My family (2 adults and 2 kids ages 6 and 9) is planning to stay in Ireland for 2 weeks in July and would like to stay the majority of the time in a rented house in one location and do day trips. Currently, our thinking is that we will rent a house on the Dingle Peninsula. Our family enjoys outdoor activities, castles, random historic things, music (my husband is a musician), and good food. In particular, we really like staying in one spot for an extended period of time when we travel so that we can get to know the neighborhood, hang out multiple nights at the local pub, and really get a sense for a place. So, we are trying to balance an extended stay in Dingle with having a nice drive from Dublin to Dingle.
Here are our questions:
1) We are taking a ferry into Dublin from England. Should we spend the night in Dublin before we set off?
2) We are considering taking a few days to drive from Dublin to Dingle. What route should we take and how long should we take? Some ideas we've heard are Dublin > Kilkenny > Kinsale > Dingle OR just hugging the coastline all the way around OR something else? We don't want to drive more than 2-3 hours in one day.
3) Any recommendations for cool castle like or working farm places to stay on the way to Dingle ?
4) What town should we stay in on the Dingle Peninsula. Should we stay in the town of Dingle proper or rent a farmhouse or something on a plot of land for the kids to run around. Any recommendations?