The ONE spot to go to in Ireland for Four Days
 

After much thought and consideration, I have decided that I'd like to fly into Dublin in late August. Upon arrival, I'd like to take a train to somewhere in Ireland that's lovely and beautiful and that I can walk around and roam (mostly on foot), and yes, have a few pints. Then, we will return by train to Dublin for two days. My daughter and I are flying into Ireland after 2 weeks wandering through Rome, Florence, Venice and Paris and would like the four days in Ireland to be more about people and landscape than museums and "sites".
Any suggestions will heartily considered and greatly appreciated.

You could do a lot worse than basing yourselves in Glendalough. Not far from Dublin (an hour on the bus) yet in the wilds of the Wicklow Mountains (old 'bandit' country) and a stunning ancient monastery, glacial lakes, wild goats - what better way to recover from the stresses of Rome?
I have some pictures at http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/glendalough_ireland.htm if you'd like to see what it looks like.

Would have to get you to consider the train to Westport (don't worry about when to get off, it's at the end of the line). The town itself is not large but offers a good range of accomodation ..... and pubs. Westport House can be reached on foot from the town. Croagh Patrick offers an interesting challenge for the moderately fit; you could cycle to Murrisk to start your climb if you don't plan on a car (either way you might still allow yourself a pint in Campbell on your descent). If you have a car, the Silver Strand beyond Louisburgh has a great walk to another beach across open heath with views out to Inishbofin.... Or a visit to Clifden, taking in perhaps Kylemore Abbey..... Or a day out to Clare Island.
Since you will be doing the culture thing in Paris, the Musee d'Orsay is a must see, if you are a fan of late 19c art.

I would go to Killarney. The train from Heuston Station,Dublin,takes about 3h 30min and gets you to the centre of the town.The place to visit though is Killarney National Park which starts only 5 mins from there.If you have a car you can visit Kenmare and Dingle too,even as daytrips. I note that both Dingle and Killarney make the top 100 places in the world to visit in www.tripadvisor.com

I agree with Jeremy about Glendalough. Since it's so close to Dublin, you won't waste the precious little time you have by traveling. We were there in April and were blown away by the beauty of the area. Great hiking/walking and I would loved to have been able to stay there overnight so we could see the ancient monastery at Glendalough NP in the morning before the tourists arrived. I think it would have been magical!

I'd go to Killarney. You can take bus tours of the Ring of kerry and Dingle Penninsula, you can walk all around Killarney, you can rent a bike and go out to teh Gap of Dunloe and go through it by pony.

I enjoyed Glendalough, but it's very quiet and small. Two days there is more than enough and you would be limited to one or two points of interest. I think Killarney might be a better idea. Once you've arrived in Killarney, you can explore the lakes and all the beautiful natural scenery of the area. You can enjoy the pubs at night. You can tour Muckross House and wander through the gardens. You can go out to Ross Castle and watch the sun set behind the lake. There are a lot of options to choose from and it's all accessible on foot or with a short cab ride. But you certainly wouldn't have to be on the go all the time here. I really enjoyed just wandering around the lakes here and taking it easy.

My trip review & photos from Ireland, including a Killarney stay: http://tinyurl.com/nx3ccg

On our first trip to Ireland last month, we fell in love with Dingle Town. Driving the 30-mile Slea Head Loop from there needs two days to do properly. (Drive it CLOCKWISE, with the buses). Pubs? Go no further than Foxy John Hardware, and Curtin's Haberdashery across the alley. For craic at night, go to An Conair Bar nearly any night of the week. I've written a piece about these pubs and their music for frommer.com, called "A Fuggin' Bollocks of a Country". I'll repost it here.

Erin,

I just read your trip report from 2007 and I have to say your description of Connemara seemed the most appealing for a number of reasons. Can I go wrong choosing Connemara over Killarney? We've got Dublin in the itinerary for action.

The Spaniard Pub in Kinsale. (yes, for the whole four days :)

Eibhlin- I absolutely loved Connemara and always recommend that part of the country to others. My only hesitation here is that you won't have a car. I believe you can take a train from Dublin to Westport in Co. Mayo (haven't been, but hear it's fantastic there), which is just north of the Connemara region I mention in my review. Maybe there's a bus transfer from Westport to Clifden? However, seeing the Connemara Loop and all the coastal towns really requires a car to explore. You might ask around to others who are more familiar about possible guided tours out of Westport or some way to see a few sights if you won't have a car. Poster "SanDee" above might have some thoughts. Good luck!

Have checked the Bus Eireann site for you but cannot locate any service Westport-Clifden. Clifden itself is served from Galway by bus but as a base for four days sans car..... not that much on offer in the immediate locality to discover on foot. A car would be required to explore Roundstone, Inagh valley, Letterfrack etc.

Thank you Erin and SeeDee. Perhaps I should take the train to Westport and hire a car for 3 days?

If you check Casey Car Rentals, they offer a three day rental from Westport from $261 - a bit steep for a few days but it would open up the whole region to you (if you had any remaining energy left after exploring Europe).

3 places stand out for me as the prettiest in Ireland (maybe 4 actually)

Kerry, probably Killarney. Outside Dublin the most visited spot in Ireland, so very touristy but really really lovely. Just beautiful. I dont think itself Killarney is a bad spot, but the stuff so close to it is wonderful.

Antrim Coast. Stunning scenery, loads of sights and things to do - giants causeway, bushmills, carrick a rede rope bridge, mussendon, less touristy but getting worse and worse as more people come north. Would be cheaper than Kerry.

Fermanagh Lakes. Lovely and relaxing. One of the most undertouristed places in Ireland and I cant understand why. So many sites and parks with no one in them! Hire a river boat for a few days drifting around seeing the lakes and some of the other nearby counties. Boat aside it would be the cheapest option.

Like others have said Connemara and the west is outstandingly pretty, but the other places I have mentioned maybe have a little more to do for 3 days, especially with no car.

Have fun!

I think I'm going bonkers with choice. I would like to thank everyone for their comments. After some guidebook reading and copious internet searches I'm almost ready to say the Dingle Penisula (not least because my father took me to see Ryan's Daughter years ago when I was too young and he would doubtlessly be arrested nowadays for doing so:)! That movie ranks as my favourite of all time, it left an indelible impression on my young mind, and I've just read that the Dingle Penisula is where it was filmed - so I think I'm fated to go there). So......should I fly into Cork or Dublin? And then take a train or bus to Dingle? If I absolutely need to hire a car in Dingle I will do so for a couple of days and then train to Dublin (our exit flight back to Canada). We are coming from Paris and Aer Lingus flys to both Cork and Dublin - hence the opportunity to choose either entrance point. Once again - thank you to everyone who's made (will make) comments.