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10 days in Ireland - Feedback appreciated

Posted by (Tampa) on

My wife and I will be in Ireland for 10 days in mid to late April of next year (our first trip there). Based on Rick's guidebook and suggestions of friends, here is the itinerary we came up with. Any feedback or change suggestions would be most appreciated.

Day 1: Fly into Shannon, drive to our hotel in Killarney (about 2.5 hours), visit Kilarney National Park that day.

Day 2: spend the day at the Dingle Peninsula, Slea Head drive. Back to our hotel in Kilarney.

Day 3: Gap of Dunloe, Lord Brandon's Cottage, Ross Castle, John M Reidys. Back to our hotel in Kilarney.

Day 4: Drive to Cliffs of Moher (about 3 hours), visit Burren National Park, stay at hotel in Galway for 1 night.

Day 5: Drive to Ashford Castle for a two night stay. Enjoy the day at Ashford Castle.

Day 6: Connemara National Park, Cliffden, Sky Road. Kylemore Abby. Night at Ashford Castle.

Day 7: Drive to Lodonerry (4 hours) anything to see there? Continue on to Giants Causeway. Stay the night in Bushmill.

Day 8: Drive to Belfast, do 1/2 day "black cab tour" continue on to Dublin.

Day 9: Sightsee in Dublin

Day 10: Sightsee in Dublin

Day 11: fly home out of Dublin Airport.

MISSING: I tried to find a place for Kilkenny and Rock of Cashel, but couldn't make it work. Rick's book also suggested the Aran Islands, but we're not going to make that one, either.

Any feedback would be most appreciated.

Posted by
328 posts

If you've no interest in Derry, I'm not sure why you would drive so far out of your way to go there.
I'd flip the whole thing around and spend the first couple of days in Dublin, pick up the car and head north. Or visit Belfast by train/bus first and use a tour company to take you to Giant's Causeway, staying two nights in Belfast. Loads of people on here will tell you not to drive a long distance immediately upon landing from a transatlantic flight, especially if you haven't driven on the "wrong" side before.
You could make a more natural loop by driving from Dublin to Cashel/Kilkenny, Killarney, Ashford Castle, back to Dublin (or Shannon, incurring the fee for dropping off at a different location).

Posted by
29 posts

G3rryCee Thank you for your reply. We will have been in London for five days before going to Ireland, so jet lag won't be a problem. Our original itinerary was the more traditional loop you described, but I have had two friends tell me that Giants Causeway was a sight to behold, and that Belfast was worth it for a half-day to a day. So, I was trying to squeeze that in.

Posted by
328 posts

Your friend is too right! Giant's Causeway is spectacular. While there, stop by the Dun Luce castle ruin. Bushmills is a good base for this. It's a nice little town. We did a day trip to Derry from Bushmills, but we were staying 3 nights, not just one.
If you decide to visit Derry, there is a lot to see there. The city is one of the last walled cities to be built (you'll have to look up the dates). The walls are intact and easy to walk around. A visit to the Museum of Free Derry is a powerful experience (and an interesting counterpoint to the Black Cab tour in Belfast), followed by a stroll past the Bogside murals. All of this can be done in a half day if you're not stopping to read every placard.
That said, if you spend a couple of hours in Derry, you'll be too late to see GC on that day. A second night in Bushmills would solve that "problem."

Posted by
2220 posts

Why one night in Galway? Would it make more sense to book three nights in Ashford Castle instead? It's not much further to drive and cuts down on a one nighter.

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