Ireland

1. You might want to edit your title to fix the misspelling (and maybe make it more descriptive/specific).

2. You will see a LOT more of the country (and see it a lot better) with your own car, if you can make that work. The public transportation system is not designed for tourists, and doing western Ireland by bus will slow you down significantly and leave you with fewer options. Dingle makes a fine base for the far southwest, but many people find having a car to use once you are there gives you more/better options.

3. To be sure, don't drink and drive, it's taken very seriously. That doesn't mean you can't make use of a car - just not after drinking. Typically, many of us will park the car, and enjoy a pint or two in the evening (no need for a car then anyway).

4. How much time do you really have there? It's hard to see "half" of Ireland unless you're going to be there quite a long time. With the average/typical tourist trip (10 days to 2 weeks) you can only really see a relatively small portion of it. Ireland is "bigger" than most first-time visitors expect, and it takes a LOT more time to get around than many plan for. Some people seem to unrealistic expectations (eg, they're planning to be in Ireland for a week or 10 days and they try to do all of it...that's just not possible).

Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps a bit.

My preference is to see less geography in a more in-depth way, but I don't think there's one right answer. You should visit Ireland in the way that works for your preferred travel style. I have used bus and train service from Dublin to get to other parts of Ireland such as Belfast and the Antrim coast, the Wicklow mountains, as well as Galway, and it worked well for me. We also used Galway as a base with no car for a few days and explored the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher/Burren.

I agree with David that you will have the most flexibility if you drive because you won't be limited by bus/train routes. Know that depending on your route, the roads can be quite narrow. My husband and son rented a car to go to some Game of Thrones sites in Northern Ireland and still joke about our son's constant warnings "dad, you're close to the hedge."

I added a bit more information and corrected the misspelling. 🙂.

It makes a refreshing change for someone not trying to cram everything in two weeks... There is nothing wrong in only seeing half of the island - you will have time to slow down, relax and enjoy your holiday. On our trips to Ireland we have always stopped a week in each place and never ran out of things to do. We did have a car and used a road atlas to explore the area rather than relying in sat nav. We had time to do detours down interesting side roads and discovered all sorts of places others miss.

Dingle and the Slea Head Peninsula are lovely and repay more time than many are prepared to give them.

County Galway is another place to consider along possibly with Donegal.

Get hold of DK Eyewitness Guide to Ireland as it covers many places ignored by the other guides . There are lots of pictures and information and the maps are reasonable to help with initial planning.

Dingle is indeed a gem. It does get a lot of day trippers nowadays, so can get crowded mid-day (the perfect time to slip away to see any of the many other worthwhile things nearby). With 2 weeks, you can get around and see/do a lot at a nice, reasonable pace without knocking yourself out. Personally I found Ireland’s west and southwest most rewarding. If you confine your trip to, say, Galway (maybe a short side-trip out to Inish Mor), and the coast south of there, down to/around the Dingle Peninsula, that gets you a lot of the country’s best scenery, charming towns, and more. Having your own car is ideal in this part of Ireland (though yes, driving comes with its challenges), and it’s doable at a reasonable pace in 14 days. Lots of ways to do it, it’s an amazing area.

Dingle is a great base for about half of your two weeks, I'd suggest Galway for the other half. That way you can see a lot more coastal scenery, the Ring of Kerry, Slea Head, the Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, and Connemarra. If you can fly in and out of Shannon you'll save time, but you can reach Galway easily by bus from Dublin Airport. A car would be much better for your purposes than depending on bus routes and schedules, though you'd want to confine your beer to the evenings. Another reason for two bases -- more pubs!