Ireland Itinerary advice please

Kilmainham Gaol was top of my list when we visited last summer. Another poster said they are now accepting reservations. It is not far from the Guinness storehouse.. We did the 9:30 am Gaol tour, then Guinness, St. Patrick's etc.
if you like fish n chips, the best place we ate was at Leo Burdock's. The one we ate at was take away. They have a few locations. Their website is leoburdock.com. My cousin and I said we would make a trip back to Dublin just to eat at Leo's again.

Belfast: we were only there for one day, my cousin is a titanic fan, we had 1:00 reservations so we did the HOHO bus. There was live commentator so questions could be asked. For the short time we were there it was very good as we got around to the different neighborhoods. Also, one stop was the museum so we saved on some walking.

You may want to tweek this a bit. The ring of Kerry drive will probably take a day. I don't know that you will get Skellig in that day.

Dingle is actually in Kerry, about a 90minute drive south of Killarny. Dingle to Galway is about a days drive. This drive is similar to the ring of Kerry, so you may be doubling up here. You may also want to give yourself more time in Derry. It is a long drive from Galway and there is lots to see along the way. Aran Islands takes at least one day.

I would map out each point of your journey. Use the Michellin Map site, www.viamichelin.com, to estimate the time. Whatever time they give you, double it. The roads are different than the US & you are not used to them. It will take you longer.

I followed a tour when I planned our trip to Italy, thinking we could drive that if they can. I nearly killed my husband. It was too much packed into too short a time. Remember, on the tour, you have a person planning, a different person driving and they have a set itinerary that they have used before. All this is new to you.

We've been to Ireland several times, the last time was an April visit. (I would recommend May instead, April was still pretty chilly, although the daffodils blooming everywhere were pretty.) I would suggest several changes, so you have more time for the scenic west coast. After Dublin, go to Glendalough, then head to Kenmare. It's a bit of a long drive, so you might want to overnight in Kilkenny or Cashel. Next day, stop at Blarney Castle if you must, then head to Kenmare. Kenmare is a better location than Killarney - you can drive the Ring of Beara one day, the Ring of Kerry the next day. Consider adding a jaunting cart trip through the Gap of Dunloe if possible.

Dingle is pretty, but a bit out of the way.(Castlewood B and B is lovely.) It's very scenic, but no more so than Beara or the Ring of Kerry. After Dingle, head up to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, then on to County Galway. Lots of castle hotels in that area - Ashford - or a bit less dear, Ballynahinch Castle Hotel out near the ferry to the Aran Island. Connemara is beautiful - well worth a day to drive around and explore it.Clifden is a nice little town for an overnight if that fits your schedule.

After this, head to County Donegal, Derry, Dunluce Castle ruins, and the Giant's Causeway (interesting spot, but really not worth a diversion unless you are really interested in geology.) We've never visited Belfast. However, if you are heading back to Dublin from Belfast, NewGrange is a worthwhile stop.

Kilmanhaim Gaol was a highlight for us while in Dublin. It is very popular and sells out so I would for sure buy your tickets online.

In Killarney we really liked biking though the National Park and doing the Muckross farm. We also did a jaunty cart ride which was great. We also did a sheep herding demonstration at Kissane Farms which was another highlight of the trip
We left Killarney, drove the ring of Kerry with quite a few stops including a stop at the Skellig centre and made it to Dingle by dinner time. It is doable.
We then left Dingle and did the Slea head drive, Bunratty Castle, Cliffs of Moher and made it to Galway by 7:15. That was a longer day but for sure doable.
If you want to do the Aran Islands, then I would do it from Galway. It will take the better part of a day.

We did not do the North at all so cannot help.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the suggestions. Decided to skip the Aran Islands & Skellig Michael. So this is what I have now and I'm sure it will be changed ten times before we actually finalize everything...

Days 1-3 Spend 3 nights in Dublin. See Kilmainham Gaol, Trinity College, Book of Kells, Guinness factory tour, pubs, St Stephens Green & St Patricks Cathedral, who knows what else.

Day 4 Drive to Waterford, stopping in Glendalough (Could possibly eliminate this but its not far & will break up our first day of driving a bit). Finish driving to Waterford and visit Waterford Crystal factory then spend the night at Waterford Castle.

Day 5 Drive from Waterford to Rock of Cashel then to Blarney Castle to kiss the stone (don't want to miss my change at eloquence), Blarney Woolen Mills then drive to Killarney to spend the first of 2 nights.

Day 6 Drive to the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula then back to Killarney for another night.

Day 7 Drive to the Cliffs of Moher then to Bunratty where we will indulge in the Medieval Banquet at the castle and spend the night in Limerick.

Day 8 Drive to Galway, need to research Galway a bit more (1 or 2 nights in Galway)

Next Day Galway to Sligo, then Sligo to Derry, spend the night in Derry (walking tour of Derry the next morning)

Last Day of driving - Derry to Dunlace Castle ruins & the Giant's Causeway then on to Belfast to spend a couple of nights. Depart Belfast for Liverpool and London. (The other option I'm considering is to eliminate Sligo, Derry, Giant's Causeway & Belfast, driving from Galway back to Dublin then to Liverpool from Dublin.)

Most evenings would be spent in local pubs, enjoying Irish pub food and hopefully lots of music.

I used the Michelin site to figure the mileages between all these places at it looks like we would be averaging a little over 132 miles of driving per day. Our longest day is 171 miles of driving and the shortest is 63 miles. It sounds pretty doable to me. Ireland experts, what do you think? Thanks!

The Guinness Storehouse is not a factory tour. It is basically an overpriced, extended commercial, with lots of opportunities to buy the same Guinness souvenirs you will see all over Ireland. Your "free" pint at the end isn't exactly free. Your time would be better spent at Kilmainham, one of the many free museums, or just wandering the streets.

Nancy is right about the Guinness storehouse tour - there are much better ways to spend your time in Dublin. We were likewise underwhelmed by the Waterford crystal thing and Blarney. Might want to look at reviews on Trip Advisor for each attraction before you commit.
Be aware that there's a pretty stiff one-way international drop charge if you pick up in Dublin and drop off in Belfast.

I am in Ireland now on my second trip. I home based in Dingle for 5 glorious days and on my 1st trip, I stayed in Killarney and did a day at the Muckross house and the beautiful grounds and the next day the ROK. Kenmare is suppose to be even more quaint to stay. On this trip I intentionally came back for Dingle for a long stay and could have stayed another 2 days but I love small towns with such beauty. I stayed at the Pax House which was amazing and had the best local guide for hiking.
Then another 5 days in Galway and did my tours to the Cliffs, Doolin and the Burren in one day, Connemara and Cong one day and then the Aran Island in one day and 2 days to drink in Galway itself and stayed at the Petra House.

My first trip I was underwhelmed by Waterford as well but your time in Dublin sounds grand but book your must do's now. The hop on and hop off bus is nice and no car needed. Whatever you do, take time to be with the great Irish people. They are a true gift.
My next trip will be Northern Ireland if I am lucky. Enjoy.
Kathy