Critique My Ambitious Itinerary Please

Carolyn, I do believe I count 14 different lodgings. That's too many by at least 10, in my opinion. Over the last few weeks I've been mulling what would be a three week itinerary for us next year and have whittled 21 days down to perhaps five different lodgings, planning to stay at each one for 2-4 days (most would be 3) and radiate out from there on day trips. I'm afraid you guys will spend all of your time checking in and out of hotels or BnB's.

Does any of that make sense? Or, have you considered just doing the south half?

As a rough rule of thumb, every time you change lodging it eats up about 1/2 your day: travel time between sleeping destinations, packing up and getting your baggage to the car, driving to the next lodging, checking in, unpacking, etc.
So a one night stand = way less than 1 full day of seeing and doing the things you went there to see and do.
It takes 2 nights to = 1 full day of seeing what you went there to see and do.
A series of one night stands will degrade the quality of your travel experience. Sometimes in European travel, less is more.

Thanks for your input. Maybe I should add a qualifier. Moving every day doesn't phase us. We don't unpack. We check out and hit the road in the morning and will check in when we are done for the day other than dinner and pubs. Sightseeing will be done en route to each day's destination. I guess my question is have I over scheduled us each day as far as hours of driving and sights to see. I know everyone doesn't travel like this but there have to be a few of you out there who can weigh in.

Carolyn,
Have you researched your driving times? Do you know what your driving times are between each of your locations?

I used Google Maps and added 25% to their times. I do realize I have us driving 4 - 5 hours a day but we are doing our sightseeing along the way.

Carolyn, your estimate of travel times uses a reasonable method.
Regarding one night stands, each traveler has their own preference that works for them.

You are ambitious! I think I got tired just reading this! I can't comment on a lot of because my three week trip didn't make a lot of these stops because I was getting around by bus/train. My rule of thumb has always been visit one sight before lunch, have lunch, visit another sight after lunch, then look for where ever I'm sleeping for the night (best done before dark at least), and track down a place for dinner and evening entertainment. This has served me well, and kept me from the 'green blur tour' of Ireland.

This is a very extreme itinerary. I encourage you to be more realistic about how much you can do in a day. Two night stays at a minimum are best, maybe a couple of one night stays, but no more than that. My wife and I traveled to Ireland in 2002, and I know about how much time it takes to get from place to place. Expect it to take longer than you expect it to take.

It's very ambitious. I usually put more into my days than most here seem to favor, and this is more than I'd take on, especially day after day for the entire trip. Obviously, we all have different comfort/stress levels, so if you are OK with it, it's worth treying with reasonabvle expectations and flexibility. But I'd suggest prioritizing and being willing to drop things if you run short on time, feel rushed, or just want to slow down.

If you want to make Dublin by 3 PM on day 14, I'd suiggest getting to Newgrange early. It can be busy and you may have to wait a while to get a time slot to shuttle out to the sites. Since you're in Drigheda the night before, I assume that's your plan.

On day 7, I'd suggest dropping the hike and heading to Galway via Gort to see Kilmacduagh. It's a monastic site with several buildings, and you are more likely than not to have it to yourself.

I don't have a problem with staying in different locations every night, I have done that more often than not.

I have good results with Google driving times, and think adding 25% to be a reasonable cushion unless you drive slower than most and/or will be unusually nervous and/or cautious about driving in Ireland.

Looks like it's your philosophy that the journey is the destination, which works when driving around Ireland. Backtracking to a home base can take longer than checking in and out of a hotel. On the other hand, some days' sightseeing may naturally form a loop back to your starting point. (The half-day move theory is based on including travel time, but travel time is incorporated into your sightseeing in this plan.)

Can you keep your plan flexible? For instance on day 3, instead of 4 castles/forts before dinner, will you give yourselves permission to skip one (probably Blarney)? If the morning is running late, will you be able to agree quickly on what to cut? (That may be easier for solo travelers who don't have to consult their partners.) If any of you particularly like to climb to the top of every tall thing, or explore every corner, or take lots of photos, then you might want more than average visit time. Charles Fort covers a large piece of land; after their 45-minute guided tour, you will want time to wander.

Thanks for sharing your insight. We do plan to prioritize and edit if necessary. If you come back from traveling and need to rest it was a successful trip is our philosophy.

We have been to Ireland 5 times in 10 years. Our first trip was much like what you have planned! A series of one night stands for 10 days and 9 nights on the south half of the island. I had up to 5 possible major attractions lined up for each day with the idea we would scale back if necessary.
We managed at least 2 major stops and a few times 3. And we ran pretty hard, usually driving 3-4 hours/day if I recall. We didn't ever do that again! We now take smaller chunks, roughly 1/4 of the Island and spend 2 weeks and minimum 2 nights at each lodging location. One of our best trips involved 1 week of B&B's and 1 week in a self catering cottage with day trips from there,
Many people go with the idea that a trip to Ireland will be a once in a lifetime opportunity (and we did too) but end up returning again and again. I guess if you were absolutely positive this would be your ONLY trip there, then maybe a whirl-wind, Green-blur trip might be advised with up to 2-3 main attractions per day (if you are lucky). Otherwise I also urge you to scale back. If you do proceed with your ambitious itinerary, be sure to prioritize the stops and attractions ahead of time so that your most important must-see list has the best chance of being fulfilled!
Regards
Dan

Driving through the Gap of Dunloe is quite slow, 5 - 10 mph in our experience in the section from Kate's Cottage up to the summit, due to the tight curves, the large number of pedestrians/carriages and the very narrow road width. I wasn't clear on which direction you are driving through the Gap, but if you are entering from the south (Black Valley) you'll be much happier if you aren't driving a car with a stick shift. The road in from that side is quite steep up to the summit as well as winding. We were traveling north to south and after we passed the summit and headed down I remember watching a woman coming towards us (up the hill) struggling desperately with her clutch as she tried to downshift enough to round one of the very sharp curves.
It would be educational for others if you would report back after your trip on how your itinerary worked out. Thanks