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Ireland with children - Itinerary and accommodation

Posted by on

Hi, I will appreciate any advice you can give me. We are going To Ireland on early July with our 2 boys (10 and 14).
We have 10 days. We will fly in and out from Dublin and have a rental car.
We planned to do a regular Dublin to Galway tour but we have just found out that on the day before last of our tour, there is a music festival in Kilarney we would really like to attend (http://inec.ie/festival/folkfest-killarney/ ).
This makes our planning more challenging. So, considering that we're more interested in nature than cities, what do you think about our plan? We'll appreciate any feedback. Also, do you think we should book B&B or find them as we travel?:

Day 1: Fly into Dublin, rent a car, Glendalough (sleep in Kilkenny)

Day 2: Cashel (sleep in Waterford)

Day 3: Waterford to Kinsale (sleep in Kinsale)

Day 4: Ring of Kerry (sleep in Dingle)

Day 5: Dingle Peninsula Loop (sleep in Dingle)

Day 6: Blasket Island, Dingle town (sleep in Dingle)

Day 7: Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, (sleep in Galway)

Day 8: Galway to Kilarney

Day 9: Kilarney Folkfest (Sleep in Kilarney) - This is the day when we have to be in Kilarney.

Day 10: Kilarney to Dublin and visit Dublin

Thanks

Posted by
46 posts

I would highly recommend finding accommodations before you arrive. Summer is high season for tourists and places will fill up. I would find it very stressful to hunt for rooms for 4 people at the last minute-Dingle, especially can get very busy. I would choose Ring of Kerry OR Dingle loop-that's a lot of driving for one trip. Day 1 is rather long day-no time to explore Dublin?

Posted by
1172 posts

I would definitely book ahead. We are going inmate July and I have had our accommodations booked since March.
Many places were already sold out. I am also travelling with kids and cannot see myself driving around and around to find a place to stop for the night

Posted by
3 posts

OK. I'm convinced that we should make reservations. Now, what do you think about the plan? We thought about dropping Waterford and go straight from Kilkenny or from Glendalough to Kinsale. That will leave us more time for Dublin

Posted by
1172 posts

If you want more time in Dublin, would you consider going counter clockwise so that you don't have to "double back"to Killarney.

Fly into Dublin, stay overnight then make your way to Galway? Then to Dingle? The only downside is that it leaves little time potentially for Cashel, Kilkenny etc.

Posted by
8682 posts

Absolutely drop Waterford! Drive from Kilkenny to the Rock of Cashel. Spend time exploring the Rock of Cashel. From there about and hour and a half hour drive to Kinsale. I'd lunch and dinner in Kinsale.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks Claudia. I amended the plan, partly at the advice of Sharon. Dropped Waterford but also Kinsale. This is what it looks like now:

We are thinking of making Killarney our base also on day 6 and 7 and stay in one B&B instead of two.

Day 1: Arrive Dublin around noon, rent a car and visit Dublin (sleep in Glendalough)

Day 2: full day in Glendalough, than drive to Cashel (sleep in Cashel).

We could have done Cashel on day 10, on our way from Killarney to Dublin but I think that driving straight from Glendalough to Doolin is too much.

Day 3: Visit Rock of Cashel, than drive to Doolin (sleep in Doolin)

Day 4: Cliffs of Moher, the Burren (sleep in Doolin)

Day 5: Aran Islands (sleep in Aran or Doolin)

Day 6: Doolin to Dingle (sleep in Dingle). This is a much longer drive than I would have liked, but I see no alternative. Staying in Killarney instead of Dingle will not shorten it by much.

Day 7: Dingle Peninsula Loop (sleep in Dingle)

Or, if we sleep in Killarney on day 6, maybe opt for Ring of Kerry instead.

Day 8: Dingle to Killarney. Killarney national park (Sleep in Killarney)

Day 9: Killarney Folkfest (Sleep in Killarney)

Day 10: Killarney to Dublin and visit Dublin. Flying out late at night

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