8 Nights in Ireland in June with Toddler

I would be concerned about driving on the 'wrong' side after an overnight flight and jet lagged. If you want to drive, I would spend the first night in Dublin and then go to Galway on Day 2. Otherwise, I would consider the train.

Just be aware that driving takes a lot longer in Ireland that it does here. Make sure that you stop a lot along the way to let your little one out. Ireland had great parks that my kids loved.

I would consider breaking up your Galway to Killarney drive by saying 1 night in Dingle and then 2 night in Killarney.

We loved renting bikes in Killarney National Park. They had all kinds of bikes, including trailers for kids.

Not sure what you have planned sight seeing wise in the different areas. My kids loved visit the Kissane sheep farm outside Killarney. We got to see a sheep herding and sheering demonstration. They also really enjoyed Bunratty Folk park... In Dublin, Dublinia as quite fun.

Just a few ideas....

I think we are now leaning towards flying into Shannon and out of Dublin to lessen the amount of driving time. We prefer to keep our trip to 2 bases with the baby so we probably will have to eliminate Galway. How does this revised itinerary look:

Day 1: Shannon Airport (8:30 a.m.) / Adare short stop / Killarney (4 nights)
Day 2: Killarney / Dingle day trip
Day 3: Killarney / Ring of Kerry / Skelligs Chocolate Factory
Day 4: Killarney / National Park / Gap Dunloe
Day 5: Killarney / Kilkenny Castle / Dublin (4 nights, return car)
Day 6: Dublin
Day 7: Dublin
Day 8: Dublin
Day 9: Dublin Airport in morning

Would taking a day trip to Belfast be too much? Should we stay in Killarney 5 nights and Dublin 3 nights (Dublin only 2 days then)?

I wouldn't add on Belfast, but I would take one of the Killarney nights and make it a Dingle night. I say this cause though it dosen't look like a big peninsula it can take all day to do the drive, see the cliffs and the pass, plus the town. The roads are very narrow in surtant areas and you can only go so fast with all the other tourist /busses driving in front of you and behind you. Side note, the locals drive extremely fast (more so at night). And you'll find that streets in Ireland don't always have names nor will you find them on any maps. I've found Google Maps one of the best tools for getting around and most rental car places for about €20 a day, you can rent a portable wifi device to along with your rental car.

If I add a night in Dingle, it probably would need to be the first night. How is the drive from Shannon Airport to Dingle? Then, I would drive to Killarney the next day.

I agree with Sarah to take a night from Killarney and add it to Dingle. There is great aquarium in Dingle that your child would probably really enjoy. The drive from Shannon to Dingle should be about 2.5 hours

These is a little different thinking..........

Do you think it would be worth skipping Dublin and going to Galway for the last part of the trip? We would fly into and out of Shannon. Can you get to Shannon Airport for a 11:30 a.m. flight from Galway?

Michelin says it's a 1 hour 20 minute drive from Galway to Shannon, but you will need to be there at least 3 hours before your 11:30 flight, so you would be getting up somewhere around 4:30 am. I probably would not do that. If you have not been to Dublin before, I would not skip it. Also, I would flip the amount of time you have in Dingle and Killarney. Dingle is lovely in every way, IMO. If you do Dingle loop, you don't need to do ROK, and that will save a lot of time.

I would not skip Dublin for Galway.

We are really torn on where to make our two bases. We definitely prefer two bases because of the stress and time of packing / unpacking with the baby. We definitely have Killarney as a base. My wife and I (before baby) visited Dublin for three days so we have been there. We definitely want to drive the Ring of Kerry (visit Skelligs Chocolate, Kenmare, etc.) and visit Dingle for at least a day. Galway would be icing on the cake, but the drive may not work to Shannon Airport.
We do like Dublin and can take the baby to the zoo, St. Stephen's Green, etc....
Any more suggestions would definitely help us make our decision.
Thanks

If you decide to fly in and out of Shannon, then I think it makes complete sense to do Galway and not Dublin and just stay on the West coast.

With wanting 2 home bases though, it will mean more driving. How does your child do in the car? The advantage of adding a home base, means less time in the car and possibly shorter days.

The baby does fairly well in the car. We try to time 1 hour+ trips during the baby's nap time.

Yes, depending on where we fly out of (Shannon or Dublin) will be the biggest factor. Flight prices are the same too.
Is Galway or Dublin more baby friendly? If we went to Dublin, we would drive from Killarney, stopping at Kilkenny Castle.

This trip will be a lot of driving.... You will definitely have to drive at times that no dot coordinate with nap time. The Ring of Kerry took us the better part of a day with stopping along the way.... There are many stops that are beautiful with breath taking scenery but where you have to be very carful of where you go and step....
I hate to say this but... are you sold on Ireland with a baby? When we went last summer our kids were 8 and 11 and my husband and I both commented on how we were happy that we had waited.... even some of it was a little "boring" for my 8 year old.

Honestly, I would look at a more baby friendly destination at this stage.... may be better to wait and then plan the trip the way you really want to do it (not skipping destinations, limiting where you stay etc.)

If you are still deciding between Galway and Dublin, I would say that Dublin is more child friendly.

Hi, Michael. We spent two weeks in Ireland two summers ago and are planning another trip for this August. For our trip, we flew into Dublin and drove straight to Druid's Glen Resort in County Wicklow. It was a nice 1-hour drive to get used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road. We visited Glenalough (a must see!) and Brittas Bay on the Irish Sea. We spent 2 nights there to adjust to jet lag and then headed west to County Clare. We rented a house for a week and did day trips from there - Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Bunratty Castle, Limerick, Galway. It was a great way to see a lot of the west. We then spent 2 nights in Killarney and wished we had more time there. A lovely, small, walkable city with lots of good nightlife. From there we were able to do the Gap of Dunloe tour which was amazing but might be better for when your little one is older. We ended our trip in Dublin. Honestly, it is not very different from London if you've spent any time there.

For our upcoming trip, we only have six nights in Ireland. We're thinking of doing 2 nights in Galway to see Connemara/Kylemore Abby and then 3-4 nights in Killarney as a home base to see Dingle, Ring of Kerry and Cork/Kinsale. It is a long drive between the two so we may nix Galway and find another scenic/historic town that is between Killarney and Dublin. (We fly in and out of Dublin.)

So, this is our second trip and we still have not seen all of the SouthWest! Ireland is definitely a place you'll want to visit again and again. I do like the idea of home bases as we have three children and don't like to pack up and move many times.

Enjoy!!

Thank you all for the replies so far. We are still looking at flights that originate from North Carolina to Ireland. We can fly non-stop which would be easier with a baby from Charlotte to Dublin round trip. However we would then have to drive from Dublin to the West possibly to Galway. Would this makes sense to take advantage of flying nonstop to make it easier in the air with a baby? We would then have to drive more in Ireland. We would also then have three bases which include, Galway, Killarney and Dublin.

I think flying non-stop with a baby would definitely be easier. Is taking the train from Dublin to Galway still an option? I think that would be easier, too.

We will fly into and out of Shannon with our bases in Killarney (5 nights) and Galway (2 nights) and last night closer to the airport (Bunratty or Ennis). Where would you recommend staying at for our last night in order to be close to Shannon Airport for an 11:00 a.m. flight?

After thinking more about this trip, driving to Dublin would be too much for our baby.

I greatly appreciate everyone who has responded to my posts. Traveling with our baby for the first time (to Europe) has involved a great deal of research. But I do appreciate your help so much!

We are trying to decide if we should stay in Killarney four or five nights. We would stay in Galway two or three nights. And we would stay in a place very close to Shannon Airport on our last night, bunratty Shannon or Ennis. What are your thoughts on the minor adjustment in number of nights between Killarney and Galway? In Killarney, we would definitely want to see the Ring of Kerry Skellig, chocolate , Killarney National Park and a trip to Dingle. And Galway we want to see the town, possibly Connemara National Park, and possibly Cliffs of Mohr and Doolin on our drive towards Shannon on last day.
Thank you so much for your help.

We are also taking a toddler to Ireland in June, so I wish you luck! I'm just curious--what are you doing for sleeping arrangements? I am trying to decide if we should bring some kind of pack 'n play along or just ensure that all our accommodations have something.

When contacting hotels and inns, our first questions is about being able to accommodate our baby. Most of the places either can provide a crib or cot. Our baby, more than likely, will just sleep in the bed with one of us or sleep in a crib. We are packing a stroller and baby car seat for the plane and rental car, so taking a pack'n play will be too much to bring.

Are you taking a baby car seat for the plane? We are trying to get tips on this too.

I know that some of our accommodations mentioned a baby cot/bed but I need to check with a few others. I don't think a regular bed will work and he won't sleep in a bed with us. I'm tempted to bring the pack n play since he is familiar with it, but it will be another thing to pack. We are skipping the stroller and bringing a hiking backpack.

We are looking into a hiking backpack too. What kind or brand do you recommend?
Thanks!

I love the bunratty folk park. Ya'll could check into the bunratty hotel for the last night, one of you could return the rental car while the other one and the baby meet the sheep, etc. You can see the outside of the castle....i think the inside tour is a little underwhelming.

Would make for a nice relaxed morning..if you had already disposed of car..........

EDIT: if you get a back pack child carrier, of course, do some dry runs around yr home town so you can get the straps comfortable & yr child can get acclimated

That sounds like a plan to me.
Thank you!

Interested to hear how your trip went. We are heading there in the fall with a 20 month old. Thanks!

We just returned from Ireland, and it was the best trip of our lives. Our 22-month old did very well. The Irish were very accommodating and the nicest people of any country ever visited. Feel free to ask any questions prior to your trip.

So glad you had a great trip! We also found the Irish to be the nicest and friendliest people we have ever met!