Itinerary Advice

We loved Galway and Killarney. The population of Galway is less than 80,000 and the population of Killarney is less than 15,000 I am always baffled how/where these would be considered big cities. Not sure what people mean by tourist traps either. We biked the Killarney National Park and stopped at Muckross house and farms as well as Torc falls. We also went to a sheep herding demonstration. Galway is a University town with some great restaurants and pubs and was wonderful to walk.

As someone who lives relatively close to Niagara Falls which is one huge, gaudy tourist trap, I saw none of that in Ireland as a whole.

You have a lot of 1 night stays which typical means that you will not get to see much, if any, of the town you are sleeping in.

Since you are seeing someone you know in Donegal, that's the "anchor" of your itinerary. I would eliminate your one-night stays by cutting out Kinsale and Waterford. Or, if those are high-priority destinations for you, then cut out something on the northern end.

How are you getting to Trim at the beginning of your trip -- are you driving from Dublin airport? General advice is not to drive (on the left) after a redeye flight. Will your car be an automatic transmission, at least?

Too much driving. Add in some three night stays and then make day trips from there.
Since most of your itinerary is in the north, I would not do the south this trip.
After 2 trips to Ireland, the best way to enjoy it, is to slow down.

I agree with Diveloonie. I think that perhaps you are trying to do too much. You might want to plug in a place where you stay 3-4 nights just to unwind, catch up on laundry, etc. We spent four nights in Thomastown. It was a delightful town, perhaps a little less visited than other big name places. A day trip to Killkenny is easily doable from there. Also there is a delightful horse farm in Thomastown containing miles of trails and walkable roads. Lots of open, scenic pastures. Very relaxing.

Looking at your itinerary, I'd skip the northern part and concentrate on the bottom two thirds of Ireland. Our motto is "Always leave something undone. That way you have an excuse to return."

Too much driving indeed, especially if you want to have a quality experience in just two weeks.

Kinsale (a pretty little town right on the water) and Waterford are worth visiting, but save them for a future trip, as they're too far afield for this one. And I would definitely go to Galway (an attractive, lively university town with a bustling pedestrian-only street and lots of pubs and restaurants) and avoid Killarney (a pretty enough town, but full of tourist buses and related tacky shops and very un-Irish sing-alongs in the pubs). Connemara is also more convenient from Galway than Westport, though Westport is certainly worth a night. Matt Malloy's (of the Chieftians) Pub is also the place to go to hear "trad" in Westport. And by all means, take in the "trad" pub sessions wherever you are; it's one of the highlights of a visit to Ireland.

Why Killorglin instead of Dingle Town, especially for two nights? Besides being a colorful, lively, attractive town, there's much more to see and do in the latter. A drive up Connor Pass right from downtown Dingle is also well worth it (unless it's pea souped in, that is).

I recommend Michelin map #712, which we've used for years on bicycle trips all over the country. It's very detailed, accurate and won't steer your wrong as GPS can - though you may accomplish that yourself! And you can see the entire country at a glance. It's available for $12.95 right from Rick's store or at Barnes and Noble.

Loved Galway - pretty city loads of great food and music.....but it is a city atmosphere. We prefer a quieter trip than that. We get enough hustle and bustle in day to day life. It depends on what you want..... it's a fun, pretty enjoyable city.......but a busy fairly hectic place.

Killarney is really two different things....the city itself (ugggh) and its surrounds (awesome) Gap of Dunloe, Ladies View, Muckross, Torc Waterfall, the Black Valley, Ross Castle etc. It's a fantastic area but the city for us is the pits. Heavy traffic, endless tour buses dumping hoards, legions of tourists into tacky shops and restaurants....Just not into plastic leprechauns and cheesy renditions of Oh Danny Boy' . Totally agree with Rick Steves that it's a place to be avoided. But you can stay in Kilorglin, Castlemaine or Kenmare and have easy access to the great stuff NEAR Killarney.......and get a great real Ireland experience with great food and music available in those towns.

Would strongly urge you to skip Kinsale and Waterford. Nice places but not worth all the extra driving and time lost on a time limited vacation. Spend the extra time staying in one spot for a few extra days. Less is so much more. Learned that lesson the hard way. You could explore the insanely beautiful south side of the Ring of Kerry and the Skellig Ring. Or when heading back to Dublin having the time to make the easy detour to see Glendalough - one of the jewels of Ireland.

Anyway have a great trip. Let the experience of Ireland be the focus not a crammed itinerary. The magic there is around every corner in the little things, the people and in the discoveries you make. The less you feel compelled to accomplish the more you'll enjoy every wonderful moment.