I'm traveling to Ireland with my fiance for our Honeymoon this summer. We are flying into Shannon early on July 12th and flying out in the evening on July 23rd from Dublin. Do these sound like reasonable dates/times for our trip? I know that I have not provided many details yet.

July 12th & 13th – Galway for 2 nights
July 14th & 15th – Doolin for 2 nights
July 16th & 17th – Dingle for 2 nights
July 18th – Killarney for 1 night
July 19th & 20th – Cork for 2 nights
July 21st – Kilkenny for 1 night
July 22nd & 23rd – Dublin for 2 nights

If it were ME, I'ld drop one night from Doolin and add it to EITHER Killarney, or Kilkenny. If you add it to Killarney and the weather is ammendable, do the Deros tour of the Gap of Dunloe. http://www.derostours.com/gapofdunloe.html

If you decide to add the day to Kilkenny, daytrip to Cahir and Cashel to visit Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel ..

Bob

I very much agree with Bob, one night in Doolin is plenty. The Gap of Dunloe is a great day and try to spend a couple of hours in the National Park. Have fun

I think you might be right. We might add a second night on two one of those cities. My other question is whether we should possibly stay in Kenmary instead of Killarney. Any opinions?

Ah -- the inevitable -- ETERNAL -- Kenmare versus Killarney Question ...

kenmare is billed as smaller, quieter and more 'REAL' a town than Killarney. It is an ideal base for folks that wish to spend a few days touring Bearra, the Ring of Kerry AND Killarney, without quite as much of the 'madness of the crowd' as its bigger neighbor.

Killarney has a heavy rep for being crowded, touristy and catering to the Tour Bus crowd, but it has been a MAJOR Tourist Attraction/Destination for a few HUNDRED years for GOOD reason.

Most of what you are apt to see and do, with only two nights, will be located in and around Killarney -- Ross Castle, Killarney National Park, Muckross House, the Gap of Dunloe and Torc Falls --

Why stay a 45 minute drive away and then DO that drive twice a day?????

As you depart Killarney for Kinsale, you'll drive down through Kenmare -- allowing you plenty of opportunity to check out ladies View, Moll's Gap and the Stone Circle, so it's not as if you will 'miss Out' on the scenery.

Here's ANOTHER thought -- Since you will be there in July -- with daylight from about 4:30 AM - 10+ PM -- Don't STAY in Doolin, at all!

Drive down from Galway making a few stops to enjoy the burren 'Moonscape', visit the Cliffs and then drive on to Killimer, cross on the ferry to Tarbert and then drive via Connor Pass, into Dingle. A long day, yes, but NOT excessively so.

Doing so, you can add one night to Killarney AND one to Killkenny -- effectively making ALL of your stays into 2-night visits.

Bob

A slightly different spin. Add a day in Galway and make County Clare a day trip [tradeoff - more driving versus less packing/unpacking]. Definitely stay in Kinsale instead of Cork. Visit Cahir/Cashel and perhaps Blarney[if you so desire] on your way to Kilkenny. Use the extra day in Killarney/Dingle/Kinsale based on your interests. Enjoy your trip.

Hey, Bob - we might be doing the same drive (Galway to Dingle) in our June 2011 trip. However, both my traveling companions are not so great with ferry trips, they get very seasick. Their usual response is dramamine - which knocks them out completely. How practical is it to make that trip without the ferry, in one day? While two of us have seen the Burren, the Cliffs, etc., one has not, and will want to. Thoughts?

Christie -- Sorry, been away at disney with the grandkids --

The Shannon Ferry covers no great distance and the total trip is maybe 20 minutes or so. You can stay in the car, get out and walk around the deck, or go dow below, where there is a snack bar.

Since it crosses the Shannon River, it would need to be QUITE stormy to inflict any SERIOUS motion sickness.

The non-ferry route (barring any nasty Limmerick traffic) would probably add about 1.5 - 2 hours of additional DRIVE time.

In 2005, my wife's cousin and his son set out from Killorglin, about 9 AM or so. They took the Ferry and drove through the Burren (but did NOT visit the Cliffs, or dawdle to 'play tourist'), enroute to Galway, to check out the University. They spent about 1.5 hours there and then drove back to Killorglin via Limmerick. They arrived at our rental house, just as we were returning from our Gap of Dunloe Tour, about 6:30 PM.
My guess is that it would still be do-able -- particularly in JUNE -- but really shouldn't be necessary, unless the weather was extremely severe -- in which case, the Burren and the Cliffs would hold little interest, as well.

Does that help????

Bob

Yup! Althought, both my traveling friends can get seasick sitting in a calm dock... 20 minutes should be doable.

Since it's our honeymoon, and we'd like a little relaxing, we're thinking about changing our stays from Cork to Kinsale and from Killarney to Kenmare. What do you all think?