Independent travel v. tour?

We traveled independently the first of May, 2018, and we found the country best seen by car or buses. We went to the southwest staying on the Ring of Kerry.

The backroads are very narrow, curvy and had shrubs and walls just inches from the road. Driving was difficult not including having right hand steering.
You would probably see so much more of the country by guided tour.

There are places you could visit by train on your own, there's rail service from Dublin to Galway and Cork and Belfast, if you want to see a bit of Northern Ireland, though I didn't look to see if there are direct trains between towns other than Dublin. A brief google search didn't give my a rail map of Ireland, but there must be one somewhere. On the other hand, many of the scenic sights are not in the towns and can only be visited with a tour or a car. A few years ago, there were suggestions here to hire a car and driver, it being not much more expensive than just renting a car, with the added perk of a chauffeur/unofficial guide.

On the other hand, RS tours are a great way to go.

My advice is if the itinerary matches your interests, to take the tour. I traveled independently in Ireland so I can’t give you first hand experience of this particular tour, but I have taken a RS tour and found it to be an extremely positive experience.

Your time is quite limited and a tour will be an extremely efficient way to experience Ireland. I think you will enjoy not driving and public transport can be a real challenge for several locations. It was work to get from place to place when we traveled. Northern Ireland is far easier than Republic of Ireland for public transport. If you rent a car, at least one of you will have to focus on driving vs. enjoying the scenery.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your trip!

After traveling both ways for many years I prefer the Rick Steves tours because:
1) You get to experience things the average tourist doesn't (ex: the sheepdog experience on the Scotland tour)
2) There is an educational component to the RS tours that enhances your experience as you learn from your guide during the tour.
3) I find the restaurants chosen for the group meals offer ethnic foods particular to that culture.
4) The "quirky" hotels are always located in the heart of the most interesting parts of the town or village.
5) There is something about sharing the travel experience with others that are "adventure minded" that has a synergistic effect.

My wife and I still travel on our own at times but the RS tours has given us experiences of a lifetime and friends that we value from over the years.

Hope you have a wonderful time in Ireland, I have been to almost every country in western Europe and Ireland is my favorite!

If you have the money, go for it! I have found that I can always travel cheaper on my own vs. Rick's tours, but I've always wanted to do one. I will say that Ireland was the most stressful trip I've ever taken to Europe due to the driving situation. And that was in my free-wheeling 20s, before children, where I was not worried about anything, haha!! If I did Ireland again, I would TOTALLY do it on a tour, or at least, all on buses where someone else is driving. I also sooooo hear you about just "showing up and enjoying." I normally enjoy travel planning a lot, but sometimes, in your life, it's just "one more thing."

...our life is crazy right now, and the whole thing is planned out and we can just show up and enjoy.

Just showing up and enjoying has a lot going for it --- especially if you are dealing other things in your life. We've done independent travels in Europe and have taken a number of RS tours including the Ireland one. If I were in your situation I'd definitely take the tour. Believe me, it is much, much more than just leaving the logistics to someone else. Be warned, however, you may find the RS tours addictive.

If this is your first trip to Ireland, the RS tour might be a good choice. I always end up following his recommendations when visiting any country for the first time, which happen to be all (or most) of the places his tours go to. So, even if you went on your own, you'd probably cover lots of the same territory. Why not let RS do the planning and driving for you? We travel independently a lot too, but sometimes a tour is a good choice, for the reasons you mentioned. Either way, you'll have a wonderful time.

We prefer to travel independently but the limited public transportation, difficult driving and your short period of time make me think you'd love a tour as long as the itinerary suits you.

Thank you, everyone! We are almost certainly going to do the tour. You've convinced us. :)

Jess,
I took this tour in Sept 2017 and loved it! We flew into Shannon which is a quick taxi ride to Ennis and the first hotel. I don't know what airport you are flying from but if I had it to do over again, I would fly direct from Atlanta to Dublin RT. Flying into Shannon we had to go to JFK, not a good experience. From Dublin you can take a train to a town near Shannon and Ennis I have read. You will have to research this.

My advice is to arrive at least 1 day early to Ennis and stay 1 day post-tour in Dublin. We toured Gilmainham Gaol, the Dublin Writer's Museum and the National Gallery after the tour ended. We enjoyed it very much.
Our hotel in Ennis, the Old Ground Hotel, is a delight and you will enjoy it and the quaint town if you are able to arrive a day early. I believe the Old Ground Hotel is the usual hotel in Ennis. You will know when you sign up.

Chani, et al, most train service is a set of spokes radiating out from Dublin, as summarized at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/ireland-rail-passes. That's not a complete map but pretty close. On some routes that could be partly served by train, direct buses or bus connections can be more convenient (e.g. from Cork to Galway). See also http://www.irishrail.ie/travel-information/station-and-route-maps and info in Rick's Ireland guidebooks.