My husband and I will have 8 nights - in and out of Shannon. We will be hiring a car at the airport and want to spend 2-3 night at each stop to get a feel of the place and not be too rushed. We're doing apartments at each stop - hopefully in villages. I'm thinking of Ennis as one stop and Roundstone as another. Would like to catch some ruins/abbeys whatever and of course the coast. We don't mind the driving but also don't want to spend all of our time in the car. I know this is very vague, but any suggestions are welcomed. (It's my husbands first trip abroad and I want to make it as relaxing as possible so he'll do it again!) We're leaving in a month so have to book ASAP. Thanks for your feedback. Diana
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6790 posts
Can't help you with the specifics (haven't been to Ireland yet, my first trip there is coming up next summer), but there's a PBS special that you may want to check out called "Ireland's Wild Coast". We caught it last year and it was spectacular. It's pretty much all about the wildlife and the natural beauty of the coast so you won't see a lot of towns, abbeys or other human-made stuff, but it sure was beautiful. Should serve as good inspiration. Trailer here.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1862 posts
Roundstone is a pleasant little village and a good choice for the Connemara area. I think Kenmare would be a better location for the area south of Shannon. From there, you can easily do the Ring of Kerry and the north side of the Beara peninsula. Dingle is also doable from there, although that day would involve quite a bit of driving.
Posted by
Land of La
9222 posts
First suggestion is that THIS weekend buy and read the RS Ireland Guidebook. Then sit down with your husband to discuss must sees. Make an intinerary and research your accomodations. Book them.
Remember 8 days isn’t truly 8 days because of arrival and depature times. Because of the smaller roads you will travel on drive times will be a longer than shown.
Here’s my take on what to see in the short time you have.
2 nights in Doolin. See the Burren.
2 nights in Dingle. Slea Head, Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, Gap of Dunloe.
2 nights in Portamagee . Sklieg Michael
West Coast is truly gorgeous. Relax. Enjoy it’s beauty.
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3561 posts
Just got back from my second trip to Ireland. I think both suggestions are still too much driving, but we tend not to want to be sightseeing all day as we like evening hours for dinner and music.
We had 7 days and flew in and out of Shannon.
We did 3 nights Dingle and 3 nights Aghradoe ( near Killarney). That was about right for us. The ROK was our longest day. Left at 8:30am and returned at 5 and we only made 4 stops and bypassed Kenmare.
Posted by
8 posts
I wholeheartedly recommend Dingle, and the whole peninsula. We are getting ready to make our third trip to the area next month. We are staying en entire week in an airbnb apartment near Dingle Town. As you read about the Dingle peninsula I think you will find plenty of ruins to visit. I also recommend at least part of the Ring of Kerry. For a very spectacular location, you might want to consider visiting Skellig Michael. The last time we were there it was before the visitor season was open, but I very much want to visit this time around. You can only visit by going on one of the licensed tour boats. If you decide you're interested, you would definitely need to book the boat trip before you leave the US. enjoy your travels!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6790 posts
deleted
(I will post this as a question in a separate thread so as to not derail this one.)
Posted by
Seattle
6 posts
We loved the Dingle peninsula and highly recommend the Milestone House in Dingle. Proprietors Barbara and Michael Carroll were wonderful and helped with booking tickets to the church concert mentioned by RS. We spent 2 nights there and 2 in Doolin. The boat tour of the Cliffs of Moher (afternoon has the best light) was a great way to see the cliffs.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10600 posts
Dingle was my favorite place we visited. If you want a B&B there, I concur that the Milestone house is well worth the stay. They had the best breakfast of any B&B I've ever stayed in (I won't count the lobster omelette I had in Maine) and Michael and Barbara are a wealth of information. They even provided two detailed hand drawn maps, one of the peninsula and one of Dingle Town. It is not located directly in town, but is walkable.