This site has provided alot of good info so I thought I'd put up our itinerary for critique. We are leaving 7/10. Any suggestions for B&Bs, restaurants or sights to see? Also, are any adjustments needed - is it doable? We'll have our 12 year old with us.

Day 1-Arrive 7am, on road by 11am, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park/Knappogue castle, maybe Quin Abbey, Clare Abbey - Sleep in Bunratty
Day 2-King John's Castle, Lough Gur Stone Circle, Caher, Cashel - Sleep in Cahir or Mitchelstown
Day 3-Drive to Cork, Kinsale, Charles Fort, then along southern coast, Drombeg stone circle, Skibbereen (lunch), Dinner in Bantry. - Sleep in Bantry
Day 4-Bantry Town, Sheeps Head or Mizen Head - Sleep in Bantry
Day 5-Kilarney NP, Muckross House, Ross Castle, Donloe Castle, Killorglin-Kerry Woolen Mills, Dinner in Tralee - Sleep in Tralee
Day 6-Tour Dingle Penninsula - Sleep in Tralee
Day 7-Drive to Kilrush Ferry, (Glin Castle), Cliffs of Moher, Tour the Burren, Dinner at Dungaire Castle - Sleep in Kinvara
Day 8-Stop in Galway, Tour Connemara, (Aughnanure Castle), Kylemore Abbey, Connemara Ntl Pk ? Sleep in Westport or Castlebar
Day 9-West Port or Castlbar Cemetary/Church, Ashford Castle, (Cong), Ross Abbey - Sleep in Westport or Castlebar
Day 10-Drive like the wind, Trim Caste, Dinner in Dublin - Sleep in Navan
Wed 11-Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth (Mellifont Abbey, Trim Castle) - Sleep in Navan
Thu 12-Fly home 2:45pm - Sleep in Home

Did you not book any B&B's? I would advise to book a few along the way as this is the busy season unless you want to drive for a while each night looking for places to stay. Especially in Bunratty!

We do have a B&B reserved the 1st night in Bunratty and the last 2 nights in Navan. Now I am working to fill in the middle. The plan was to 'Go-As-You-Please' but you are correct and I'm making reservations.

Just a few observations. WOW! You intend to "see it all", or near as ... Does your 12 year old like riding in the car? The godd news is you have lots of stops factored in.
Day 1: I would think you would be on the road by 9:00. I would add Craggenowen Project and pick up Knappague Castle and Quin Abbey then continue on to Bunratty, check into a B&B for a nap (2 hours) and then tour the Castle and Folk Park.
Day 3: Lunch in Skibbereen, will most likely be lunch in Kinsale, Timewise. Plus, Sib to Bantry shouldn't take more than 1/2 hour, unless you tour Mizen or Sheep's Head, enroute.
Day 10: Dinner in Dublin? You MIGHT have time for that ... but little else.

In most cases, it IS preferrable to spend 2 or more nights in a fixed base, but you might want to eliminate the "backtracking" and try 1 night and then move foreward to minimize your momentum and save some time. For example, end day 4 in Kenmare, or Killarney

I wish you luck, it is doable, but it could be hard to 'stay on schedule'.

Thanks for replying! Your advice in particular has seemed valuable. We have taken US driving trips and our 12 year old enjoys seeing the sights. He's looking forward to visiting castles in particular. Not too many of those in the US. We are in the process of firming up B&B reservations. How necessary is this given the busy season? Which days are most critical to have reservations? I assume it is frowned upon to make reservations and then have to change them?

To be honest I myself have gone off without a booking but we had to drive a lot to get a place in a busy area and most I was not thrilled with as the better ones are booked out. I am concerned as it is the high season for you and weekends will be busier as we floks over here occasionally go off for a weekend as well . Stay in Westposrt hen you are in Mayo as it is far more picturesque than Castlebar. There are several good pubs and restaurants in the area. Take a hike out to croagh Patrick as your son may be worn out from Abbeys they start to blur after a while.

Yes it IS frowned upon, and some of the B&B's have started asking for CC info to reserve them. This is peak season, so .. the Tourist Information Offices will book you for a very small fee, plus they generally know the area. If you call a place and they are booked up, many of them will recommend a friend in the business, who might have availability. Since you will be traveling as three ( either a single and a double) or all three sharing one room, both options DO limit room availability. If you don't have a reservation for the night, I would recommend that you start looking about 12:00 or 1:00 PM. If you wait until after 3:00, pickings could get pretty slim, particularly in the real tourist areas like Killarney, Dingle, etc.

Since your son is into forts and castles, be sure to watch out for the promontary fort on the Slea Head Drive on Dingle. The Ross Castle restoration in Killarney is actually very well done. Other than "The Stone", Blarney is basically just a gutted version of Bunratty, and given your agenda, probably not worth the time investment (this trip).
Allow yourself time to meet and enjoy the people of Ireland. True, the scenery and history of the place IS amazing, but it is the Irish people that bring us back, again and again.
Be awaree that a stop for lunch can stretch into a two hour adventure (or an ordeal - if you are a TYPE A, 'the schedule is everything' type of person).

I would suggest you 're-evaluate your plans about the end of day 3 and maybe adjust it to the conditions you encounter (traffic, interests, etc.). Even though we plan for months, I bring at least one good guide book along each trip, to 'fine tune'.

Fallon's B&B in Kinvara is one of my favorites. (I think the Fallons have 8 or 9 children of their own, mostly grown now, so the place is definitely 'kid friendly'.)