Itinerary advice needed for one week in February

Start by being honest with yourself. When you say you're going to Ireland for "one week" are you really? Not counting the day you arrive, nor the day you depart, how many full days do you have in Ireland? For most people (coming from North America or someplace else far away), a trip that's a week-long gets you about 5 full days on the ground in Europe. So that (or whatever your honest number is) is what you should plan for.

You are correct that you should plan to spend your last night near your departure airport (to ensure you don't miss your flight). You also should not expect too much of yourself on your arrival day, regardless of what time the flight is scheduled to arrive (because most folks arrive exhausted, jet-lagged, and are pretty wiped out after 24hours or more of little sleep and lots of travel stress). That's why I suggest you discount both arrival and departure days. What's left is your usable time.

Honestly, my suggestion would be to collectively make up your (group's) mind, and stick to one plan. On such a short trip, if you want to spend time in Dublin, then fly in to Dublin. If you want to spend time in the beauty of western Ireland, then Shannon's a good arrival point. If you want to try and split your time between both, you can do it, but it's crazy to fly in and out of the same airport - better to go open jaws, fly in to one and out of the other. Getting across Ireland will consume pretty much of a whole day (there's a train, but it doesn't go all the way, so the western-most portion gets more logistically complicated). If you can do it open-jaws, then you would have maybe 2-3 days on each end of the country, but if your flights are set and you can't/won't change them, then it's going to be a lot of traveling and not a lot of time being there.

Also keep in mind that winter is not an ideal time to go to the countryside - besides the weather, your days will be short and dark, adding further challenges.

There are two recent threads on traveling without a car in Ireland. Those threads contain the links to Irish Rail and the two major bus lines. Whether train or bus is better depends on when you arrive, where you are staying in Dublin and how you will get from the train station or bus stop to your accommodation.

How long you stay in Dublin depends on what you like to do. shop? Museums? History? Walking tours? Pubs? Day trips to other places?

Whether you go to Doolin or Kilkenny depends on how much you want to drive. Dublin to Doolin will use up one full day of daylight. Dingle and Kenmare are even further.

Let us know what things you all like to do. That is critical. Also less is more in Ireland. If you want to experience, really experience the incredible people, almost living history or stunning beauty it's almost impossible if you are racing from one "must see" to the next. Doesn't mean you can't move around but be judicious....target what you love and do not try to cram things in. Relax and soak in the magic. The only people I've ever run across disappointed in Ireland are those who tried to hard to 'see everything'.

Great advice above on airport arrival and departure points. Really take those sage words of advice to heart. With such limited time you don't want to spend a day or multiple days of limited daylight going from one side of the country to the other. Both the west and the east can EASILY fill a full one week stay with a lifetime of memories. The West's insane beauty, history and the most warm welcoming people we've run across on the planet is so worth a full week. And the East is amazing to....and while I personally wouldn't want to spend a full week in Dublin it is a great base for the beautiful east.....with easy trips to Belfast, Newgrange, the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and many other treasures.

Anyway more specifics on your likes and dislikes can help us all be more specific. Barring rat racing all over and going back and forth across Ireland too much it's hard to go wrong there.....and one week is plenty of time if done right to get a great feel for the place and have memories to always treasure. Have a great trip !

We flew into Dublin and out of Shannon airport. Instead of Ennis, you could also stay in Bunratty, it’s about 10 min from airport. A little closer than Ennis.

We took the train from Dublin to western coast. I can’t remember name of town it took us to, darn. But, we did have to change trains and then take a taxi to our final destination which was Bunratty.
As far as tickets for the train, we just showed up at the train station and bought them.

I thank you all for your feedback, especially to ewewoolit for your kind understanding. David, please spare me the lecture. This will be my first time in Ireland, but I’ve been to Europe many times and know how to count my exact days there; and as I’ve originally stated, the plane tickets have already been bought R/T Shannon. My bad that it was so spur of the moment that I hadn’t first figured out the itinerary, but now it is what it is.
At first I was thinking of going to Galway instead of Dublin, but I read a lot of mixed reviews and many people said to skip it. Since Rick lists Dublin as the number 1 place to see, followed by Dingle Peninsula as number 2, I’m now thinking of using his “Heart if Ireland in 8 Days” tour as a guideline, with the difference that we’re starting out in Shannon. I’ve looked into car rental, and it seems cheaper to pick up the car in Shannon for the full week rather than to pick it up in Dublin and return it 4 days later in Shannon. Also, what’s the best way to have GPS? So Rick’s tour is:
3 nights Dublin
1 night Kilkenny
2 nights Dingle
1 night Batratty (before the flight home)
Does this seem reasonable? This tour obviously isn’t intended for the winter, so is Dingle still worth going to? The mideval town of Kilkenny with its castle is intriguing, unless you can suggest another that’s closer and equally awesome. I’m open to any suggestions you might have for an alternate itinerary.
And once again, thanks for taking the time to answer. 🙏
Anne

In case you hadn’t considered it, you might want to know where you would park in Dublin and how much it will cost before you rent a car from Shannon. I haven’t a clue what the rate might be but my suspicion is that it’s a lot. I assume you checked out the rental agencies with offices in both Dublin and Shannon. I would think that they would not charge significant one-way drop fees.

Many of the car rental agencies provide a GPS if not for free then for a $10-$15/day fee.

I think your proposed itinerary is reasonable. Just bare in mind that the drive firm Kilkenny to Dingle will be long and you’ll probably want to be on the Dingle peninsula before dark, especially if you drive the Wild Atlantic Way. So you might want to get an early start that morning.

Drive times on apps are notoriously off for Ireland so if it says 3 hours definitely think 4-4 1\2 hours.....and that doesn't include stops for food or bathroom breaks.

Dublin has some nice stuff in it....For me and my wife....maybe 1-2 days tops but is a great base for things nearby. One thing find a good parking spot while there....you seriously don't want to drive in the city. I LOVE driving in Ireland but never ever again in Dublin itself ! :)

The winter temps in the West are pretty moderate....it's not like the states. It's chilly, can occasionally be cold but most of the time very workable..... we enjoyed it thoroughly. It's awesome without the crowds....it's insanely beautiful..especially Dingle. We however did not realize how far north Ireland actually is on our first winter trip and though kept relatively warm by the Gulf Stream the winter days are VERY short. So plan accordingly. The pubs and relaxing at "home" after a day of exploring was pure magic....so the West and the views are very much an option.....but there are limitations.

You'll have a great time. Personally I might skip Kilkenney (though wonderful) and spend more time in the West and exploring from Dublin in the east of those are good for you.....there is Bunratty very near Shannon Airport and a HOST of castles, Abbey's, ruins, ring forts and ancient spots to see from Bunratty, Ross Castle near Killarney to beach Abbey ruins at Ballinskelli or insane scenery on the Skellig Ring and South side of the ROK... all right there in the west....saving loads of driving time.

Your plans aren't my perfect ideal....but so what.....they are workable ...well thought out and will be LOADS of fun. Enjoy a great trip !!.!

ewewoolknit,
thanks for your feedback. Tell me, what is YOUR ideal trip in the winter?
The majority have told me that I’d be making a mistake to spend my time driving back and forth to Dublin. Should I stay in Galway and just do day trips?
Or is it still worth going to Dingle even though it’s winter? And what do you think about Kilmare; I’ve read mixed opinions.

Once again, I appreciate your help.
Anne

Sorry, I meant Killarney got mixed reviews. Some said it was lovely and fun, others said it’s a tourist trap.