What are your thoughts on doing Galway as a day trip vs. staying overnight? I am as usual a day short in my travel itinerary, and could gain that day back by doing Galway as a daytrip—but my gut says I want to stay overnight. I drove in Ireland on our 2002 trip, and it went fine but I would prefer to minimize days with the rental car for reasons of expense and the stress of driving over there (mostly because of speed cameras). We are consciously excluding Kilkenny on this trip, as much as we would like to go back. This is my straw man itinerary (one of many), but i think it gets too busy at the Trim/Cahir stops.
0 Fly
1 Galway
2 Galway
3 Dublin
4 Dublin
5 Dublin
6 Trim (Trim Castle, Newgrange, Knowth-some of this can be on day 7 before leaving)
7 Cahir (Cahir castle, Swiss Cottage, nearby Rock of Cashel; can do some of this on day 8 before we head to Kinsale).
8 Kinsale
9 Kinsale (visit to Cobh, which we stopped at on our previous trip).
10 Kenmare (want to go to Bantry house on the way there. We stayed in Kenmare in 2002).
11 Dingle
12 Dingle
13 Ennis
14 Ennis (hopefully do the Burren right this time, last time it was too rushed!)
15 Fly Home