hello all! planning a week's trip to ireland....flying into Shannon and thinking of 2 itineraries and would love an help/comments...There are 3 of us traveling and we are renting a car. We have to hit New Ross area at some point b/c of family there...flying into shannon and out of dublin, so beginning end ending points are set:

day 1: arrrive shannon (2 nights in galway)
day 2 galway
day 3 drive to sligo (2 nights in sligo)
day 4 day trip to N. Ireland
day 5 drive to new ross (family there, so have to make a stop here- 2 nights here)
day 6 family stuff
day 7 drive to dublin (2 nights in dublin)
day 8 dublin
day 9 fly home

OR
day 1: arrrive shannon (2 nights in galway)
day 2 galway
day 3 drive to new ross (family there, so have to make a stop here- 2 nights here)
day 4 family stuff
day 5 drive to belfast (2 nights in belfast)
day 6 belfast and area around
day 7 drive to dublin (2 nights in dublin)
day 8 dublin
day 9 fly home

basically it's between Sligo and belfast????

please advise.

best,
Lynn

Let's see: you have three fixed points in a sequence: Shannon, New Ross, and Dublin.

You seem to be treating Galway as a given, but have not stated a reason for that.

Personally, I'd prefer Sligo to Belfast, but I'm not sure that it is worth the effort of clocking up all those miles.

Have you considered a circuit around the south of Ireland?

Between the two I'd prefer Sligo to see the Benbulben, Rosses point and other lovely beaches in the area, Yeats memorial. Assuming you will be taking time to cover Connemara, Clifden, 7 mile drive, Kylemore abbey etc from Galway.

Don't follow the logic? Whilst I have no problem pushing anywhere north of the Dublin Shannon Line, New Ross is the South East so surely the run would be Galway 2 days and 2 days cutting south east not north and north west.

I would have thought Shannon - Kerry - Cork - New Ross - Dublin would be more logical.

It is a long drive from Sligo to New Ross and even longer from Belfast to New Ross and then you are doubling back to Dublin.