I have always been very skeptical of the idea of travelling with a group tour. I automatically pictured a coach of 50 people being herded from A to B and blindly following the crowd.
I honestly was so pleasantly surprised by Ireland and how accessible a small group tour made it. We had considered public transport and it just made towns like Dingle seem so inaccessible so then we changed direction to a small group tour. We found one with only 14 passengers (4 of which was ourselves) and hoped aboard. We got to see all the towns we wanted to see without any hassle and had so many activities lined up which we could opt out of if we wanted, so we felt we had control. I don't drink whisky, my husband does. So our guide dropped me into the shops while my husband attend a distillery with the group. I thought this was great.. I could do what I liked and wasn't tied to the group.
Anyway, I think a small-group tour is definitely worth considering as it can bring you to the remote locations without hassle. We travelled with a company called Overland Ireland (who I would highly recommend) but there are other operators so you can shop around to see what you think!