Hi, everyone. I went to Ireland on my honeymoon seven years ago and I'm thrilled to be returning. This time is a bit trickier. My husband and I (ages 54 and 48) are taking my father-in-law (age 85, but very energetic for his age). Both my husband and his father are of Irish descent. His dad wants to visit county Meath north of Dublin, where his ancestors are from. We may actually be able to contact some relatives -- not sure yet.

So anyway, we're flying in to Dublin and out of Shannon, with 9 days on the ground in between. Here is my proposed scheduled. My father-in-law is healthy, but long walks are not an option. A lot of car time is OK, but I want to make sure we have some nice stops as well. Here is my current plan. What do you think?

Day 1: Land in Dublin, drive to Trim, stay in B&B
Day 2: Explore Meath area and Boyne Valley, stay in Trim
Day 3: Drive to Clifden, stay there
Day 4: Explore Connemara, stay in Clifden
Day 5: Drive to Doolin, explore Burren and Cliffs of Moher prior to checking in Doolin B&B
Day 6: Drive to Dingle, stay in Dingle
Day 7: Explore Dingle area, stay in Dingle
Day 8: Explore Dingle area, stay in Dingle
Day 9: Drive to Ennis, stay there for the night, then head for Shannon next day for 1:15pm flight

We plan to go to pubs at night, etc. and see local sites and scenery during the day. Think this will work? BTW, the one place we COULDN'T see on our honeymoon was Dingle. Can you believe it? The place was socked in by fog for two whole days. But the town was fun anyway. I'd still love to see the landscape there.

Thanks for your help.

Looks like a full but relaxing itinerary. Good idea to spend more than one night in most of the places. Good luck in finding Dingle clear!

Looks like we are planning to be in similar places, I will be watching this post with interest. (May for us)

Good plan.

DAY 2
If you look for nice stops on day 2 (Trim-Clifden), you could visit the historic whiskey distillery in Kilbeggan (near Tullamore). You pass it on M6 anyway.

You have to climb some (normal) stairs to see all exhibits and I do not remember if they had some elevators hidden somewhere in that historic building. So if mobility is an issue, you may want to inquire ahead.
http://www.lockesdistillerymuseum.ie/

Another sight worth a stop would be Clonmacnoise.
Not much walking required to explore the site, it's very compact.
http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/mid.../clonmacnoise/

DAY 5
When searching for B&Bs in Doolin, keep in mind that there is quite some "urban sprawl", i.e. many B&Bs still are technically in Doolin, but not necessarily in walking distance (for your FIL) to the village center with its pubs and restaurants. So I would check the B&B descriptions to get a clear picture of the distance to the village center.

DAY 6 or DAY 9
On either day you could visit Buratty Folk Park. While opinions differ if that place is not too touristy, it can be an interesting stop to see the buildings from the different periods.
Another stop could be Adare. Very "accessible" as the central parking lot is right off main street. You don't need more than 200-300 yards walking to the thatched houses.

Thanks, Cowboy, for your great ideas. My FIL can walk up a flight or two of stairs and short walks into villages for dinner, etc. So I'm being extra careful when booking B&Bs. I appreciate your sightseeing advice. I think this will be a wonderful experience for all of us.

I second the suggestion for Clonmacnoise.

Cowboy is right about B&Bs in Doolin. I spent a week there once in a cottage. I remember one B&B right in the village.
The rest were more than a "short" walk to the pubs, etc. One that is often highly recommended on this forum is quite a ways out. You can see the village, but it is also a walk up and down a steep hill to the pubs, etc.

I enjoyed Bunratty Folk Park and found it interesting. some people call it touristy, but I am a tourist after all.

Near shannon and Ennis is the Cragganouwen project. There is a tower
castle furnished sparsely as it would have been in the late Middle Ages. There is a farmstead recreated as it would have been a thousand years ago. It is built on an island in a pond. Today there is a walkway out to it, but in the day it was built, the stepping stones were just below waterlevel and placed in an uneven pattern so that only the family know the way to get "home". There is a "bog road" moved here from elsewhere. The "Brendan", the boat built by Tim Severin in the twentieth century, and used to recreate what might have been St. Brendan's voyage to North america is on display here. (Unfortunately, records were lost or at least buried in monastery so the Irish do not get credit for "Discovering" America.)

A short walk through the woods and you may see wild boar (fenced off from the path) and their young. There are also cattle being "downbred" to recreate the ancient breeds found in Ireland.

Cragganouwen is one of my favorite places in that part of Ireland. No matter how many times, I go back, I learn something new. There is also a pleasant little tea room there for sandwiches or scones and a cup of tea or coffee.

Thanks, Cowboy, for reminding me of all the wonderful things to see.