I have 3 extra days in London on Sunday 9/30 and MondayTuesday, October 1/2-2012. I've never been to Ireland but it seems that most accompanied tours are 5-7 days or more. Does anyone know of shorter tours rom London or day tours out of Dublin, etc.?

There's plenty of day tours out of Dublin. If you have 3 full days in Dublin, I'd spend 1-2 days there and then choose a day tour to either Newgrange or Glendalough (or both, depending on how much time you spend in Dublin).

Thanks. Any info as to best type of tours, reliability of operator, etc.

Here's some info from 2010 that might be helpful on day tours to Newgrange:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#28004928

and info on trips to Glendalough:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#26981993

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...ty_Dublin.html

Finally, Belfast as a day trip is a good option too:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#38956769

If you are interested in Ireland as opposed to Dublin (which is fine for a city break type visit) then there are a couple of companies about offering 3 day tours. If you are heading back to London then be aware of Baggage restrictions for the trip over and back. There is also a choice of airports linking Ireland and London.

Thanks to everyone! You have given me lots of options. I do have questions on the last reply (Tony2phones). What are the restrictions? I realize there is a choice of airports, but in my case I'm finishing up near Heathrow on Saturday, 9/29 and have an early morning flight back to USA on Wednesday, 10/3 from Heathrow so LHR is the most practical. Thanks.