My husband and I are throwing around the idea of a trip to Ireland (with a stop in London) at the end of May. Possibly 10 days. I would love to see as much of Ireland as possible...my priorities being Dublin, Kerry (family is from there) and Galway...I know they are all spread out. Is it possible to do over 7 or so days? We only want to stop in London for 2 days tops. Thanks in advance!

If you flew into Dublin and out of Shannon(or the other way around) it would be possible but busy. Personally I would skip Dublin and concentrate on the other two areas as it would be more relaxed and you could explore a little deeper.

Shouldn't be a problem, especially if you get over your 'jet lag' in London. Yes, as panhandle says, it would be even easier if you landed at Shannon and tripped to (nearby) Kerry (i.e., Tralee is less than 3-hours from Shannon; Dingle or Ballybunion, add an hour). Then you could take the Tarbert-Killimer ferry to west Clare, continue up to Lahinch, the Burren, the cliffs of Moher and Doolin and finally to Galway.

If you stay in Salthill you might have time to drive a 'loop' thru Connemara for a day (or take a ferry to the Aran Islands).

Then Dublin is about a 4-hour drive from Galway.

Agree with everyone so far in that it can be done as long as you stick with your current priorities as the plan. It's hard to keep the list light, as there's so much to see and do.

One thing from a logistics standpoint I think I would do if it were my trip. I'd book a multi-city ticket (open jaw) flying into Dublin and home from London, either Heathrow or Gatwick. Then you can start with a city experience while you're on foot to walk off the jet lag for a couple of days. Then you can drive over to Galway, maybe make a round of Connemara as Ned suggested (wonderful) before heading south to Kerry.

The sights in Kerry are mostly more rural and scenic (my tastes lean that way anyway). You could wind up at Shannon airport and turn in the car. Book a really cheap flight on Ryan Air to London Stansted airport. I just checked and www.ryanair.com is showing flights on that route for as low as 4 Euros, plus tax, in late May for weekday flights. No, that price is not a typo.

I figure by putting Dublin at the beginning and London at the end, you also break up the big city experiences. That's just me though. We've done the same basic combo of Ireland/London. We booked a 3-legged trip from US-Dub-Lon and it was more than what I'm seeing with Ryan Air thrown into the equation. Live and learn.

Sounds like a fun trip!

RyanAir also flys out of Kerry Airport - looks like it may be 15 minutes from the Ring of Kerry

http://www.kerryairport.ie/

So Dublin to Galway to Kerry to London should work well...

We spent about a week in Ireland. We flew into Dublin, picked up a car and drove to Galway (stopped at Clonmacnoise?) which was a very easy trip. We spent a night in Galway before heading south. We ended up in Dublin where we had a relaxing two nights before flying home. We stayed at Dromoland, Dingle, Cork(skip it), Kilkenny, and then Dublin. We left the suitcases in the hatchback and just carried in our toiletries and clothing for the next day.

Agree that it can be done. The Ryan Air thing is interesting. You will need to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to make the flight. If your plane is late or the traffic is terrible, it could take a while to get to Stansted. Also, though Ryan Air was cheaper than Aer Lingus (AL was about 19.00 before tax), I figured with the hassle to get to another airport and the cost of a bus (or if you are crazy and take a cab) I'd rather fly out of the same airport. I talked to a woman in Ireland who spent 100 pounds to get to Stansted by taxi. Yikes! I don't remember the cost of the bus between the two airports, but I'm sure it's more than 10 pounds. If though, you stay in london for a while on either end, you might as well use Ryan Air.

If I were flying into Dublin and out of Shannon, I think I would make the Galway leg my last stop. Depending on where you are near the RoK, it will be about a 3-4+ hours back to Shannon. Galway is about 1.5 and a pretty easy ride once you get out of town. Only Ennis and Gort slow you down at all.

Thanks so much for all of the information, everyone! I'm getting really excited about the prospect of this trip. Hubby and I love a busy vacation..we're not the lay-about types (sometimes wish we were), so a crowded schedule is fine by us. Keep those hints comin'!

These are some very good suggestions/ideas, but IMO the one that is missing is to slow down. You may be a very active couple, but Ireland is best enjoyed at a snail's pace. What ever y'all plan, try to pare it down some more as it is easy to do too much(speaking from experience). May is a great time of year with less tourists and warmer weather, so you should have a great time. I would go along with the Galway/Clare then Kerry plan as you would enjoy both a great city and country side. I hope that your trip becomes a reality. Good luck