Ireland, 8 days, slow travel.

I’d have a look at either Doolin or Galway for one of your bases. I’d then recommend picking between Dingle and the surrounding area for your other 4 days or the Kenmare/Killarney area. Both are great!

We will likely rent a car. Or possibly hire a driver.
Or both. Would like to stay where we can walk to at least a couple things. Only having one car and being remote can be very restrictive.

Appreciate the suggestions!

Good suggestions from the other posters. Would only mention that we were pretty underwhelmed by Galway and wouldn't recommend it as a base. On the other hand Connemarra is our favorite part of Ireland. We usually base ourselves in or near the village of Clifden, a delightful little place which is central for explorations around the region, including the ferry landing at Rossaveal for a day trip or an overnighter to inishmore. One of Ireland's better kept secrets is the shorter ferry ride from Cleggan (15 minutes from Clifden) over to the island of Inishbofin.
Part of the "Connemara Loop" scenic drive is the village of Cong - the filming location for the old John Wayne flick "The Quiet Man" from back in the early 50's. Would guess that both your Mother and MIL would enjoy strolling around the little town, which still looks like the film set it was back in the day. Cong is also the location of Ashford Castle - a pretty place for lunch or tea, and also the home of a very well regarded "Hawk Walk" that many here on the forum rave about. Your daughter would love it.
Another suggestion would be to base yourselves near the village of Castlemaine, which is between Dingle and Killarney, making it a convenient central location for easy day trips (less than an hour's drive) to Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, the National Park over near Killarney, the Gap of Dunloe (with tours by pony trap thru the Glen), and the beautiful Skellig Ring Road. That way you could unpack once and be done with it rather than having to relocate.

Hi from Wisconsin,
My sister and I took mom and dad to Ireland when they were 75 and 78. We landed in Shannon. Did a small loop of Ireland.

I would highly recommend Ennis as a base for County Clare, which is absolutely lovely. Many small towns like Corofin, Kilfenora, and Lisdoonvarna. I bet you moms will love the main street of Ennis. That might take then all day. There are places to stay and eat there.

Then I would use Clifden north west of Galway as a base. Once again the landscapes are lovely around Clifden all the way to Westport. Once again, it has places to stay and eat. Clifden is an old market town. We were so lucky we were there for the cattle market. Kylemore Abbey with its teas will charm your ladies. Leenaun, northeast along the main road from Clifden, has a pub or two and you can get food there.

We stayed outside of Gort the first and last night of the trip. That way, we got into bed soon after the flight for a nap. upon the return at the end of our trip we were located close to the airport for the next day's departure. Gort is small, has a pub/restaurant, and a renaissance structure outside of town. A good intro and goodbye place for Ireland.

Galway has never done anything for me. But maybe those ladies want to see it.

I would try B&Bs at old farm houses. That would mean stairs to the bed rooms.

You will be so glad you took this trip. My dad died the next year.

Wayne INWI

I am currently in Ireland, finishing up a two week trip. We’ve stayed in Clifden, Galway, Ennis, Dingle, and Kenmare. We loved all of these places with the exception of Galway. Galway was too busy and congested. I love the smaller towns and highly recommend the B&B’s.

Good for you for choosing Shannon, it’s surprising how many people overlook that possibility. I am also a big fan of Ennis. It’s not a big city but more than a village, but a good base. Kenmare is nice but very small. Kinsale, Kilkenny are a couple of hours drive from Ennis. Even Dingle is only 2:20 according to Rome2rio. Galway is nice enough but more than a couple of days might seem like a lot.

We just returned from 3 weeks in Ireland. We had an apartment in Dingle for 6 nights and stayed 3 nights at the Hotel Meyrick in Galway. We did not have a car, so we hired a driver to run us up the coast between the two towns (stops included the Cliffs of Moher, Lahinch and Dunguaire Castle. The Meyrick was but of a splurge, but a wonderful old hotel with a very helpful staff. Your two older ladies might appreciate it, as it harkens back to an earlier time. We had several excellent meals in Galway and frequented Tigh Coili, a cozy pub with trad music most of the day. We had great conversations with locals and enjoyed live music instead of the recorded music you often find in pubs during the day. We also met the original owner's great grandson who tended bar on one of our visits.

My husband and I stayed in Dingle for 3 days and used John O ‘Connor of Coastline Tours to do the driving. His wife, Elaine, picked us up in Doolin as we arrived by ferry from Aran Islands and drove us to Dingle. My husband preferred not to drive in Ireland so John drove us to out of the way places a tour bus would not be able to manage. John delivered us to Shannon airport at the end of our visit. Gregory Peck’s ancestors were from Dingle and he visited there. His daughter continues to visit and uses John as her personal driver for airport service. I highly recommend John’s services if only for a day. He was helpful with recommendations for B&B, dining and entertainment.