<i>Green Dragon, where can i find your trip reports? Id love to read them!</i>

Simply click on Green Dragon's name and scroll to the bottom where the trip reports are listed. viola

I suggest that you get a guidebook or two and read them. They'll help you a lot in making your decisions, and if you're like me, you'll enjoy reading them. Poring over a guidebook or two is always an enjoyable part of planning my trips.

Some of the smaller tour companies are good eg Vagabond. Paddywagon is now using bigger coaches in eg Killarney. Nb I live in Kerry and happy to advise.

What Indy_dad said. Also, on my website. http://www.greendragonartist.com/BI/BItripreports.htm

Thanks you guys! @greendragon. I just read your post regarding your trip. Sounds like an adventure! The itinerary has given me some ideas as well. Cant wait to read your trip report!

It appears as my next trip is on furlough - out of a total of 8 other travelers, none are able to make it with me this trip. So, either I go it alone (which I've done before, but prefer a companion), or I postpone it :(

That's a shame! Sounds like you had a lot of the planning taken care of already. Hopefully it pans out for you soon!

Is it crazy to try and see Ireland AND Scotland in 16 days? I've decided against driving, it will all be either by bus or by train and I'll change my "home base" every 2 or 3 days. Now that I have been doing some research, it seems a shame to skip Scotland since it's pretty unlikely that I will be back anytime soon, but I don't want to get too ambitious either. Any thoughts? I'm open to where each of my stops is as of yet, I haven't decided on any of the stops, although I really would like to make Galway one of them.

I spent 3 weeks in Scotland, and barely scratched the edges.

Best to enjoy fewer places at greater ease than a mad rush tp see more. I am blessed with now living on the Ring of Kerry and am seeing and learning more and more each time out. To me, Ireland beats Scotland into the proverbial cocked hat and I know Scotland well. Before I came to live in Ireland many years ago now, Scotland was my favourite place, but not any more. For me Kerry has the edge on anywhere else in Ireland and I have lived and travelled widely in Ireland. Huge variety of scenery and places, rich in history. Far eniugh from the great conurbations to have retained more of the true Irish charm.

Okay Decision made. No Scotland, Just Ireland. Thanks for the advice, I wondered if that would be stretching things too thin. I don't want to feel rushed on the whole trip.

If you want a nice escorted tour, you might look at a website with an all Ireland tour for a couple of weeks and then you can do your own exploring. They have a blog where you can ask questions on planning and you can get information from someone with years of experience at Conn's Ireland. http://connsireland.com/