Itinerary Advice

Lot of questions - I'll try to answer more of it later and I'm sure others will answer a lot......but one thing Dingle is totally worth it. And yes two days is sufficient and can easily be filled. It is some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and a trip out to the deserted Blasket Islands is incredible. There are ancient Celtic ruins near Dingle....the Gallarus Oratory, Slea Head itself, wonderful Dunquin, Connor Pass. Your itinerary looks city heavy - but this will give you the amazing wonderful country. There are also great shops, pubs and restaurants in Dingle.

Just a word of warning.....Ireland, particularly the countryside is a very different place and racing to see one thing relentlessly after another TOO much is very counterproductive. Less is more. The experience should trump the list. And the magic in Ireland happens when you slow down, interact with some of the most fun, funny, genuine and welcoming people on the planet and also find stuff on your own.....amazing things are everywhere. Our best memories by far are made up of those moments not mowing through a must see list.

A great approach is what you said ....have a good idea of things to do but be willing to relax in a spot and really get to know Ireland and her people as much as possible. Looks like you have a lot of great stuff lined up !!!! Try to include Dingle......boy is it worth it !

Thank you! After more research, I think i will book Dingle for two nights. I think it will be a nice fit.

Thank you for reminding me to slow down: I realize that some of these things if not most, will be cut out, simply because we may sleep in, l or discover something unplanned etc. I also always forget how long it takes to get between places. I do like having an idea of what to find in each area.

A few suggestions:

1. Dublin is very walkable, you'll be able to get everywhere you need without a car or taxi. I would consider only 2 nights there and add another to Galway/Dingle/Kinsale. The Delahunt on Camden was a great dinner spot.
2. We had a nice lunch at the Old Barracks in Athenry en route from Dublin to Galway.
3. A worthwhile pit stop en route, as well, is Clonmacnoise. Right in the heart of Ireland, very cool monastic ruins on the River Shannon and not out of your way by any means.
4. We enjoyed the Aran Islands and had a beautiful day. If it's rainy, I can't imagine it's much fun. Rent bikes or horse-drawn carriage to tour the island and hike up to Dun Aengus fort, and of course, get an Aran sweater from the market.
5. From Galway I would suggest spending a few nights in Dingle. It's a magical town where you can do a lot or nothing at all and still enjoy yourself. Definitely drive Slea Head. We also booked horseback riding with Longs Riding in advance, no experience required and a very cool way to see the hills and beach of Dingle: http://longsriding.com/
6. In my opinion, Kinsale is a must. It's a beautiful seaside town, a few sites to see and some of the best food we had during our trip. I'm sure you've read about Fishy Fishy. We had a wonderful dinner at Finn's Table, book in advance it's a very popular spot. Across the bay, the Bulman and Spaniard are worth your time, too.
7. For us, Waterford was largely forgettable. The factory is cool, beyond that, not much else to see. I would spend extra time in Dingle/Kinsale and consider a quick stop in Waterford.

Great ideas. Thank you for your advice. I just looked and our hotel for Dublin is non refundable, and I was largely using it as a base to see Newgrange and then take a day tour of the North. The other hotels are able to be changed. With that said, I could cancel our hotel and Waterford (we had booked the castle) and change it to a night in Kinsale. The castle was our one splurge one

That would be:
Two nights in Galway
Two nights in Dingle
One night in Kinsale
Three nights in Dublin- will use a day to see Newgrange and a Day to see Giant's Causeway/Belfast/Dark Hedges.

One of the other best possible trips from Dublin. I loathe the term "must see" .....but this comes as close as I'd ever say and that's the Wicklow Mountains and the incredible monastic ruins and lakes at Glendalough. It's an easy trip.....So beautiful and one of the jewels of Ireland. It's an easy car ride or there are tours from Dublin that are very well done. If you get a chance check it out.

For Dingle, I really recommend getting a local day tour on a small bus around the peninsula. The road is very twisty and the view is too gorgeous to miss for the driver. We shared a bus with several other tourists which was driven by a retired school principal who gave us an amazingly detailed tour of the area. It was only supposed to be 2.5 hours, but it ended up lasting 4.5! IiRC, it was about 60-70€ each.

Another vote for Clonmacnoise if you’re near there. Beautiful setting on the River Shannon, and only a few other tourists when we were there on a rainy Monday in early October. We had tried to see Glendalough two days earlier, but the parking lot was overflowing onto the street, since it was perfect sightseeing weather.

For transport in Dublin, consider the Hop On Hop Off buses—we used them exclusively for the two days we were there. If you get your passes ahead of time online, you save some cash.

You won't be disappointed in choosing to spend more time exploring The Dingle. It's far and away a better experience than the ROK. I'd also skip Waterford (you can still tour the factory when passing through). If you want a castle splurge, I'd either choose Ballynahinch (in the Connemara not far from Kylemore Abby) or Ashford. I really like Ballynahinch because it is off the beaten path.