Ireland itinerary - 9 nights/8 days in the west/southwest

(continued from above…)

I've tried to game this out and I believe this itinerary is do-able, and also strikes a reasonably good balance between packing in all the blockbuster stuff, hitting the highlights that are important to us, but not so crazy fast that it won't just be a blur.

I know there's other great stuff right near where we're going (Connemara, and other things further north), and we're not really hitting the major cities at all. We have to pick and choose. Rick suggests, "With 8 days, do: Dublin, Dingle Peninsula, Galway, Aran Islands, slow down." We're doing that, but trading his suggested 3 days in Dublin for the ROK and Skellig Michael (and we're probably not slowing down that much really). That seems like a fair trade to me.

There are a couple days where there's more than a little driving…in particular, Day 3, which we start on Inishmor, fly back to the mainland, get our car (should have it and be on the road by 1 pm), then motor on to Dingle, with a stop at the Cliffs Of Moher. According to Rick's book, they estimate 4.5 hours of driving between Galway and Dingle via the Cliffs Of Moher. Ideally I'd like to reach Dingle before dark (early July, so long days). I know that's a very full, long day - but I think it can be done.

There's also some uncertainty around Days 6 and 7, which include all of the following: driving from Dingle to the ROK, the first half of the ROK; next day, maybe Skellig Michael and then the rest of the ROK (if no Skellig Michael trip, then there's plenty of time, maybe enough to explore Killarney National park a bit). Given the uncertainty of a Skellig Michael landing, I figure we will need to sleep near the departure point that night (probably Portmagee or nearby), and play it by ear somewhat on that second day. If we do make the Skellig Michael landing, it will be a very full day. I'm leaning towards spending that last night in the region (the night of Day 7) in Killarney, even though Rick seems to sneer at it as way too touristy. I figure we will be coming off some very full days, and we need an "easy" place where we can drop our rental car; we will also be getting on the train the next morning, so Killarney seems to fit the bill for all that.

Your input on all this is welcome. Big thanks to those who have already helped with suggestions in other threads, and thanks again/in advance for additional feedback.

Just to say that this is an awfully long, complicated post for a short trip! If you could distill it down to what your actual questions are, I think you'd have a better chance of getting answers.

Hah - If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. OK, I admit, I do try to be thorough... ; )

Only questions really are...

Anything important I'm missing with this plan? (Not "am I missing any attractions", more "any logistical issues I'm overlooking?").

How about that long day (Day 3) - starting in Inishmor, then driving from Galway and ending in Dingle? Reasonable time expectations?

Any recommendations for a place to overnight in/near Portmagee?

Or any other observations.

Your itinerary is very similar to our first Ireland trip a few years ago, except that we were on rented bicycles and needed 3 weeks, traveling slower. We also used Shannon Airport but ... you’re hitting some significant sights. We ferried from Rossaveal to Inishmore then ferried to Doolin. Not sure if rental cars are available in Doolin, so your plan’s probably fine. Be aware that you’ll likely pay an additional fee for turning in your rental in a different place than where you’re picking it up.

We’re in Ireland right now, seeing parts north of Galway this time, but renting a car and flying in/out of Dublin. But we took the CityLink Express bus from Dublin Airport to Galway last week, which is the way to go. Picked up rental car in Galway last week and will drop off at Dublin Airport (incurring that fee, something like €40).

We did an obligatory 2 days and 1 night again on Inishmore, flying in. But a bad storm grounded all return flights the next day, and all ferry trips, except for a 5pm sailing to Rossaveal, a very rough crossing. So even the Aran Island access, by land or air, isn’t a guarantee, even though it’s more reliable than Skellig Michael access. Have a good trip.

Your day 3 is going to be a very long day. My suggestion is to shorten it a bit by skipping the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin. There are plenty of other seascapes in the west of Ireland that are much less overrun than Moher, and which would still delight the photographer's eye. Am thinking particularly of the Kerry Cliffs not far from Portmagee. Some panoramic shots looking out towards the Skelligs floating in the distance would be picture postcard quality if the sun cooperates.
I'd normally recommend the shoreline drive down towards Kilkee if you had the time, but you really don't this trip so you should give it a miss.
Taking the more direct inland route from Galway thru the Limerick tunnel is probably your best bet in order to keep from wearing yourselves out that day. You'll pass thru the villages of Adare and Tralee that way - both of which are worth a stop.
The inland route via Limerick will take about 4 hours of driving, not including stops, whereas the diversion via the Cliffs will take closer to 5. The general advice here is to add about 30% to the Google maps estimated drive times - we've usually found that to be about right.
Check with your rental car provider, but we've never had to pay a one way drop charge for rentals within the Republic.

Although day three is ambitious, I think your itinerary is fine. It sounds like you are prepared to miss Skellig Michael, and Inishmore could throw a wrench in your plans as well. But you’ll still have a great time if you can be flexible. Focusing on the west and skipping Dublin is smart IMO. Hope you have a great trip!

@Cyn - Thanks. Car rentals do seem limited to the major cities and airports, probably none in Doolin, but I'll check. Your (implied) suggestion of flying to Inishmore, then ferrying to Doolin on the return is creative and interesting - I had briefly thought of that but will need to investigate the logistics. My guess is that the shorter distance might not provide any time saving, but will investigate.

For the trip to Galway after arrival in Dublin, I have been leaning towards the train rather than the bus. I gather the bus that you took was direct from the airport? If so, then yeah, one less "leg" to connect is always good, although my understanding is that the bus from the airport to the train station is pretty short, direct and painless, so maybe just marginal difference. In general, I'd usually rather spend a few hours on a train rather than on a bus, but could be persuaded. I'll need to check the bus/train schedules. Thanks.

@Robert - Thank you for all your valuable insights. Interesting idea to skip The Cliffs and just blow through via Limerick Tunnel - saving an hour of driving would be nice. The one thing (other than the Cliffs) that I'd miss would be The Burren. But I'd also rather get to Dingle at a reasonable hour.

I might leave that as a "game day decision" depending on how we're feeling, what time we actually get on the road, weather, etc. But it's good to know we have the option of shaving about an hour off the drive by taking that "shortcut." Thank you.

@Carroll - Thanks. Yeah, I know we have an aggressive plan, but to at least some extent, I'm trying to build in some flexibility. I've already framed the discussion with my wife that Skellig Michael is a roll of the dice (I'm saying it's 50/50, although I think when we're going, early July, the odds are probably better than that). Sometimes you just need to get lucky, and sometimes you do (just not always!). Weather is the big uncertainty (but we will bring serious rain gear so we will be prepared for whatever we get ourselves into).

Thanks.