Using Kenmare as base
 

We are thinking of staying in Kenmare for 3-4 nights and using it as a base for seeing Dingle and Kerry... anyone think this is doable or would it be too much driving back and forth?

I don't recommend it for two reasons: (1) You will spend a lot of time on the road, and (2) you will miss out on traditional music sessions in one or more Dingle pubs. I suggest you spend two nights in Dingle and two nights in Kenmare.

Dingle's a great place to base yourself. Last year we stayed at the lovely Cill Bhreac B&B:
http://www.cillbhreac.com/
And enjoyed the town, the great pubs, the harbor, some shopping and the Peninsula. Kenmare would be a bit far to see all those things and not be rushed driving - but you'll love it!

The quick answer is Kenmare is good home base for Ring of Kerry, bit of an unecessary stretch for Dingle. We spend a week in Kenmare and did amazing day trips from there, including the Ring of Kerry (ROK) very easily. On our way out from our stay towards Shannon (departure airport), we did the Dingle Peninsula and spend some time in Dingle. Kenmare was, without a doubt, more beautiful than Dingle and we also enjoyed it more (unanimous among the group). That said, it is like comparing two cute kids; there isn't a bad answer.

From Kenmare we day toured as far west as Killorglin (endpoint of west loop ROK), as far east as Kinsale and Cork, as far north as Killarney, as far south as the ROK, and also ventured southeast to Skibbereen (loved it!). Not bad at all, we would leave early morning (9ish) and have dinner most days in Kenmare by (7-8pm).

I agree with the above - Dingle to Kenmare is much too long of a drive after a night in the pub. Base yourself closer (perhaps Dingle itself) for the nights there, and then move south.

I use www.viamichelin.com and www.theaa.com to calculate drive times between places in Ireland. Keep in mind that you will go an average of 35mph on any road, and that may even be too fast.


I've a trip report here, from 2006, if you like: http://www.greendragonartist.com/BI/...eports2006.htm

Another great resource is www.irelandyes.com.

Good luck!

Thanks for your help. How is this itinerary? Too long a drive the first day?

Day 1: Arrive Dublin 5:15 a.m. Drive to Kilkenny and sightsee, then arrive in Kinsale by dinner.

Day 2: Kinsale

Day 3&4: Kenmare area

Days 5&6: Dingle

Day 7&8: Clifden, Connemara area (we want to stay at Abbeyglen Castle)

Day 9: Meath sites, then Dublin by dinner time

Day 10: Dublin

Day 11: Dublin/visit cousin in Carlow, fly out evening

Last September we spent several weeks in Ireland. We stayed a week in Clare and loved it. Next, we stayed a week in the Kenmare area. We felt pretty remote as it takes quite a bit of time to get from place to place. We rented a cottage for a week, but after 5 days of exploring Kilarney and the Ring of Kerry (including a trip to the Skelligs), we realized we were too far from most sites to do day trips. You can get to Dingle in a day, and even return, but it will be solid driving with little or no stops. We drove to Dingle from Kenmare and were tired when we got there and stayed the night. I can't imagine having driven all the way back.

I forgot to mention that Dingle to Clifden will be a really long drive! There are so many stops in between that you shouldn't miss such as a driving through the burren, Doolin and the Aran Islands. We loved Clifden though and wish we had more time to go further north.

If you are flying in from another time zone (i.e., AUS or US) then yes, that first day is dangerous. If you are flying in from elsewhere in Europe, it's doable, but a long drive.

It about knocked us out driving from Dublin to Kilkenny after a transatlantic flight, but it was doable. We got there late at night due to a delayed flight, and it was difficult finding our place in the dark, but we did it :)

The rest of your itinerary, though a bit rushed, is much better :)

I agree with the others who say that driving all the way to Kinsale after a transatlantic flight is not wise. Driving in Ireland is slow, even on major roads, so it will take you longer than you think to cover what seems like a relatively short distance.

Besides, one of the delightful things about having a car in Ireland is being able to stop whenever you wish to admire the view or take a short walk. (And being on your feet is a good way to fight jet lag.)

With that in mind I recommend that you take your time getting to Kilkenny, sightsee as time allows, and spend the night there. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, get up extra early, and be on your way to Kinsale so you can spend the majority of the day there before driving to Kenmare for the night. Allow between five and six hours of driving time.

Some options for stopping on the way to Kilkenny (which is a delightful medieval town):

National Stud/Japanese Gardens/St. Brigid's Well

Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall

Glendalough Abbey

All are great stops, and well worth a look. You could even get in both Powerscourt and Glendalough on a well-planned trip. The National Stud is in the other direction, though.

It's so hard to make these decisions! If we stay in Kilkenny the first night, that leaves us only 1 night in Kinsale...is that enough?

We also took 1 night away from Dingle in favor of a night in Ennis since it is so far from Dingle to Clifden and because it looked like we were spending too much time in that southwest corner of the country. Now I wish we had a few more days, but can't change flights now...

Do remember that for each 'one-night-stand' you have, you waste a lot of time - packing, checking out, finding the new place, checking in, unpacking. For that reason, I usually recommend at least two or three nights in a place, though a short vacation makes that difficult.

Is there something particular you want to see in Kinsale? It's a lovely town, but it seems a bit out of the way for the trip. For such a relatively short time, I'd concentrate on, at most, three counties - I think you have seven right now :)

IMO, one night in Kinsale is enough.

While Dingle deserves two nights, Ennis is a good choice for a place to stay between Dingle and Clifden. Like Dingle, several pubs have excellent traditional music sessions.

Don't sweat Kinsale-- one night is plenty.