18 Day Itinerary

At first glance my recommendation would be to fly into Dublin and out of Belfast. You are only spending one day in Dublin in both of your itineraries. There is a lot to see and do in, and from, Dublin. You could actually do a guided day trip to Newgrange from Dublin which might be easier than doing it yourself as you won't wait too long to get into the tomb as part of a tour, and the tour will cover other sites along the way. You can easily spend a couple of days just seeing the sights of Dublin. Going south to Glendalough is a good idea, but stay in Kilkenny, not Waterford. Kilkenny is a more interesting town. Going south from Kilkenny and stopping at Cashel is a good idea, it's a great site. Skip Cork and go to Kinsale and stop at Charles Fort. Kinsale is a quaint little town, great food, but it doesn't take long to wander the streets so one night (depending on when you get there) should be good. Personally I think Blarney is over-rated, but lots of people enjoy it. You are completely skipping Killarney! Some think the town is quite touristy, but there is so much to see in the area. The Gap of Dunloe and national park just for starters. I would probably not do both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, I would pick Dingle. Your time in Galway is well spent. Keep in mind that when going out to the islands the weather may play a part. If the sea is too rough the ferries won't go. I can't comment much on your itinerary from Galway as I just took the train to Belfast and did guided day trips from there. For your time in Dublin you will need to pre-book your visit to Kilmainham Jail or you won't get in. I think your schedule for just one day in Dublin is too much as you have two breweries and the jail that will all be at least one hour tours that will start at specific times. Most people I know who did the Guiness tour say it was not worth the price and the best thing was the glass of beer at the end, but you can get that in any pub. I would suggest at least two to three days in Dublin, which may mean three to four nights. This will also allow you to get over any jet lag before taking on the driving.

You need more time in Dingle, especially if you like Irish traditional music. It is the mecca of Irish music.

Also, three nights in Portrush seems like one night too many. Otherwise looks good

Anita - We haven't done much pricing on rental cars but I wonder if it's much more expensive to rent a car in Dublin and return it in Belfast? Also, we aren't set on doing all of those things in Dublin. I was just making a list of things that looked interesting. If we had to pick a distillery we would go to Jameson's!

I've adjusted the itinerary somewhat. Eric - My husband is very excited about the Antrim Coast and the rope bridge. From what I've read there is a LOT of hiking to do. Should we just spend one night in Derry and then 2 nights in Portrush? I was just thinking it's one less check-in/move if we stayed in Portrush and spent one day an Derry, then came back and did the Coast over the next two days.

Not against flying home from Belfast, just need to look into the car rental details.

Thanks for the info!

Day 1: Fly into Dublin (sleep in Dublin)
Day 2: Dublin
Day 3: Dublin: Day trip?
Day 4: Rock of Cashel (sleep in Kilkenny)
Day 4: Blarney, 9/11 Garden in Kinsale (sleep in Kinsale)
Day 5: Charles Fort and Cobh (sleep in Kinsale)
Day 6: Muckross House and Fams , Killarney (sleep in Killarney)
Day 7: Dingle Peninsula (sleep in Dingle)
Day 8: Dingle Peninsula (sleep in Dingle)
Day 9: Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Dunguaire Castle banquet or Bunratty Castle? (sleep in Galway)
Day 10 Aran Islands (sleep in Galway)
Day 11: Galway
Day 12: Explore Connemara (sleep in Westport)
Day 13: Explore Derry (Sleep in Portrush)
Day 14: Explore Antrim Coast (Sleep in Portrush)
Day 15: Antrim Coast (Portrush)
Day 16: Belfast (sleep in Belfast)
Day 17: Drive to the Valley of the Boyne sights (sleep in Trim)
Day 18: Drive to Dublin return car and Fly Home

Just my two cents, but the Rock of Cashel makes for a great stop on the drive from Kilkenny to Cork/Kerry/that direction. And there is enough to do in Kilkenny to make a fun and interesting day. Agree with previous poster, an extra night in Dingle would be worthwhile. I'd be a bit concerned about trying to cram too much in here - the itineraries you've proposed do seem to be on a "strict timelime," something you've said you'd like to avoid. I would definitely pay the extra bit to have an automatic transmission. While I'm perfectly comfortable driving a manual transmission here in the US, I was very happy to not have to deal with that on those narrow Irish roads in the country, especially since you'll be driving on the left and you'll be seated on the right (shifting would be with your left hand).

I think this itinerary looks pretty good (I highly recommend a day trip to Newgrange from Dublin). I can't answer the question about returning the car in Belfast, but try this web site http://irelandyes.com/ as this woman specializes in Ireland, and will do a driving route for you and help book B&Bs for a fee. My aunt and cousin used her when they went and said everything worked great. Even if you don't want to pay to have her help the forums on this web site are also quite helpful, and she will answer questions on the forum.

I would pick option 1 but spend 2 nights in Dingle and skip ROK.