Bru na Boinne & Dublin

The best plan is to take the Mary Gibbons coach tour. See also this recent thread: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/ireland/transportation-to-newgrange-from-dublin.

You might want to consider a hop on hop off bus tour to get an overview of the city. The narration is entertaining and you can see all of the major sights. The whole route is about 90 minutes, then you could use it as transportation to stop and explore at places that looked interesting. The National Museums, particularly the archaeology museum, are interesting - and free. And listening to the musicians along Grafton St is always fun.

I am also taking an Ireland trip with my teenage daughter. lt's for her 16th birthday in lieu of an extravagant party. The Mary Gibbons tour to Bru na Boinne is on our itinerary. Although we are planning 3 days/3 nights total in Dublin. But the Mary Gibbons tour gets back at 4:30 so it still gives us an evening in downtown. Trinity College/Book of Kells and Killmainham Gaol are on the must see. We'll probably do a hop on/off or the Viking tour. The Leprechaun Museum looks entertaining, if touristy. But we are winging a lot of it for what strikes her fancy. This trip is for her, I'm just chaperone/driver/walking wallet. LOL. I am lucky that we share similar interests and she enjoys walking around a city and exploring.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I have connected with the tour company and hopefully will be able to work something out.

Do not miss Bru na Boinne. It is a spectacular experience. There are two tours at that location: NewGrange and Knowth. Both are excellent, but do NewGrange if you only have time for one. I also recommend Mary's tour, as explained above. She has three pick up spots in Dublin.

Thank you!