Flying Into Dublin and Out of Shannon

We landed in Shannon so did the opposite of your trip. We enjoyed visiting the towns more on the west coast than on the east. I would not want to rush across the country on a bus. With a car rental you can explore much more.

Thank you. I was wondering if that would be the case.

Spending two nights in Dublin makes sense - not only does it give time to explore the city, it also allows time to recover from jet lag before picking uip a hire car.

A suggested itinery (truying to minimise the number of different overnight stops......

Days 1 & 2 Dublin

Day 3 pick up hire care and drive to Galway for three nights. Visit the Clonmacnoise monastic site with its round towers, ruined chapels and carved crosses. It is a lovely setting on the banks of the Rive Shannon. Also make a stop in Athenry - a walled medieval town with ruined castle and priory.

Days 4 &5 Explore Connemara - One day - Roundstone, Clifden with the Sky Road Drive, Killary Harbour (go for a cruise), Kylemore Abbey Gardens... Another day take a day trip to the Aran islands

Day 6 Head to either Dingle or Killarney for three nights via the Burren (an area of limestone scenery and completley different to anywhere else in Ireland. Take the route round the coast via Dunguaire Castle, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher and use the Killmer to Tarbert ferry.

Day 7 & 8 Spend a day doing Dingle and the Slea Head drive. Another day either spend time in Killarney National Park (Ross Castle, Killarney Lakes boat trip, Gap of Dunloe, Muckross house and gardens, Muckross Historic Farms) OR do the Ring of Kerry.

Day 9 Head back to Shannon Airport via Trallee, Ardare - both attractive small towns - or visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park..

Day 10 Fly out of Shannon...

This itinerary sounds amazing, thank you. I'm interested in knowing if there are any falconry schools/walks and/or farms to visit, or is that even worth it? There is so much information out there, it can be a challenge to narrow it all down.

Ashford Castle which is about 40km north of Galway does a faconry experiencce and hawk walk. Tie this in with a visit to Cong with its ruined anney and fishing station on the river(complewte with bell for the mnonks to tell the kitchen when they caught a fish). The John Wayne classic film 'The Quiet Man' was filmed in and around Cong and there is a museum in an exact replica of the cottage used in the film. Alos betyween the two go and find the ruined Ross Errilly Friary in the middle of nowhere sort of NW of Headford.) This would make a lovely day but you would either need to add another day to Galway or cut out the trip to Aran...

If you already have your flights booked, ignore this. But if you've just assumed that you would fly in to Dublin and out of Shannon (nothing wrong with that, it can be very efficient), just check flight options before you start making detailed plans. Because the vast majority of international flights go in and out of Dublin. Relatively few go to/from Shannon, so you may find fewer options for Shannon (and due to limited competition, those might be more expensive than Dublin flights - depends on how flexible your dates are and where you're flying from).

If the Shannon flights don't work for you, you will need to spend some time (maybe most of a day, depending on where you're coming from) getting back to Dublin for your flight home. And you'll want to do that the day before you fly home (to be sure you don't miss your flight). So factor that in to the eternal question "how much usable time on the ground do I really have there?" as you plan your time.

If you are looking for a sheepdog experience, then you have several options when you are in teh Dingle/Killarney area. Check out these ideas:
https://dinglesheepdogs.com/

http://westkerrysheepdogdemonstrations.ie/

https://www.kissanesheepfarm.com/

Luckily, I was able to get a flight out of Shannon on Aer Lingus at no additional charge. I was surprised at that myself. I love the Falconry idea but also think going to the Aran islands is well worth it. What a dilemma to have! I saw a tour that includes a ferry trip to the Aran islands and the Cliffs of Moher. Does anyone have thoughts on that?

In my five trips to Ireland, I've relied on the bus and train all five times, rented a car three times and did both a couple times. Between the two, I prefer to use the bus and train. However, I've gone into some remote corners of Ireland (Donegal, north Mayo, the tip of the Dingle Peninsula): Sometimes a car helps a bit. I've also used the bus to get to some remote corners of Ireland. The Irish bus system is very comprehensive.

I can help on your hiking question quite a bit. In 2010, I hiked 100 miles on the Dingle Way Trail (https://www.dingleway.com/). It's one of the best things I ever did. I highly recommend it. I also took a 100-mile-long hike in eastern Ireland on the Wicklow Way trail (https://www.wicklowway.com/) in 1999. And in 1997, I climbed Croagh Patrick (https://www.destinationwestport.com/explore-westport/a-bluffers-guide-to-climbing-croagh-patrick). A lot of people balk at climbing Croagh Patrick, but it took me 2.5 hours to make it to the peak at 2,500 ft. I was rewarded with stunning views of Clew Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The path is not paved. A good town nearby to stay in is Westport.

Tours of Glendalough (https://glendalough.ie/; can be booked in Dublin tourist office); literary sites in Dublin (https://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/) and Rock of Cashel (https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/the-rock-of-cashel/) are highly recommended.

Thank you for the hiking suggestions. I won't be doing any 100 mile hikes but I would like to explore on foot for a couple of hours at a time. I hope I can take advantage of your experiences and at least do some partial hikes.