best way to get from Dublin Airport to Dingle

Spend the night in Dublin then take the train. The closest it'll get you to Dingle is Tralee and Killarney. Check the Irish Rail website for schedules and a map.

If you haven’t already done so, check rome2rio. It will give you an idea of the various options and the approximate cost. But don’t buy your tickets through that site. Go directly to the service you choose. One thing you might consider is taking the bus to Limerick or Cork and renting a car from there. That would allow you to see some country side, nap perhaps and also see what it’s like to travel on the “wrong side” of the road.

All this presupposes the option of flying into Shannon or spending your first night in Dublin.

Yes, the train to Killarney or Tralee is probably your best bet. If you arrive early in the day you could head to either one immediately upon arrival, spend a night, and then collect your car the next morning rested and ready to go. Tralee is a little closer to Dingle town, and it'll be a lot less hectic there than in Killarney - which is a tour bus hub and can be a royal pain getting in and out of via car when they're rolling.
The one-way drop charge for a rental is pretty cheap in Ireland so driving back to Dublin and returning your car there would give you maximum flexibility in crafting your itinerary.

There is a short Ryanair flight from Dublin to Kerry and you can rent a car at the Kerry Airport. That's another option that might be better after a long overnight flight. We are doing this after our airline changed our flight from Shannon to Dublin.

Dublin Coach runs buses from Dublin Airport to Killarney and Tralee something like 8 times per day.. You change at "Red Cow" which is 20 minutes from the airport terminal. The whole trip is about 5 hours to Killarney. See the Dublin Coach website if you want to consider this option further. Probably not a "best" option but perhaps it wouldn't be bad if your flight gets in very early and you might sleep on the bus, or if you need the cheapest option to get to Dingle the same day.

Thank you for all the responses. They were very helpful. I've been thinking about all the options and think the flight to Kerry and drive to Dingle will work best for us.

Problem is, there are not a lot of flights to Shannon (Kerry), so little competition and often high prices. Almost al flights go to Dublin. But if your primary target area is the southwest, then a flight to Shannon may be worth it.

If you fly in to Dublin, consider this: first, don't come off an overnight flight, exhausted and jetlagged (if you are coming from North America, you will be), then jump in a car (where they drive on the "wrong" side, everything is backwards, and the roads get impossibly narrow). Take a bus ("coach") right from the airport, to Galway (on the west coast), That bus is very easy, comfy, cheap, runs very often, and leaves from right outside the airport terminal. And you will be in no shape to drive safely. On arrival, immediately take the bus to Galway. Enjoy a few hours wandering Galway, stay awake until after dinner, then sleep deeply. next day, get up refreshed, pick up your rental car, drive to Dingle. It's a long drive, but is very scenic and has plenty of worthwhile stops for scenery and leg stretching. It'll take you most of the day to get to Dingle, but take it easy, the roads get very small, but lots of eye candy along the way.

Edited to add: AFAIK, there are no direct flights between Dublin and Shannon; RyanAir does has one-stop options, and while they're not super expensive, they're also longer than one might expect (4 hours and longer), and may involve some non-trivial hassles.

To clarify: Shannon and Kerry are different airports.

Hi--Not trying to hijack this thread, BUT: Supposing you are not going to rent a car to drive to Dingle.

What would be the best way to get from the Dublin airport to Dingle? Is it best to fly to Kerry, then take the bus?
There is a seminar I may be attending beginning July 30. I'd like to get to Dingle on the 29th but I could get there a day earlier. I'm used to taking overnight flights to the UK, but as someone suggested here, perhaps it is better to stay overnight in Dublin and then get to Dingle the next day?

Many thanks!