Ireland at a slower pace

Maybe try something like this...
-Days 1-3 in Dublin
-Day 4 Drive to Galway (or maybe Doolin if you're more into quiet small towns) and spend the rest of the day and night there
-Day 5 day trip from Galway/Doolin to Cliffs of Moher and the Barren
-Day 6 day trip from Galway/Doolin to the Aran Islands (maybe consider spending the night on Inishmore?)
-Day 7 head north, you can make it to Portrush in a day but it's a lot of driving, maybe break things up and slow it down by staying the night somewhere in Mayo, Sligo, or Donnegal (plus this is a really outdoorsy and rugged region).
Day 8- make your way to Portrush, it's a resort town with a beach and small amusement and water parks so spend s day there relaxing.
Day 9- Day trip from Portrush to Antrim Coast for the Giant's Causeway, Dunlace Castle, Bushmills and the rope bridge
Day 10- consider another day trip in the north such as Belfast or one of the folk parks (you could continue to base yourself out of Portrush for these).
Day 11 head back to Dublin checking out Boyne Valley on the way. Sleep in Dublin.
Day 12- I assume you fly out of Dublin today.

I don't recommend trying to get to the Aran Islands from Doolin if you have a tight schedule/limited time. Even in sunny weather, ferry service can be unexpectedly halted from Doolin if the seas are deemed too rough or choppy. Either fly (if you don't mind small planes) or go from Galway to Rossaveel and catch a ferry to the Aran Islands there. If it was one of your original goals and you can swing it, an overnight on the Aran Islands is great. It's very different once all the day trippers leave on the last ferry out at night and before the first one sails in the next morning.

I wouldn't worry too much about driving taking up too much time.....it is a pretty small country :)

I would map out your intended days, and, with the exception of Dublin lodging, just wing it :) You can book B&Bs the day before or not at all (depending on the season). You would have the flexibility to not feel rushed, but have the bones of a plan to follow. One year I drove all around Ireland for a week in August with my mom; we had no reservations and when we saw a B&B that looked good, we checked it out.

And if you are interested in kind of an off the beaten path adventure, I think the Slieve League cliffs in Donegal are pretty cool, and could be done on your route.

I would encourage you to go to Dingle. It is a great place to hang out and it really isn't that far. You could leave Dublin and hit Cashel on your way to Dingle, spending a night in Cashel to break up the drive. Then spend one or two nights in Dingle and then head up to the cliffs.

Debbie,

There is no better way to see a country - especially one as small, inviting and beautiful as Ireland - than by bicycle. "To be present...part of the culture...really experience Ireland...be in the scenery", as you say. That's pure, "custom-made bicycle-speak!" (You forgot to mention "in the weather," which is another genuine Irish experience, after all!)

As a super active, outdoorsy and athletic person, I don't know why you would even consider driving around in a car! Go for it! You can take your bike with you or rent one there. Ireland is such a safe and easy country to navigate. Hard to get lost too - though I did it once!

I've biked all over Ireland and Northern Ireland nine times and have even done and seen your four goals on several of those trips. Yep, it's that grand. I'm already envious.

But don't try to see and do too much the first time. Twelve days is just about the minimum you'd want to have for a bike trip; three to four weeks is ideal. There's always next year. On my first trip, I went without a real itinerary, kind of feeling out the country. The second time, I had a better idea of the "whats-wheres-whys-and-how-fars." Then I was hooked.

The highlight of many evenings - sitting in the pubs, pint in hand, meeting the locals and listening to all that wonderful, finger-tapping trad.

If you'd like to find out more or have questions, feel free to fire away.

Debbie,
My husband and I (both retired but young at heart) went last year in September for the first time. We were there for 3 weeks and logged 1000 miles on our car. Still, we only saw half the island: Dublin, Cahir, (Cashel, Cork) Dingle, Galway, Clifden, West Meath, back to Dublin. We will go back in May for 4 weeks to see the areas we missed.

Interests and pacing depend so much on where you live now (or what you have already seen in your life), what floats your boat, and how good you are at being a visitor instead of a tourist. Though the island is small, the driving is challenging. Because we missed our first turn off out of Dublin it took us 6 hours to get to our Airbnb farmhouse lodging in Ballylooby, near Cahir. Once you commit to a coastal route, until you know the area, you don't know where you can easily get back to a motorway.

The farmhouse was incredibly peaceful and I would recommend trying that to slow down your pace.

Also, my husband has PTSD from Vietnam. Every time we saw large tour buses we went the opposite way. This means that we had our own "must see sites" and I deleted many things from my spreadsheet as we went along. The sites that really interested us were the bee hive stone huts in Dingle, the lovely little town of Clifden in Connemara country, megaliths in West Meath. Castles, abbeys and gardens are available throughout the island and we had our share of visits to these sites as well.

Have a great time. The Irish welcome is really real.