We had a wonderful trip to Ireland and thought I would share our itinerary. We had no trouble driving and found everyone to be extremely friendly!

May 14th- Arrived in Dublin. Took a bus to the Conrad Hotel. Walked through St. Stephens Green to Grafton Street for shopping and to eat lunch. Then walked to tour Trinity College and see the Book of Kells exhibit and the Long Library. Ate dinner at Oliver St. John Gogarty.

May 15th Ate a wonderful breakfast at the Conrad. Did the hop-on, hop-off bus tour, starting with the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol. Toured the Dublin Writers Museum and the James Joyce museum. Walked all over Dublin. At dinner at Bewley’s Oriental Cafe.

May 16th Ate breakfast at the Conrad. Walked around Merrion Square, viewing the “Dublin Doors” of the Georgetown townhouses that ring the square. Walked through the square and enjoyed the gardens. Toured St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and Dublin Castle. Ate dinner at the Queen of Tarts. Listened to Irish music at night.

May 17th Picked up the car in Dublin. Drove to Glendalough and then on to Kilkenny. Stayed at Rosquil House B&B. Shopped all over Kilkenny. Toured the Kilkenny Castle. Ate dinner at Langton’s Restaurant. Listened to Irish Music in a local pub.

May 18th Drove to the Rock of Cashel and did the guided tour on the history of the rock. Then drove to Kinsale in light rain, which persisted throughout the evening. Stayed at the Old Presbytery B&B. Shopped all over Kinsale. Ate at Fishy Fishy Cafe. Listened to Irish music in the evening.

May 19th. Left Kinsale and drove by Charles Fort for a beautiful view of Kinsale Harbor. Then headed to Cobh for the Queenstown Experience. After that, we drove to Killarney and immediately went to Kathleen’s Country House. Toured Ross Castle and ate dinner (boxty) at Bricin’s. Shopped a little and then listened to Irish music at the Grand Hotel.

May 20th Spent the day driving the Ring of Kerry. Took the ferry to Valencia Island and spent time in Sneem. Found the register for the baptismal record of my great-grandfather,John Sullivan in 1860. Returned to Killarney and ate dinner at Treyvards. Shopped and then listened to Irish music at the Grand Hotel.

May 21st Spent the day driving the Dingle Peninsula. Stopped at Inch Beach, shopped in Dingle. Bought a good bit at the Irish linen shop. Had a fabulous meal at Out of the Blue Seafood Restaurant. Enjoyed spectacular scenery and did not get back to Killarney until after 9 PM, using all the sunlight of the day!

May 22nd. Another gorgeous day as we headed to hike the Gap of Dunloe. Hiked 7 miles in 2.5 hours and saw fabulous scenery. We then had a snack at the café and took an hour boat ride back to Killarney through three lakes. We ate boxty at Bricin’s again and then went to the Grand Hotel Pub to listen to Irish music. While we were there, a local man, who is a famous Irish dancer, walked into the pub and did three dances! What a treat! He was amazing.

May 23rd Toured Muckross House in the morning and then left Killarney. Drove to the Cliffs of Mohre and had a fabulous day to see the cliffs. Stopped in Doolin and then drove through the Burren and on to Galway. Ate dinner at McDonagh’s Seafood House and then listened to Irish music at a pub.

May 24th Took a guided day trip to Connamara and Innishmore. Saw the Quiet Man Bridge in Connemara and wonderful scenery EVERYWHERE. On Inishmore, hiked to Dun Angus to observe the cliffs and the 3,000 year-old fort. Had a wonderful dinner at the Park House Hotel where we were staying. Listened to Irish music in a pub.

May 25th Toured Galway. Walked and shopped all over. Ate dinner at The Quays pub and then went to the Trad On the Prom show in Salthill What a fabulous show!!

May 26th Left Galway and drove to the scenic town of Clifden in Connemara. Did the Sky Drive near Clifden, stopped at Kylemore Abbey, and then drove on to Westport. Ate dinner at Mangos and went to the famous Malloy pub of the Chieftans to listen to Irish music.

May 27th Left Westport to head back to Dublin. Before we returned the car we made a quick stop at Howth. We walked out to the lighthouse and ate fish and chips for supper.

May28th Headed home!

Hi! Thanks for sharing your itinerary. Would you mind giving me an idea of what your trip cost, generally? I am going to Ireland in September with a girl friend for a week. I've never gone on any kind of trip like this before and don't know where to begin. Thanks!

I like your itinerary. How did you find the driving? Were you comfortable with it? What agency did you rent the car from, and how did you deal with the insurance? Thanks.

Good read. We also are going to Ireland in Sept. so appreciate all the tips.

We rented our car from Hertz. The car had quite a bit of mileage on it but we had no problems with it. I would recommend taking pictures of the car before you accept it. I have heard of problems with turning the car in and being responsible for damage that was already there. However, we had no hassle. We decided to not worry about the cost of car insurance and just paid to get good coverage. I guess it is just part of the trip!
My husband did the driving and had no trouble getting used to driving on the left. We drove over 1000 miles.
We loved our trip. We used Advantage Miles and booked our trip last August. We stayed in B&B's that were afforable and ate a big breakfast everyday, then didn't eat again til dinner. One thing we found is that alot of restaurants have "early bird rate" if you eat between 6-7, so we did that often.
We really had a wonderful time and hope to go back. If I can be of help, just let me know.

Thank you for your trip report

Ireland is high on my list and I appreciate your insight and information. We would like to do something similar to your trip. We too like to stay in in B&Bs.

Your trip sounded wonderful with lots of great memories