Dublin to Cliff of Moher and Blarney

I would prefer the freedom of driving myself and would not prioritize either Blarney Castle or Bunratty Folk Park. Rick's guidebook would also suggest smaller towns near Cork, rather than the city itself. However, some sights and services are not open in November.

We had a rental car in Ireland so we could go where we wanted, when we wanted. We skipped Blarney since it is more for tourists than for castle enthusiasts. If you feel the need to kiss the stone, enjoy. Cahir castle was very nice. On the way back to Dublin, the Monastic City, Glendalough was nice for a couple hours. Also, if you are a fan of the UK TV show Balleykissangel, it was filmed in Avoca.

Per Laura's comment, it would be good to review the RS guide for Ireland to narrow things down a bit and sort out your priorities.

While I agree that the freedom of a car is the preferred way to go, you really need to guard against trying to cover too much ground in a limited amount of time, thus spending most of your trip looking at the various sights from behind the wheel as you drive by. Actual drive times in Ireland are usually around 30% more than Google Maps or other planning tools would have you believe.

Would suggest that you continue to shop around for your rental car - 160 Euros for two days, even for an automatic with coverage, strikes me as being excessive. Try a few of the travel search engines (Travelocity, etc.) to find the best deals, then go to the individual rental car site to make your booking. That way if you have any issues you'll be dealing directly with the company and not a 3rd party, which can sometimes complicate things unnecessarily. Might also check with Dan Dooley, which many here recommend. Their quotes will include CDW coverage, whereas most of the others require some digging to determine what the bottom line will be.

And if you're going to have the car anyway, why not extend your driving tour so you can do justice to a single area - Dingle or Killarney for example.

You don't have to do either if you don't want to. Renting a car would certainly be the best way to go, but it can be costly. The other option is to use the train to get to a town, and then use guided day tours to see the sights. I would google the day trips for the time you are going to be there and see what is available and go from there. You could split your time between Dublin and Galway, using them as bases to tour from, and you will be able to see a lot using the guided day tours. It's what I did, but I was there in April, not November so I can't speak to the availability of the day tours.

You can always do it on your own. I personally enjoyed Blarney. I expected a basic tower house and was pleasantly surprised that there is a castle ruin, cave, dolman, park, estate and woolen mill. Really more to see than I was expecting.

I have taken some tours through Bus Eiren. Just day tours but I've found them to be a good value.

I've also had pretty good luck using my Amex card for CDW insurance. I had years of rentals with no damage so was more than happy using the card's insurance. I pay a one-time charge of $25 for the whole rental, so saves quite a bit. This June I had my first accident. It was minor but about 2700 euros damage. It took some effort to gather the information they wanted for the claim and make sure it was received by them (maybe a hour of work, three times) but once that was accomplished, they paid the claim.

I haven't used it in Ireland yet. I'm going in May. It's not on every Amex card. I used to have it on my Costco card. When they went to Citi, I got an "everyday cash card" just so I could continue the CDW offer. Some countries are excluded. It also has different rules by states, and some states don't allow it, because it's an insurance product. If you can take advantage of it, it can be a big money saver.

Hi Melissa.

I was on a group tour with Paddywagon years ago to the Cliffs of Moher from Dublin and back. Don't be worrying about being done way before the rest of the group as it really offers very little time at the cliffs. Its really just a drive across the country and back with a short stop at the cliffs before you are herded back on to the bus, and don't be late or they will get very angry! There is a stop in Galway and I think also Doolin or Lahinch for lunch if I remember correctly but it is all so so rushed that your head will spin.

On the trip I took the driver talked about everything other than the beautiful scenery and sights we were passing. At one stage we were passing the ruins of a church or abbey or something and the driver was telling us about Bill Clinton!

Rent a car or else take a bus or train to Galway and go on a day tour from there. It will be a much better experience!

Enjoy your trip.

Mike.