I am trying to put together a trip to Ireland for 5 nights at the end of May. I will be flying from London so there are no jetlag issues etc. The initial thought is to fly into Cork and out of Dublin.

We expect to arrive in Cork midday on Thursday and leave Dublin midday on Tuesday and don't mind moving accommodation several times. I expect the first night will be in Cork and I have been to Dublin twice before so one night will be ample there. That leaves 3 nights in between.

We would like a good mixture of sightseeing in the day and places that have nightlife options in the evening.

Does anyone have a basic plan I can work from and must-see things to do along the way? Thanks for any help!

Since you've been to Dublin before, are you open to skipping it this time? If so, you'll have more time to enjoy the best of Southwest Ireland. Driving in Ireland is very slow going (which, IMO, is part of its charm), but that means driving across the country to Dublin will cut into the time you'll have for exploring. Have you thought about flying into Cork and out of Shannon? Or into Kerry and out of Shannon?

Adding to my previous post. If having one night in Dublin is important for you, then something like this could work:
Day 1 - Fly to Cork. Explore. Stay in Cork or Kinsale.
Day 2- Drive to Kenmare on the N71 along the coast, then to Killarney along the edge of the national park (very pretty section), then to Dingle. Stay in Dingle. Pubs have good traditional music sessions.
Day 3 - Tour Slea Head and as much of the rest of the Dingle Peninsula as time allows (spectacular!). Stay in Dingle.
Day 4 - Drive to Ennis via the Tarbert-Killimer ferry across the Shannon River. The Fleadh Nua, Ireland's national traditional music and dance festival, will take place in Ennis 21-29 May. Stay in Ennis.
Day 5 - Get an early start to drive to the Cliffs of Moher, through the Burren, and all the way to Dublin.

Hi,
We did a couple of daytrips from Cork because we loved the nightlife so much in that city. We eventually drove on to Doolin to see Cliffs of Moher, etc and to get much needed sleep. Agree with TimS on having to drive to Dublin. It would be timesaving to fly out of another city.

Thank you for the replies.

If it makes more sense, we can fly into Cork and out of Shannon (we are trying to get cheapo flights on the budget airlines from London).

It sounds like we may want to spend more than 1 night in Cork rather than hitting the road right away?