Is this too much for one day?

Yes, if all you want to do is be in a car.

No, if all you want to do is be in a car.

What time of the year are you traveling?

With an early start and a pretty long day, you can do it. Some of it depends on how long you spend at your stops. You might have to cut a town - especially if you arrive from the U.S. and only have one night of sleep. You are more likely to get tired sooner. It is said over and over (and, apologies, you may have driven in Ireland before or in Scotland for comparison) that the driving is slower than you anticipate and more tiring than driving here.

There are some nice stops in the Burren and that portion could conceivably take you further out of your way than you are anticipating. The Cliffs of Moher could take 1 hr or 3 hrs. Just gauge your stamina and be ready to head to your evening destination as needed.

What Claudia said. If you stay in Doolin rather than Kilkee, you’ll be able to enjoy many of the places on your list with less driving time. It depends what you envision doing in the Burren, how much time you’d like to hike to the Cliffs, etc. This will all take more time than you realize.

We were there in Sept. After leaving Galway for Doolin, we drove through the Burren and visited the Dolmen and the Ringfort, where we also had lunch. It’s a short walk to the Dolmen, one of the many highlights of County Clare. The Burren is fascinating. What I’ve just described took several hours.

From there we drove to Doolin, a great home base for our 3 nights/2 full days. Parts of the Cliff walk are closed. You could do a “drive by” of the Cliffs of Moher, but won’t see much.

On our first full day in Doolin, we did the Pat Sweeney Cliffs of Moher walk (recommended by RS), and are so glad we did. It is a vigorous slog through mud in some places (yes, you need waterproof hiking boots!), but so worth it for spectacular views. We enjoyed hearing about the landscape, history, local lore and Craic from our guide Vincent. The guided walk was from 10-2 pm; we walked 5-6 miles. After that we were ready for lunch. By 3:30 or 4, we were ready to relax in our B & B.

I’m providing excruciating detail here to illustrate just how much time is involved in visiting only some of the places on your list for one day. I realize the guided Cliff walk may not be of interest to you, but if you want to hike it on your own, it may take more time than you have. I wouldn’t recommend rushing through an area that is a travel highlight for so many.

ETA: I see that TTM had similar thoughts. Might seem repetitive, but I think you’re now hearing a chorus singing the “slow down” song.

Warm greetings from Ireland
To answer your question very quickly - yes, this could be done in a day without too much stress.
Always better to focus on quality experience not quantity of experiences and try for as little driving as possible in my professional opinion, but your question was can it be done and to paraphrase President Obama, yes it can.

I've driven and guided this general route hundreds of times (I enjoyed 20+ years as the lead Rick Steves Tour-Guide in Ireland, and still guide in this area a lot in summer, so I know the driving times and possible driving challenges of County Clare very well)
An hour and a half will get you from Bunratty up to the Cliffs. As others have commented you should get up and go early to maximise your time at each spot you choose, but especially the cliffs. Maybe lunch in Doolin, a stroll on the Burren and then a nice walk on the beach at Lahinch in the early evening (watching the Irish surf community in action) before a pleasant 1 hour drive down to Kilkee for a fun overnight.

** 2 County Clare song recommendations for your car radio: Spancil Hill and The Cliffs of Doneen! :) **

Enjoy the day-trip
Stephen McPhilemy
Blissfully retired Rick Steves Ireland lead-guide

When are you planning on this?

You are looking at about 80 miles and will need to allow at least 3 hours PLUS stops - so yes it is doable in a day depending on how many stops you make and how long you spend in each place.

Driving in Ireland can be quite slow.

Thank you for all the information.
I am arriving March 18, 2026 and I think you have convinced me to slow down and do less driving and spend more time at the sites. I will be changing my itinerary.