. Premiere Inns are good, late afternoon flight would still get you in at a reasonable hour. Are you flying within Europe or will you be jetlagged?

I exaggerated, I'm using two forums, two that you use Tony, as I see your replies on both.

Going first to Belfast would mean doing the trip anti-clockwise rather than clockwise, which of course is no big deal. I thought hard about whether to stay the first night near Dublin airport. (Not one of the hotels at the airport, as I find airports rather characterless, but one about twenty kilometres away.) I had considered driving to Kilkenny the first night but decided that, as I would be tired from my flight, arriving late afternoon (or, if delayed, early evening), I didn't want to face a long drive to my first lodgings.

After reading people's contributions I was going to add an extra night at Donegal. Instead, I found a well-reviewed place a bit further up the coast at Annagry so I wouldn't have to backtrack, and the trip next day to Portstewart would be shorter. I changed Donegal to Killybegs, only about 25 kilometres away, again beacuse I found a place to stay that looks good. Annagry should make a convenient stopping point and allow me to explore the coast between Donegal and Londonderry more thoroughly.

I originally had two nights at Portstewart but at someone's suggestion reduced this to one. It's not far from Belfast by the direct route, but I'm hoping that I'll have time to take a more coastal route, as I believe there are some nice waterfalls in the far northeast, yes? I'm glad to read from one contributor that Belfast is easy to get in and out of. I haven't looked into accommodation there yet.

I ordered a Lonely Planet for Ireland last week (from UK ... it works out cheaper, sadly for our local booksellers), and will be interested to immerse myself in it for a few days, which may result in some more tweaking. Meanwhile, keep suggestions coming. I don't guarantee to take everyone's advice (especially if it's conflicting) but I do value your input.