Okay. So I am still agonizing over my itinerary. The more I read, the more I want to do and places I want to stay. Therefore, I have decided to tell my fodorite family what I would like to do, and places I would like to "base" myself, and then ask you to let me know what your thoughts are on it all.
I am flying into and out of Dublin, arriving in at ~9:30 a.m. I have 12 days and 12 nights. (Arrive May 8, depart May 20)

Here goes:
Places I really want to see:
Glendalough/Powerscourt
Killarney National Park
Connemara National Park (would like to take a horseback riding tour)/Kylemore
Dingle Peninsula
Skellig Michael
Cliffs of Moher/Burren
Newgrange
Kilkenny for shopping
Giants Causeway (thinking of taking a day trip by train from Dublin)

Would LIKE to see:
Wicklow mountains (combine w/Glendalough?)
Fota Wildlife Park
Irish National Stud
Rock of Cashel
Aran Islands
Cork
Glenveagh
Donegal
Clonmacnoise
Strokestown
Galway

Would like to stay in (how many nights?)
Doolin
Dingle
Kinsale:
Kenmare
Glendalough

So any thoughts? Any other suggestions on where I should stay instead of where I listed? I know that I should focus on South and West, but really do want to get in Giants Causeway(thus the daytrip).

I know this is a lot to ask, but there are so many of you with a lot of experience doing Ireland itineraries, and frankly my brain is shot.

THANKS TONS ALL!!!
Janessa

It is a shame that few will see your long post since you failed to put Ireland in the title. I wish I could help.

I'm too lazy to think of constructing an itinerary. Besides, I'm supposed to be finishing off some work this evening, and I can't spend too long with diversionary activity.

A couple of comments:
- Donegal is simply too much out of line with the rest of your programme;
- I'd say yes to Kilkenny as a place to visit, but not particularly for shopping;
- Strokestown House is worth a visit, but I don't think it worth a special journey;
- You can't really do Glendalough without doing the Wicklow Mountains;
- You can visit the National Stud en passant on the way between Dublin and Kilkenny or Cork (about 2 hours would satisfy most visitors).

Hi Janessa...Go to www.irelandyes.com there is a wealth if information there and many Ireland lovers to help you!

Helen

Hi all,

Bob, if you go to the Ireland forum, this post automatically pops up, and besides, had these three posts in the first 2 hours it was up.

Pad, wasn't asking you to construct an itinerary, I just appreciated any comments. Kilkenny is on my shopping plans because they have a large outlet mall there.

Helen, thanks for the website. I checked it out, and it appears that the only way I can get help there is to pay for it. Is this incorrect? All I could find was a fee of $75 to plan the itinerary.

Thanks again

There is no Ireland forum--only Europe---except if you are in search mode. You will get more help if you identify Ireland.

To add info to help you use the forum better . . . .

Clicking on a country merely lets folks search for SOME of the threads about that country. Many threads about Ireland will not display when you click on it.

Your "Yet another itinerary question : )" could be asking anything about anywhere in Europe.

Several quick points:

1) True, it would be BEST, if Ireland was included in the title, but it IS showing up on an Ireland search, so ....

2) IrelandYes does do Custom Itineraries, but the Forum there also doles out CONSIDERABLE free advice. Helen (Laoghaire), myself and a number of other Fodorites (and non-Fodorites) are quite active there.

3) I'm thinking: Kilkenney (or vicinity), Kinsale, Kenmare, Dingle,
Doolin, Galway, Westport, Dublin -- 2-3 nights in each.

4) If you want to add Donegal into the mix, you should add a total of 5-6 more nights into the mix (but drop one night in Dublin)-- 2 in Killybegs or Donegal Town, 2 in the vicinity of Moville or Greencastle, and 2 around Ballycastle (Antrim) -- in which case, you could forego the daytrip by train. That would make it right about 21 days.

Can you afford the time AND expense, to spend three weeks in Ireland? That's what it would probably take to cover all the places on your list, without LIVING in the car. It would still be pretty agressive, using my suggestions, but it would be do-able, I think.

If not, you're going to need to trim down your list.

Bob

Hi Bob!

Thanks for being positive...really need that right now instead of criticism on what I'm doing wrong.

Anyway, I think I finally have my itinerary set, and other than the daytrip to Giants Causeway from Dublin that you suggested to me on a different thread, looks like I will be staying in the Southern half of Ireland this time around. Definitely can not afford the extra week. As it is, I will be paying for this trip long after it is over.

So, planning 2 nights Kilkenny, 1 Kinsale, 1 Portmagee or nearby, 2 Dingle, 1 Doolin, 2 Galway or nearby (thinking Clifden), 1 nearby Newgrange, and final 2 in Dublin. Whittled down my list, but still got the majors on there and only planning on a couple sightseeing stops per day. For example, I will probably stay in Clifden, then do Connemara and Kylemore on one day, and the Aran Islands the next. Dont want to see more of the inside of the car than the outside, and think I've done pretty well with some excellent advice and help.

If you have any other tidbits of info, like B&Bs you recommend, restaurants, etc, please please please, let me know!!!

Thanks again,
Janessa

JRKite: &quot;<i>. . . . . instead of criticism on what I'm doing wrong.</i>&quot;

No one is criticizing you. You are new to Fodors and don't totally understand how the forums work. We are trying to HELP you. There is no &quot;Ireland&quot; forum - honest. While you have received a couple of really good responses -- if you had posted w/ a better title, you likely would have gotten 8 or 10 more useful/detailed answers by now.

Many folks will ignore threads w/ titles that don't give any info since there are just too many to take the time to open all of them.

So - don't fret over &quot;criticism&quot; that isn't - take it as &quot;tutoring&quot; to help you get more use from Fodors. We are here to help - but you need to help us a bit too . . . . . .

Janis,

Please go to the top of this page. It says search this forum and/or topic in which you can pick Ireland. THAT is what I'm talking about, sorry if I called it the wrong thing. Anyway, call it what you will, I understand what you are saying, and appreciate the &quot;tutoring&quot;. But, realize that some posters may not take it the way you plan depending on the way it is written. It is easy to misinterpret intentions online, be it poster or responder.

Nevertheless, luckily, I have been able to put together my entire two week itinerary with the help of other travel websites, and it took all of one day. Case closed.

&quot;<i>Please go to the top of this page. It says search this forum and/or topic in which you can pick Ireland.</i>&quot;

Yes - that IS what it says. I have been posting on Fodors for about 10 years and that definitely misleads folks. There is a p**s poor search function, there is NO Ireland forum, and clicking on &quot;Ireland&quot; doesn't mean your title is any better than it was in the first place.

Instead of being stubborn and sticking to you guns -- w/ the same amount of effort it took you to argue about how the forum works -- you could have posted a thread w/ a useful title.

Now I give up (people don't usually take the time to point folks in the right direction to be mean - they want to help)

Off the main topic, I'm more curious as to what the topic is about when they don't list the country, and I want to see what it's about. So I'm more likely to click on it unless it lists a country and i'm not interested in reading about it right now...


Good luck! Hope it goes well.