PJTravels

I now have the route for our May/June 2012 trip to Ireland mapped out, thanks to Fodorites who answered my previous post regarding this upcoming trip. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-requested.cfm

Our itinerary follows. We hope to spend most of our time hiking, visiting historical sites and gardens.

My current question is how to best allocate the time spent in Kinsale , Kenmare and Dingle. My current plan is 3 nights in Kinsale (or further along Mizen Head), 4 nights in Kenmare as a base for both the Beara and Iveraugh Peninsulas, and 3 nights in Dingle.
Please advise if the time should be reallocated between these 3 areas.

In addition, we have been advised to include Connemara in our trip and I budgeted 4 nights for that area. We will be traveling back to Dublin from there.

Dublin 3 nights

Glendalough (Laraugh) 2 nights
Tour Powerscourt on the way down from Dublin, tour Glendalough, walk on the Wicklow Way

Kilkenny or Cashel 1 night
Overnight stop on the way to the Kinsale area. Tour Rock of Cashel.

Kinsale and area 3 nights
Check out Cork, Charles Fort, hike areas of Lee Valley, Mizen Head, Sheep's Head Way. Consider 1 night Kinsale, 2 nights further along Mizen Head.

Kenmare 4 nights
Base camp for walks on Beara Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry,Skellig Rocks, Killarney N.P., Torc Waterfall, Muckross House, etc.

Dingle 3 nights
Base camp for walks, possibly Great Blasket Is.

Ballyvaughan - 3 nights
Base camp for touring the Burren, built in "down time"

Connemara - 4 nights: possibly 1 in Galway, 3 in Clifden
Call an audible regarding trip to Aran Islands.

Dublin - 1 night prior to return flight to San Francisco

Tony2phones

Conamara has lots of places for walking

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-...ty_Galway.html

irishface

I would give Kinsale only one night and spend the next two farther along Mizen Head. I seem to be in the minority, but I don't get Kinsale's special appeal let alone for three nights.

irishface

I forgot to say that I hope you get to go out to the Great Blasket! To me, it was a very special place and is one of my top favorite memories of many trips to Ireland.

Tony2phones

You are not Alone..Kinsale is a nice place to visit but it has forgotten itself in with some folk deciding it's the only place in Ireland where you can get a gourmet meal. Personally I like to have the craic with the locals and Cobh is far better for that as a working town, rather than mooring for money.

Forgot the Burren link before http://www.burrenecotourism.com/

TPAYT

I'm going to agree with irishface & Tony in that Kinsale was not our favorite. As far as gourmet food goes, the only good dinner we had in the area was actually outside of Cobh
http://www.farmgate.ie/midleton/midhome.htm
The 3 dinners we had in Kinsale were a disappointment.
Charles Fort and Mizen Head were both interesting and beautiful.

On the "food" note---our best dinner in all of Ireland was at
http://www.kenmarerestaurants.com/mulcahys/main.html

That said, I'd stay only 1 night in Kinsale. Possibly 2 if you arrive in Kinsale late in the day, tour Charles Fort & Mizen Head the next day, 1 more night and move on.

Clodagh_DunworthRyan

Kenmare is definitely worth a four day stay, the town itself is beautifully planned and the buildings are colourful and bright. There is a great variety of shops and some fantastic restaurants and pubs.
I would recommend the ring of beara and glengariff, killarney national park, Gleninchaquin Park, Ring of Kerry and perhaps a trip to castletownbere and Beara Island

PJTravels

Thanks to all of you for your advice and suggestions.

Clifton

Another here who prefers Cobh to Kinsale. I don't enjoy spending that much time in Kinsale so one night is all I'd do at most too. But Connemara is beautiful and unique and deserves some time if you're a walker. It, plus Dingle, Beara, the ROK, Cobh, and the Burren are all places I'd put over Kinsale, personally.

suz24

one thing i remember most form our trip 16 years ago now, was getting ahold of a simple tour book to different standing stone circles and burial stones. The direction you may read will sound crazy ("walk down the road, take a left at the fence post, walk 100 feet on go right through the gate, then over the stile, then...") but the were excellent directions and the small places and bigger places wiwe found with the book were great. I imagine there is an "app." now....
We also enjoyed a 1 hour or so visit to the fort by Kinsale. My brother says it is a great example of a star fort. I am not typically a military buff, having been dragged to too many US revolutionary battle sites when young, but it was interesting.
The drive around the Beara (s?) penisula was very nice and uncrowded back then.
Any small pub in any small town will likely be lovely.
If you'd like to see a nice Irish movie set in that area, get "The Button Wars".