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Looking for expert guidance on my 10 Days in Ireland Itinerary

Posted by (San Antonio Texas) on

Hello all,

I am still in the planning stage of a trip to Scotland and Ireland with my two adult children in October. I've visited Ireland but it's been decades. I know it's impossible to see everything, but am trying to give my son a good taste, and hit a few places my daughter did not see when she was on a bus tour a few days ago,

We plan to start in Scotland and fly to Belfast from Edinburgh, that's day 1.
Day 1 arrive in Belfast about 11:30, spend night in Belfast, go on Black Cab Tour
Day 2 rent car and drive to Antrim Coast: Cushenden Beach, Dunluce Castle, Bushmill's Distillery, Giant's Causeway & The Dark Hedges. Return rental car and take train to Drogheda, stay overnight
Day 3 Visit Newgrange then train to Dublin. Pick up rental car and drive to Cashel
Day 4 Visit Rock of Cashel, then Blarney Castle (for a quick kiss) then overnight in Killarney
Day 5 half of Ring of Kerry, spend night somewhere on the Ring
Day 6 Conclude Ring of Kerry, drive to Bunratty Castle (see folk park, maybe stay for 5:30 dinner) drive to Connemara
Day 7 Fly to/from Inishmore overnight in Connemara
Day 8 Drive to Dublin Airport to return car overnight in Dublin
Day 9 Dublin
Day 10 Dublin
Day 11 Fly Dublin - San Antonio

I would appreciate any advice regarding my proposed itinerary. Too much planned? I will be the only driver so don't want to spend each and every day driving, but am willing to have a day or two (looking at 2 & 6) in order to hit the high points.
Thank you for your input.
Linda

Posted by
6510 posts

Do you have a way to visit Newgrange from Drogheda without a car? I don't know how that would work. You might consider renting the car at Drogheda, driving to Newgrange, then driving on to Cashel and beyond with the same car. Seems more efficient than a train to Dublin to get a car there. Alternatively, you could take the Aircoach bus from Belfast to Dublin Airport, rent the car, backtrack a ways to Newgrange and Drogheda, then drive to Cashel.

Blarney is zero interest for me but evidently important to you. I've never been there, but Ireland is full of great castles without long lines to kiss a piece of rock that's been kissed by thousands (millions?) before.

Posted by
31 posts

Hello Dick,
Thanks for the advice. I'll check one way car rental prices. I am avoiding all busses I can. My adult daughter gets terribly motion sick on busses (cars too, but mitigated some by riding up front). I was thinking I could catch a cab to and from Newgrange. On Google maps it looks pretty close.

Thanks again,
Linda

Posted by
6510 posts

No need for a one-way rental. Your first car gets dropped in Belfast where you got it on day 2, your second gets picked up in Drogheda or maybe DUB on day 3, where it's returned on day 8. Each car stays in its own country. I doubt if you'd have an extra cost to rent car #2 in Drogheda and drop at DUB, but you might. Nothing like the international cost though.

Aircoach does a good job and it's just two hours from Belfast to DUB, all on freeway. But even if you stick to the train, renting the car in Drogheda would save you going into Dublin on day 3 which is already busy. I expect you could get a taxi out to Newgrange, but you'd have to call one to get you back. Just getting the car earlier that day and driving yourselves would probably be cheaper and quicker. There was plenty of parking at Newgrange when I visited last spring, should be OK in the fall too. An outstanding ancient site, among the best I've seen in Europe.

Hope this plan works well for all three of you.

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