Donegal or Kerry for first-time visitors

The Dingle Peninsula is hands down the most beautiful place we have ever visited in all of our travels. We first visited in 2001 and two years ago rented a house on the Dingle Peninsula and settled in for three glorious weeks. If I were the one planning the trip I would fly in and out of Shannon, rent a house large enough to accommodate the entire family and have a fabulous and restful week. Just my opinion! This is the house we rented:

http://www.shamrockcottages.co.uk/properties/kerry/inch-350/

Cliff's of Kerry are not as well publicized as others be sure to give them a look while out near Valentia and Portmagee

Dingle and ROK. If you can - drive the Ring of Skellig to. It's short buy breathtaking. Also if you get a clear night check out the sky late...the area is a UN dark sky preserve and the stars are insanely clear and beautiful....we went out for a quick look and spent two hours marveling at a sky we have never seen the likes of before. Dingle is spectacular. Our favorite spots though were coming out of Portmagee on the Ring of Skellig and cresting the rise and seeing St. Finans Bay and the Skelligs and also the view on the road above Caherdaniel. Second the poster on The Cliffs of Kerry......found them in a way more wild and impressive than the Cliffs of Moher.

I'll add another vote for option A--the Slea Head drive, Skellig Ring and Cliffs of Kerry are all spectacular! Be aware that getting over to Skellig Michael is very weather dependent so it's good to have a backup plan for the day. While in Dingle your girlfriend might enjoy the Blasket Center on the Slea Head drive. It has some interesting exhibits about the culture of the Great Blasket Island, once a thriving community and now pretty much abandoned.

Should mention that one of the great things about the Skellig Ring Road is that the tour buses don't go out there, which makes it a much more mellow experience than the ROK. There's more to the road than the Kerry Cliffs - about a half mile further down the road is Skelligs Chocolate. Worth a stop. Also, near the village of Ballinskelligs are the ruins of an old castle & monastery which you'll have pretty much all to yourself. There's a very nice stretch of beach there too - great place for a stroll and a picnic.

Wow! Thank you all for your generous responses. After doing a fair amount of research, I've concluded that Donegal is, sadly, likely too far given that we're landing in Shannon, have six days in the west, and then depart to Dublin for 2 days before flying home. A shame, because it seems that the county doesn't get the attention it deserves!

At this point, I'm just being indecisive between choosing between three possible bases: Dingle town, Galway or Valentia Island/Ring of Skellig. Dingle seems to make the most sense in that we'd be able to see a lot over 5 full days with minimal driving, and that's immensely important on top of everything else.

The city of Galway is a must. I realize all the sight seeing is breath taking in Ireland God knows I love it. However, the joy of Ireland is it's people and the pub crack. Galway is the best relaxed city to par take in the Irish culture. Would never pass the opportunity to stay in Galway as a side note in May We've rented a house in the City for 2 weeks and can't wait.

I've looked but may have missed it, so forgive me but WHEN are you going?

Do you know that Skellig Michael is not accessible year round? That it's also, when in season, very weather dependent? I tried to go 3 times this summer and finally made it on September's last Sunday -the warmest day of the year by far! I'm just hoping your 30th Birthday trip is summer....?

I strongly suggest Valentia Island as the place to base. The Skellig Coast region is beautiful, way less touristy, and traffic is easier to deal with than Dingle (I was in Dingle last week - and never made it to Dingle town! if you go to Dingle, enjoy the small villages, too - it's not just DINGLE on Dingle!). There are good restaurants in the Valentia Island - Port Magee area; lots of history, pubs, kayaking, the Royal Valentia Hotel and The Moorings are both open year round (many places in ireland close in the winter). You could literally spend a week on Valentia and not see half of what's there!

And the comment by Robert (i think) above is on the mark! The Kerry Cliffs are awesome! I take every visitor there, no matter what the weather! Don't miss it....

Enjoy!

Susan - an Expat in Waterville.

Thanks for the input, Doug! The more I hear about Galway, the more enticing it seems.

Susan, we'll be spending the last week-and-a-half of May in Ireland. I'm aware that Skellig Michael is something of a shot-in-the-dark, but if that doesn't work out due to weather, it seems like there's enough to do in Valentia and the Skellig coast to keep us occupied for a couple of days at least.

It sounds like you're more on board the Kerry side than Donegal. It appears to me that Donegal would require more time in the car, which could be a factor for us.

Thank you all for your helpful insight!

Cheers,

Max

I'll add my vote for Dingle, ROK, Killarney Nat Park and Skellig Island. If you have time take the trip across the mountain in the horse drawn cart. Make an appointment for the skellig trip early in your stay. Then call that morning to confirm the trip is still on, if not reschedule. In my view Skellig is a must see. I've been twice and if we return to Ireland would certainly go again. Pack a lunch and eat at the top, a 'wow' view.