14 Day Ireland Tentative Itinerary Sept 2024- is it doable??

I am sorry, but I honestly think you are trying to pack in way too many places. You may see Ireland, but I'm not sure you will experience the wonderful areas of Ireland. Some of your days are impossibly long. What are your priorities for sightseeing?

Where are you flying in from? Is your husband used to driving on the left side of the road?

My group of four adults spent 21 days road tripping in Ireland in August. We had a mid size SUV and we felt like the car was a road hog. Many roads are narrower. Just be prepared. Also be prepared for any type of weather, especially rain. In the 21 days we road tripped, we saw less than you are trying to see in 14 days.

Way, way too much... You are trying to push a 4 week itinerary into two weeks... It is looking more like a tick list than a holiday. You need to Slow down and actually have time to enjoy Ireland.

Don’t underestimate the time needed to drive in Ireland. Distances may not look that far on a map but will take a lot longer to cover than you might expect. Driving can be quite slow.... Also have you thought about adding in time for stops - lunch and comfort breaks? It’s surprising how much time these can take. Also allow plenty of time for visiting the different places. You need to allow time to find somewhere to park and then get from car to the attraction and then back again. This can easily add 30 minutes per visit.

Why Westport for the first night? You are doubling back on yourself the next day. Why not head to Clifden for two nights instead. One nighters are hard work .

Depending on your expectations, you are trying to cram a lot of sightseeing into Day 2 - or are you intending to admire from the car as you pass?

Day 8 is laughable - you need to seriously pick and choose here... where did you get this list from?

Day 10 - impossible...

Day 11 Not quite sure how you are going to fit in a stroll around Watwerford with a local guide, and a guided tour of Kilkenny in a single day plus everything else on your list...

Is it doable? Yes. Distances are not great, and it looks like you've no more than a couple hours driving most days.
But I would join others in suggesting that you slow down a bit, or at least look at your itinerary as possibilities, with many things that might be dropped on the way. The first time you visit many countries, there are "must see" sights--for example, if you go to France, almost everyone flies to Paris, and there you "must see" the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, etc., and outside Paris (at least if you're an American) the D-Day beaches. Ireland, though, has very few "must see" sights. Our daughter spent a year the University of Dublin, and when we visited we enjoyed seeing the gorgeous Book of Kells. But is it really a "must see?" For me, no. In fact, unless you're a fan who has to see certain movie venues (Game of Thrones, The Princess Bride, The Quiet Man, Marley & Me, etc.) I think there is very little "must see" in Ireland.

Rather, it is a country best savored slowly; it is a country of enormous natural beauty (yet with relatively few locations that just rise above all other parts of the island, as, for example, visiting the Grand Canyon on a trip to the southwestern U.S.). It has very friendly people, great music, dance, and culture. So, for example, you've got a day spending some morning time in Westport, then driving through Cong and on to Clifden. That will be a very pretty drive with some quick stops along the way. By contrast, the last time we were in ireland we spent 3 days and two nights just in Cong. I love the Dingle Peninsula--incredibly beautiful. But it's all so pretty I'm not sure there is any place that you have to stop. You could easily spend 4 days there. (One thing we do in Ireland, especially good in Dingle, is ask your innkeeper (or at the local pub) for a place where there is likely to be good music--not a tourist place, but a local pub--you'll have some great evenings).

So it sounds like this is your first trip to Ireland, and you're the kind who like to see lots of things--you want to cover it all, rather than spend more time in one place and hope you'll come back again to see the rest. That's fine. Just be flexible enough to drop things as you go along. If you come across a beach in Dingle that wasn't on your itinerary, and walking the beach for an hour just seems perfect, do that, and cut out something on your list.

A couple particular thoughts that might be helpful:
If you do cut, don't cut your planned day traveling the Ring of Kerry.
A really fun day in Killarney is to hire a boat to take you across the lake, then a jaunty cart through the Gap of Dunloe. Start jaunty at Lord Brandon's). At the top of the Gap, you can walk down through beautiful country, stretch the legs a bit, all downhill, and any time you get tired, it is pretty easy to flag down a jaunty cart to take you the rest of the way to Kate Kearney's, and you can catch a bus back (this can all be a pre-arranged tour, too.) Most tours suggest you do it in the opposite direction (starting at Kate's), but this is better. Lake is nicest in the morning, the jaunty takes you up the steepest part of the road, and you have an easy walk down with prettier views.
Blarney Castle- Whether this is worth it depends on what you like to do. The grounds are pretty, nice place to picnic; castle is mildly interesting. But I wouldn't go there unless you want to kiss the Blarney Stone. Do you? It's kitschy, touristy, you have to stand in line for a bit. But hey, you're tourists, it's the Blarney Stone. We did it, had great fun.
A fun thing if you're interested in this sort of thing, is around Doolin and in Connemara area you can find shepards who will give you "tours" (about 1 hr) showing how they work the dogs.
If looking to cut something, Waterford is not a particularly interesting city unless you really want to tour the factory.

You'll have a great time whatever you do. But do allow time just to dawdle, is my advice.

Hi Marian from Howth Ireland (just outside of Dublin). We have been here for almost 3 years (from Seattle) and have done many things on your list. However, it took us almost 2+ years to get them all in. The advice that the others have given is spot on, as it made me tired just reading your itinerary! :) Everything will take longer than you think, and you don't want to be so scheduled that you are forcing everyone to hurry to make it to the next site.

Two other things to really consider: I also agree with the question on Westport. We love Westport, but only to do the Greenway Bike Ride from Achill Island (ebikes!) I wouldn't double back just to go there for a night. Also agree on Waterford, another place we enjoy as we do the bike ride on the Greenway from Waterford to Dungarven. But, similar to Westport, I wouldn't go out of my way to stop at either one.

Feel free to private message me if you have any specific questions.

Jenine