Ireland with Adult Sons

The first thing to do is decide exactly how many full days you have, days which exclude arrival and departure days. Ten full days means maybe 3 locations; 14 days means 4 maybe 5 locations, especially if you want to enjoy local culture and don't want to be driving all the time. So as a basic itinerary for 10 days I would consider staying in Dublin, Kinsale and a town in between the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula - maybe Glenbeigh. If you have closer to 14 days, add Galway or Doolin. The only accommodation I can recommend that meets the 2BR apartment criteria is the Old Presbytery in Kinsale. It has 2 BR units with kitchenettes. The Parknasilla Resort in Sneem also has apartment units. But it's on the south side of the Ring of Kerry and would not be as convenient for Dingle.

Our last trip, just 2 of us, we flew in to Dublin and immediately caught the double-decker bus (“coach”) at the airport to Galway. It passed thru downtown Dublin on the way, so we got a quickie tour, enroute. We sat up top for great views of the countryside, but even got a short nap during the 4 hour ride, helping with jet lag. Bus had a decent bathroom onboard, too.

This let us avoid driving for the first couple of days, and got us to the Galway side of Ireland quickly and easily. When you’re done with Galway, pick up your rental car and make your way south, to the Cliffs of Moher, then on to Dingle. Continue counter-clockwise around Ireland until you reach Dublin for the last part of the trip.

We mostly stay at B&B’s in Ireland, but then it’s just us two. We had an apartment (1BR) in Dublin, and that gave us a great location. If you had a 2BR anywhere, where would the 5 of you sleep? Would someone wind up on the sofa, or would you need a 3BR.

On the west side of Dublin, on the other side of the river but not far from the Guinness Storehouse, be sure to stop in at the Cobblestone pub for traditional Irish music with drop-in musicians.

Consider flying into Shannon and out of Dublin. Then you’ll need to narrow down your itinerary. You probably want 3-4 nights in Dublin. That leaves 10 nights. Here is an itinerary that we did many years ago. We drove no more than 3 hours most days, except from Kinsale to Glendalogh

1) Arrive Shannon: 1 night at Dromoland Castle
2) Drive to Cliffs of Moher, then down to Kilrush for 1 night
3-4) two nights in Dingle
5-7) three nights in Kinsale visiting friends
8) drive to Rock of Cashel, drive to Blarney Castle but unimpressed so continued on to Glendalogh for 1 night

We ended in Dublin for 3 nights.

If you add in Galway and Ring of Kerry you’ll easily fill 10 nights with very little time for multi-night stops. You’ll just need to prioritize whether you want more time experiencing fewer places, or more time on the road.

Thank you. They suggestions are fantastic and I'm going to spend investigate over the next day or so. It is always more enjoyable for our family to slow down and enjoy.

We have had good experiences with VRBO in the past but with that many locations I was feeling overwhelmed.

Another question on cars. It seems that cars are much smaller. I don't want to rent two cars. Any suggestions?

You should be able to rent a car that fits 5 adults, as long as you pack light; we've done it without a problem. Most rental car companies allow you to indicate your number of passengers. We rented a car that was similar in size to a Subaru wagon, maybe?
Anyway, it wasn't the biggest car on the road by any means. I think 3 of us had to share the back seat, but they were all big guys, and they managed OK. It helped that they liked each other. ;)

Try and book something early, because 5-passenger cars (WITH automatic transmission) tend to sell out early.

Circling back for some advice in narrowing things down. Once I narrow down our itinerary I will look at flights.

I'd appreciate input on this. I was really hoping to add a castle stay although the few I saw were SO expensive. I may reverse this itinerary but would appreciate your thoughts on how many days we need in each. We can do 12 days max.

I think we will start in Galway. How many days do we want to have to explore there? Can we see Cliff of Moher from there or on the way south?

Stop 2: Dingle/Kenmare. Should we plan a stay in both towns or is it best to stay in one and visit the other? We will see ROK and have read that fishing is an option. Do you have any advice on that? We typically love a day on the water.

Stop 3: Kilkenny which looks to be right up our alley with so much to explore. From there we will probably see Rock of Cashel. Should we allow time for Waterford? What about Blarney Castle?

Stop 4 Dublin for a few days. Fly Home

Yes, you can see the Cliffs of Moher as a day trip from Galway or as a stop on your way south. It's been over 20 years since I was in Galway so I have no useful input on how long you should spend there.

As for Dingle (I assume you mean Dingle town) vs. Kenmare, yes you could drive both ring roads from one or the other. Most here prefer Dingle Town over Kenmare. I don't have an opinion except to say that as actual peninsulas go, I like the Ring of Kerry over Dingle. I personally find more to do on the Ring of Kerry, with greater diversity of activities and scenery on Kerry than on Dingle. That's just personal taste.

For fishing do you mean fresh or salt water?

You could visit the Rock of Cashel as a day trip from Kilkenny or stop there on your way to Kilkenny from Dingle/Kenmare. It would be a bit of backtracking to stop there on your way to Dublin from Kilkenny. I would personally skip Waterford (nothing there except the crystal demo), and Blarney Castle.

Thanks Trotter. Yes, I meant stay in Dingle Town or Kenmare?. Both looked beautiful. Wondering if it was possible or best to use either as a base for Ring of Kerry. As far as fishing goes, we prefer salt water but open to either. I would assume a guide is best just because we won't be bringing gear with us.

If you have not already discovered the Hawk Walk thru the School of Falconry at Ashford Castle, do check into that. While I highly recommend at least one night's stay at Ashford (even better if you do two, as it would allow for fishing time on the lake, biking, etc., but you do not need to stay at the castle in order to book and enjoy the Hawk Walk.

After a brief orientation and short info session re: hawks, each person takes his/her hawk out on a walk thru the woods (with a wide paved walkway for part of it) to launch and land hawks. It is an incredible experience. You can Google: "Hawk Walk Ashford Castle" and view some of the YouTube videos.

If you have not already looked at Ashford Castle as a potential place to stay, check out its web site, too. They run specials from time to time, and it could be worth calling (or emailing them) to see if they might have a special rate for the time you will be in Ireland.

When we were in Ireland (about 10 years ago), we spit our time between B&Bs (some relatively modest) and (grand) castle stays. We also recommend Dromoland Castle. The Old Presbytery Inn (10 years ago) was still configured as a regular B&B/inn at that time, it was lovely and kicked off our Ireland visit beautifully (our first night), but I see it is now set up as apartments (likely even better for your family). It was wonderful and nicely located, and if the owners are still the same family, they are incredible hosts.

Lucky sons you have to enjoy a special vacation like this.

EDITED to add: If your budget allows two-night stays at castles,I highly recommend that vs. a one-night stay. That way you get settled in and have time to soak in the environment and enjoy the activities of the castle grounds/lakes without having to rush to checkout the next morning.
EDITED (again): Sky Road in the Connemara region is listed in National Geographic's Journeys of a Lifetime book. It is a lovely drive and would put you up near Ashford Castle in Cong. If you stay more to the South, do not miss Connor's Pass (I would have to look it up on a map to recall exactly where it is), but lovely.
If you decide one vehicle is too tight for your family, you really might consider hiring a driver who has a van. Even though there were only 2 of us when we visited, we did that, and when it was all said and done, I analyzed cost vs. if we had rented a car, paid for petro, the add-on insurances (that you DO want in Ireland), and we came out about the same. But, the days we did two-day castle stays, we did not have the driver...he dropped us off and picked us up, but he took other fares during those days. It was nice having a local drive and also tell us a bit about Ireland while we comfortably looked at the scenery, not worrying about where to turn or how to navigate sheep in the road, etc. I am not sure the driver we used is still driving (last time I emailed him,it bounced back), but you could ask B&Bs or inns for recommendations. Or, as I say, you do not need to all or none...you could rent a car for part of your vacation and hire a driver for other parts........whatever works for your circumstances.

kimdavemalina: Kenmare is preferable for the Ring of Kerry since Kenmare is on the Ring. And since you seem to be an active family, Kenmare is also closer to Killarney National Park which is great for hiking and has the tallest mountains in Ireland. Dingle Town is at the far western end of the Dingle Peninsula. For a full day excursion you could still visit Dingle Town from Kenmare. I have no idea where you could get a boat charter for salt water fishing. There are a number of fly fishing locations off the Ring of Kerry, including a place in Glenbeigh. I believe there is lake bass fishing on the Kerry peninsula too.

We are doing a 10 day in May/June this year with our "kids" as well - 22, 20 and 19. Flying into Dublin, going to Galway, Limerick, driving the Ring of Kerry and finishing in Dublin. I know we are going to miss things, as is with most trips, but really hope to get the main things in - Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty, Ring of Kerry and back to Dublin. I need a day to unwind somewhere before getting back to Dublin. I know whatever we do we will miss something. Flight is the only thing booked.

Two castles I can recommend from my trip in December. We loved Clontarf Castle just outside of Dublin, we took the bus into town everyday for activities. I don't know if they have any apartments but the property is amazing plus you can walk to the water. In Dublin my adult son and I enjoyed the HOHO bus, walking down Grafton Street, eating at The Boxty House, walking around Temple Bar Area. We did the Guiness Tour and Croke Park. We also enjoyed an evening of NFL games at the WoolShed Baa.

We then drove to Wexford and loved walking around there but stayed at Killiane Castle just outside of town. Its super reasonable and another great property. You could get two rooms there. Our next day was a wash dealing with a huge storm but drove to Cork and stayed at The Montenotte. We had plans to explore Waterford and Cork along the way, Blarney Castle or Kinsale but the weather did not allow. Go to Old HeadGolf Course for lunch at least; the hotel there is amazing but pricey.