Hello Fodorites,

Been a while since I am posting here for advice on trip planning (but I do lurk all the time, promise).

So we’re planning a 16 day trip to Ireland, starting mid-May. I think we’ve got a fair bit of it sorted - the way I like to approach this is the get the main travel points finalized (with just enough research), and then go a bit deeper to fine tune.

So far, we’ve got the following:

May 15: Arrive Dublin, bus/train to Kilkenny for 2 nights;

May 17: Pick up rental car, drive to Cork - 3 nights in Cork/Kinsale;

May 21: Drive to Kenmare, 6 nights in Kenmare (Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Killarney, Skelig Michael, etc.);

May 27: Drive to Galway, 4 nights in Galway (Cliffs of Moher, Aran islands, Connemara);

May 31: Drive to Dublin, 2 nights in Dublin.

June 2: flight back home.

That’s the basic plan. I thought of it as basically basing ourselves in 3 “hubs”: Cork, Kenmare and Galway - and while there, explore the city/town + surrounding areas.

I chose Kilkenny to bus/train to to pick up the car - because while I have driven on the left side extensively, the last time was 20 years ago and I didn’t have white hair. I thought this might be easy on the nerves instead of driving out on Day 1 on to busy streets or Dublin and the highways.

We do like slow travel, take in the sights and sounds, plus the youthful energy is long gone - takes hours in the morning for both of to get out and about and do like to get back and settle down in a pub/restaurant in the evening.

Questions:

1. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Would welcome suggestions to add/delete/edit; and
2. What about doing this in reverse (train to Galway and then drive to Kenmare>Cork>Kilkenny>Dublin. Any pros and cons?

I look forward to your suggestions - with many thanks in advance.

Looks like a very nice plan. I honestly don't think it makes much difference if you do Galway first or Kilkenny first. I know there is at least a Europcar location in Kilkenny. Galway, being larger probably has more rental options. I'd use autoeurope to check out one-way rentals from either town to DUB. Dropping at the airport is easiest -- then you can take a bus or taxi into the city centre.

great plan, don't drive on day one, you owe that to other drivers

@janisj how wonderful to hear from you. You likely don’t remember this, but you were an immense help during our trip planning to Scotland/England back in 2007, I am forever in your debt. You will be delighted to learn that my daughter has became quite the perpetual wayfarer (and now in fact based in Edinburgh for the past few years) - and will likely join us on this trip.

Thanks both. 2 follow-on questions:

1) The Kilkenny plan: I’m getting the feeling that 2 nights might be too much there (since the main idea is really to get my bearings and start driving after that plus stop at the Rock of Cashel on the way out). Would it make sense to skip Kilkenny altogether and train straight to Cork instead and rent the car from there?

2) Focusing on the 6 nights in Kenmare specifically, there’s a lot do and see, but I want to be able to do this in a way that there is no more than 2 hours of driving daily (other than whatever ground we cover on the Ring of Kerry) and that we are able to settle down at a pub/restaurant in the evening. So if it means we are coming back to Kenmare every night, that would obviate being able to do that in Dingle or any other spot. So, I’m thinking to split those 6 nights between Kenmare and Dingle (and could also steal 1 or both nights from Kilkenny and make it longer in this area if need be). Thoughts on this? And if yes, how would split it?

Hi, no, at first I didn't remember but I looked up your trip report and it brougt it all back. You put so much thought into planning that trip back in 2007. Your daughter is all grown up now so nice she still like to travel with you.

I think splitting the time between Dingle & Kenmare (or any other nearby villages) is good. They wouldn't be one-night stops and would let you enjoy leisurely(perhaps boozy ) evenings in both places

I personally wouldn'y mind 2 nights in Kilkenny sine some of you may be a bit jet lagged/tired after the flights (not the daughter of course)

First, let me applaud you for your common sense! You will come home having experienced Ireland, rather than doing check-off lists and gathering an iphone of pictures that probably could have been taken off the internet.

I could go either way on your stay in Kilkenny. Renting the car from Cork does make sense because you can do quite a few things in the Cork area just using local transport before you pick up the car.

Having stayed in both, although Kenmare was our guided cycling base a decade ago and in a way doesn't really count, I would for SURE split between Kenmare and Dingle. Dingle not only has not-to-be-missed scenic beauty in the area but some fabulous under-the-surface culture that day tourism misses.

Kudos again for your travel forethought.

AZ

Thank you!

I have split the Kenmare/Dingle days to 2 and 4 respectively.

I personally like the Kilkenny plan - but there's only one thing bothering me about it: seems like there is only 1 rental company there (Enterprise) that will have an automatic car and one that I can drop off in Galway or Dublin. So, if for some reason they don't have the car I pre-book when I arrive and only have a manual - well that's not going to be fun. I could do it, but will need to draw from very deep recesses of muscle memory.

Cork, on the other hand, has plenty of options - so I might skip Kilkenny and train to Cork instead as the holiday start.

Am I overthinking this? I do like the original plan, primarily because we get to see Kilkenny, ease into it all and by the time we arrive in Cork (per original plan), I will have rested and be comfortable with the car/driving.

Automatics are never guaranteed (though becoming a lot more common) Maybe take your original plan and reverse it starting from Galway instead of Kilkenny. I did a quck check and Galway has several rental agencies including Budget, EuropCar and Enterprise - maybe more??