First time in Ireland and need help

We did a similar itinerary in May - 10 days. We went back to Dublin from Dingle only the day before because we had an early flight the next morning. We did drive straight through. Just Don’t miss Dingle.
Fabulous trip!

How was the drive? Did it take a long time - as I have been warned? Any suggestions on places to stop? I don't have to be back till the 24th and am thinking it may be cheaper to stay outside of Dublin before we leave.

It's about a 5 to 5.5 hour drive from Dingle town to Dublin Airport. On your departure from Dingle, you could stop in Trim. It's a bit of a detour but not too bad. Assuming you left Dingle around 9:00 or 10:00, you'd get into Trim around 3:00 or 4:00, you could visit Trim Castle, walk along the Boyne River, see an abbey ruin and the Yellow Steeple. From Trim it's about a 30-45 minute drive to the airport. Drop the car on the 24th and either spend the last night at an airport hotel (taking the bus or taxi into Dublin City Center for dinner or a stroll), or spend the last night in Malahide, about 15-20 minutes from the airport. Malahide Castle, quaint and charming stores, excellent seafood. I think the Grand Hotel Malahide runs a shuttle between the hotel and airport. It's a conference hotel, so nothing special but convenient.

I’d stay the night in Adare but I’d also fly out on the 25th.

Ireland is wonderful.

Excellent idea!! I thought planning this trip would be easy but it has proven to be the hardest so far because of the little time and all the things to do. Everyone said Dingle is so worth it so I didn't want to miss it. My husband suggested doing the trip in reverse - so driving directly to Dingle from Dublin and slowly making our way back to Dublin Airport on the 24. I feel like I have rearranged this trip so much!!

I appreciate you all so much for the input.

Well, your husband is half right (well, maybe 27 percent)...

It's a long way to Tipperary. And a long drive to Dingle from Dublin.

Here are some truths to consider (in addition to the fact that it's a long way to Dingle):

1. Your arrival day will be pretty much wasted, because you'll be exhausted from the overnight flight.

2. You will be no no shape to drive when you arrive - see above.

3. There are other ways to get to the other end of Ireland.

So, put these together and do what many of us have done: Land in Dublin. Immediately after landing, push on via public transportation to somewhere far from Dublin and closer to where you are aiming for. That could be Galway (west coast, but well north of Dingle), or someplace closer to Dingle (or maybe even Dingle if you're up for that long a bus trip). Take a train or a bus there, because you are in no shape to drive, and that's the best way to make use of that first "arrival" day which would be otherwise wasted. Crash and burn, get a good night's sleep. Your trip to Ireland starts the next morning. Wake up, in Dingle or someplace else on your route. Move on from there. Spend a short time in Dublin at the end of your trip rather than at the beginning (you have to spend the night in/near Dublin anyway because you do not want to risk missing your flight out).

Your trip is very short. You need to be brutally efficient if you want to successfully incorporate far-flung places like Dingle. It can be done, but there's no room for inefficiencies.

It is a sprint and not a walk.. I know. I always thought a full week was enough in Ireland but now I know how very wrong I was.

We are planning to keep the 2 days in the beginning in Dublin because we do need a day to recoup... but I get that driving directly to or from Dingle is really adding to the length of the time in the car on this one.

We are doing something very similar in two weeks, but we have one night (after two in Dingle) in Adare. Then will take car back to Dublin airport (then train to Belfast!). Happy travels!

There is another option: Ryanair runs two direct flights per day between Dublin and the Kerry airport near Killarney (and about an hour from Dingle). The morning flight departs around 9:00AM as I recall, and there's one later in the afternoon too. If either of those would mesh with your arrival time into Dublin you could save yourselves a lot of cross-country driving by just spending your first night in or near Killarney ... or in Dingle itself for that matter. There are rental car outlets at Kerry airport, so you could either collect one upon arrival or spend a night or two in Killarney before doing so. You could easily spend what little time you have in the Dingle/Killarney area, return the car, and then fly back to Dublin for your last couple of nights.
Alternatively, you could investigate the cost of a one-way rental between Killarney and Galway , drop the car there, and train back into Dublin. That might be a stretch given how pinched for time you are.
I agree with David: "Your trip is very short. You need to be brutally efficient if you want to successfully incorporate far-fug places like Dingle. " Flying into Kerry upon arrival in Dublin might be a way to do just that.