9 Days on West Coast. Any Suggestions?

July 5: Arrive Shannon early am. Rent a car and drive to Galway...

It's generally not wise to fly half-way across the planet, arrive groggy and exhausted (you will be), then jump in a car and drive off on the wrong side of the road, down impossibly narrow country lanes, in a foreign country where everything is a bit different and unfamiliar. Doing so is quite dangerous. Please reconsider this.

I have vivid memories of being in Salisbury, UK. We had been in London for several days, and took the train out to rent a car there, planning to see Stonehenge, then drive off to the north. I've driven "wrong side" before and was well rested, had long since gotten over all the early trip exhaustion and jetlag.

We were sitting in the office of a small car rental agency getting ready to sign our papers. It was a beautiful June day, and the office door was open. We had been waiting in line behind a young American couple ahead of us, who appeared nice, competent, and reasonable, although I did hear them say something about being tired and just wanting to get on the road.

The other couple signed their papers, were led out the door to their car, keys handed over. I heard the doors to their car close and their car start up. The agency person walked back in and sat down at her desk, leaving the door open. She pulled out our paperwork. Then we all heard screeching tires, a tremendous crash, broken glass. We all stood up and ran to the door.

The nice young American couple ahead of us had left the rental lot, turned a corner, and made it about half a block before having a head-on collision that probably totalled both cars. Nobody seriously hurt, but the driver was obviously on the wrong side of the road.

The rental agency lady looked at the accident scene right outside the lot, turned to me and shot me quite a look. "Don't worry, I won't do that!" I said.

Every time I rent a car in a foreign country, I think back on that scene, and remember that the first 30 minutes behind the wheel in an unfamiliar environment is the most dangerous.

Please do not drive off after arriving on a redeye flight.

Yes, thank you for input. I did have that thought and haven't rented our car yet. We could get transportation to Galway via bus then rent the car in Galway?

I have two pieces of input.

1. Galway was my least favorite stop in Ireland. The Aran Islands were among my most favorites. I'd spend more time there and less time in Galway......
2. A great day trip from Galway is to the Ireland School of Falconry at Ashford Castle in Cong. The Hawk Walk is an unforgettable experience. It was my sister's highlight of the trip. http://www.falconry.ie/ You can also combine it with a lake cruise http://www.corribcruises.com/ and exploring Cong (where the Quiet Man was filmed)

An alternative to your short stays in Dingle and Kenmare would be to stay for 3 or 4 nights somewhere between Glenbeigh and Castlemaine on the north side of the ROK, from which you'd be centrally located for easy day trips to explore Dingle & Slea Head Drive, Valencia Island, the attractions along the northern part of the Ring of Kerry (including the very pretty Skellig Ring Road) and Killarney National Park. Might be a little less hectic to base yourselves in one spot, unpack once, and enjoy a bit of Irish country life.

Regarding the matter of driving right after getting off a long overnight flight, I agree that an abundance of caution should be your primary consideration. That said, the route north from Shannon to Galway is along a modern motorway, which for me has always been the easiest way to refamiliarize myself with the rules of the road and the general sight picture of driving on the left. Once off the motorway and entering Galway you'll be on the N6 - a standard two lane road. The difficulty you'll encounter (and which will require you to be especially alert) will be a series of roundabouts that at times can be dizzying, ie one after another for a couple of miles. I think that if you're a cautious and competent driver at home you should be able to handle the Irish national road system. Still, consider what your own fitness level will be upon arrival and proceed accordingly. There's a lot to be said for waiting until you've had a good night's sleep before starting your adventure of driving on the left.

Something that has always helped me is to preview my daily routes using the Street View feature on Google maps. It helps immensely to have seen a driver's eye view of the road before tackling it at speed, and being familiar with the signage to be expected at the roundabouts helps me a lot - might work for you too. That, plus making full use of the person in the passenger seat to remind you to "stay left" and to help look for traffic in sometimes unfamiliar places.

The rural R and L roads are indeed daunting at first, and are guaranteed to give a visiting Yank nightmares until you become familiar with what to do when two opposing vehicles meet on a narrow stretch where there's room for only one to pass. It's not as bad as it sounds. The local drivers deal with these situations routinely without too much drama. Fact is, in the time it took for me to slow down and consider a bailout plan the other driver had already pulled over and was waving me thru ... usually with a smile and a wave. Take it slow and you'll be fine.

We're not big fans of Galway town either, but Connemara is out favorite part of Ireland. Consider staying west of town, maybe in the area near Clifden from which you have easy access to Sky Road, the Connemara Ring drive, and the ferry landing at Rossaveal for your trip over to Inishmor.

We agree with Carol: a morning-and-lunch was all we needed in Galway; and the Hawk Walk at Ashford Castle (we stayed in nearby Westport) was a unique and memorable event.

An alternative to seeing the Cliffs/Moher from the top is to take the sunset boat tour out of Doolin. Kenmare is on the ROK; you can drive clockwise from Kenmare to Portmagee in a day and see much of the best of the Ring. (The Cliffs of Kerry -- outside Portmagee -- were far better, in our opinion, than Moher.) Another great day trip from Kenmare is driving the adjacent Beara Peninsula. No tour buses; amazing views; quaint painted villages.

Your itinerary looks good, much like our West Coast leg in May 2018. I would, however, subtract a night in Galway and add it to Kenmare. There's so much to see/do on the ROK (e.g. the sheep dog demonstration at Kissane Sheep Farm at Molls Gap just north of Kenmare: http://www.kissanesheepfarm.com/ )

Thank you all for the helpful advice!

I'm planning my fourth trip to Ireland this year. All have been independent trips where we rented a car and drove all over the country for three weeks at a time.
You will need to return to Dingle to spend more time on another trip; however, this time you should go to the Diseart Institute of Education (also called Diseart Centre of Irish Spirituality and Culture) and see the Harry Clark stained glass windows. It will be a highlight of your trip IF you love stained glass. These are unlike anything you have seen. Check them out on the web, but the real thing is even better!!!
Happy Traveling! Ireland is one of the best travel destinations of Europe.