Ireland or more of the continent?

"simply make the call and go!" is probably the best answer and I'm sure you will enjoy wherever you choose. Have you looked at any guide books or websites to get an idea of where might interest you? Anyway, for what it's worth, my tuppence ...

Your main concern seems to be the limited opportunities you might have to visit either Europe or the British Isles in the future. With that in mind, I wouldn't choose Ireland which (apologies to Hibernophiles), I don't think is particularly interesting, although parts are picturesque.

Given your interest in natural beauty and pubs, I think you would do better in Britain which has a much more varied natural beauty, plenty of pubs and many more world-class tourism sights than Ireland(s). I do read that you've been to London, but there is much more to mainland Britain than London. London is great but going to London and ignoring the rest of England/Wales/Scotland is a bit like going to NYC and feeling you've "done" America.

Personally, I'd also really consider going to Europe instead and South France/North Spain would be a good choice, if you prefer not to revisit Italy. Plenty of variety, attractive countryside and towns, good food and more. Driving is on the same side you are used to and with a car you can visit some smaller communes easily. Southern Spain is also great and Andalucia ideal for ten days, but not perhaps if you choose July/August given the Summer heat. May would be better.

I will always vote for someplace new over someplace I've already been. If deeper means seeing more places in a country that you've already been, I would consider that someplace new. At any rate, I would not agonize too long, but rather, as you say, "make the call and go."

Everything you say in your post tells me you would enjoy Ireland, with one caveat - they drive on the left side of the road. Ireland is tricky without a car, so perhaps that would suggest trying the continent. Or you could follow the first poster's suggestion and explore England, where trains will take you many places.

With only a short time to travel this time, I would pick a fairly small geographic area. You don't want to waste a lot of time getting from place to place. I think Ireland would be perfect, provided you can make the transportation work without a car. But it's not the only answer.

You can make Ireland work without having to rent a car provided you are willing to stay in the cities or larger towns and use them as a base for lodging - plenty of day tour operators run out of them, or you can hire yourself a local driver/guide (your hotel, B&B owner or the local Tourist Information offices can help connect you to someone).

You can definitely plan things that don't involve long hikes, you'll have plenty of great places to have a leisurely lunch or drink with the locals (afternoon cocktails by a pool - not so much - if that's what you really want for a vacation, then pick somewhere like the south of France, Barcelona, or head to the Greek Islands). Extended daylight hours during the summer means you can get more sightseeing time to see more of that 'natural beauty' - it doesn't really start getting dark until around 10PM if traveling June, July or August.

If you want to let someone else handle all the logistical details, then just take one of the cruises or sign up for a multi day tour (like the ones Rick Steves offers). I'm not a fan of cruise or tour traveling as I prefer to set my own pace and determine how much I really want to see of a certain location (often it is a whole lot more than one can manage in the limited port time a cruise ship or a guided coach tour generally allots).

To me, Normandy is a bit trickier to do without a car than Ireland - although again, if you based yourself somewhere central you can join up with a day tour operator or get yourself a private guide/driver. However, if being without a car really still concerns you, then pick another spot that has good train service. For example, in 9 days you can see a bit each of both the Netherlands and Belgium. Even in the peak of summer, it's rarely going to be roasting hot like it will in Southern France, Spain or Greece. You can easily take trains. You could also focus entirely on Netherlands and even potentially base yourself the whole time somewhere like Amsterdam (or Utrecht which is a great hub for train service all over the Netherlands and only a short train ride to Amsterdam). You can then take day trips to other cities (Delft, Rotterdam, The Hague - see the windmills of Kinderdijk) or you could allocate your time and spend half the trip in Amsterdam and move on to Belgium to base yourself somewhere like Ghent and do day trips to Brussels, Bruges or Antwerp.

Personally, I liked Scotland better than Ireland, probably because Edinburgh has so many great museums-also went to Durham(cathedral) and York(cathedral and more museums.) I really like Amsterdam but not Brussels. Turkey is very interesting-a Muslim country with a European vibe.

Give Ireland a try. Fewer places, more time in each place. You'll like it.

Our first time in Ireland last summer. Love it! Going back again this summer to spend 7 nights in county Kerry, which we did not get to last time. I vote to see Ireland!

Nick: Appreciate the comments on Ireland itself, while we’d enjoy – it seems to continue to get knocked down the list. As for seeing more of Britain, I have had ge chance to add a day or two on business trips to the London area, so I’ve day-tripped a few times, and should be in the Birmingham area soon. Also, our daughter might participate in a program at Newcastle Upon Tyne, so an opportunity to head further north. Agree that there is so much more to explore than London! We are warming to the idea of Andalusia and surrounds.

Carroll: Thanks for your thoughts. We would base out of Dublin, Killarney and Galway, with several daytrips supported by local tour operators. While we have so much more to see in countries we’ve visited, we agree with seeing someplace new!

Ceidleh: Thank you, we would definitely take advantage of local tour operators for several day trips, then fill the rest of the time in with our own plans. Agree that tours and cruises limit flexibility and what is seen. You’ve provided good input on several areas with considering.

Cala: Definitely will get to Edinburgh someday – thanks for your reply!

Dale: Thanks for the thought

diveloonie: Haven't been yet - but glad you enjoyed - hope the second time is as enjoyable

I'll just add a caution on your pace...

This trip is limited to 9-10 days, time of year is open, but May to August 2019 likely works best for us
Prefer to fly open-jaw, typically from Chicago spending 2-3 nights per stop (3 would work best for this short trip)

With just 9-10 days, you are going to want to limit moving from place to place. And how exactly are you counting those 9-10 days? Is that 9-10 full days in Europe, not counting your arrival or departure days? Or is that 9-10 days "away from home" including your flights? 9-10 days away from home just gets you 6-8 days in Europe. With less than 10 days, I'd stick to just two locations.

Go to Ireland, you will not regret it.

David: Thanks, typically spending 3 nights per location, plus travel has worked well for us

Andalucia could be a very good choice for a 9-10 day trip but not so much in summer! While May could still be pleasant - temps of 70's-80's maybe a few days in low 90's, in June it will heat up and July-August is low season because of the extreme heat. Also you'd probably have to fly r/t Madrid, because the Andalucian airports don't handle long-haul flights. It's easy to get around by high-speed train.

I'm not a fan of ocean cruises - you spend a lot of hours at sea (sometimes entire days) and few hours actually in the port cities. You might consider a river cruise instead, which usually gives you very long days in cities and sailing time is only at night or scenic during the day. Also river piers are usually right in towns while cruise piers are farther away.

I loved Ireland (August 2014) on a guided tour, on my own in Dublin. Even in August few places were crowded. The one notable exception was the tourists, especially hen parties, in Dublin in Temple Bar. Temple Bar is a small area filled with pubs and lots of live music (all genres) from noon till night. Hen parties are weekend jaunts for soon-to-be-brides, most were from the UK and it was fun to see them, dressed in costumes and enjoying the time together. I was able to connect and interact with locals everywhere, shopkeepers, bartenders, pub patrons, much more than in any other place, even the UK or North America. The Irish are very friendly and open, and love to talk - it seems that everyone has literally or virtually kissed the Blarney Stone. Other pluses - it's a shorter flight, it's a relatively cheap destination. If it's on your radar, maybe that's the sign that you should do it.

Chani: Thanks for the additional comments, we've been caught up in a hen party before - fun for the women that night, but not so sure about the next morning! The heat would likely make us push for an early travel date should we go to Spain. The interaction in Ireland is a big draw for us. We've really enjoyed meeting new people in new places. It still may be our next trip choice!

I'd add that should you choose Ireland in the summer, just make note when the festivals are occurring. For example, Galway is host to the Galway International Arts Festival which is held for several weeks each July. It's a fantastic time to be in Galway as there are so many opportunities to see theater, dance and music performances all across the city - there are also some parades through the streets which are very fun. With this comes increased crowds so you'll want to secure your lodging ahead of time.

For an idea of some of the different types of events you'd find in Galway during this time, go to https://www.giaf.ie/ to see the program for this year's festival.