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Itinerary advice w/ teen

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Ireland Trip

We are planning a trip to Ireland arriving in Dublin Aug 14 and flying home Aug 25. Our flights are already booked and the only option was Dublin. Our trip is focused around my family heritage along the Antrim coast. Wondering if this is too much and wanting to balance driving and less hotel changes.

My family is adventurous and active. We like kayaking, cliff jumping, cultural activities, small towns and live music. Must do: Atrim heritage, surfing, sheep farm, Cliff of Moher.

Arrive Dublin 7am rent car and drive to Belfast, easy day (black cab tour/ market), stay night Aug 14,

Aug 15-18 am Belfast (titanic museum) afternoon drive up to Antrim coast, stay 3 nights (sights, tour family towns/churches/graves, surfing)

Aug 18 Rick Steve’s drive to Sligo (1 night) stopping Donegal, Slieve League

Aug 19 drive to Galway City (2 nights) (seeing Connemara park maybe Clifden or Westport on the way) while in Galway Rathbaun sheep farm, cliffs of Moher, maybe Doolin caves or Lahinch surfing.

Aug 21 cashel and stay in Kilkenny

Aug 22 arrive late Dublin or early 23rd for 5pm concert on 23rd. (And add 1 night earlier in trip)

Aug 24th Dublin

Aug 25 late am flight home

Anything not to miss along the way? Live music? Cultural activities? Other routes, night stays?

Thank you in advance,
Shannon

Posted by
1630 posts

Most people would recommend against picking up a rental car straight off a transatlantic flight unless you are very used to driving on the "wrong side" of the road. Maybe rent the car in Belfast instead, after you've spent the day and night getting adjusted? You'd have to return it there, too, to avoid a big fee, though.
A good follow-up to the Black Cab Tour in Belfast is the Museum of Free Derry and a (self-guided) tour of the Bogside Murals.
I don't know what "Rick Steves' drive to Sligo" is, but that's a VERY long day in the car. Maybe think about staying over in Donegal? I liked Killybegs, which is close to Slieve League and offers boat tours to see the cliffs from the water. Best fish and chips of my trip in the chippie opposite Anderson's Seafood Restaurant (we stayed in a great AirBnB above this place).
I would skip Cashel and Kilkenny and add that night to Donegal or Galway. Heading directly to Dublin from Galway, Athlone makes a good lunch stop (castle, old pub and nearby Clonmacoise monastic settlement).
Have a great trip!

Posted by
2872 posts

I'd also thought about the inadvisability of driving off a transatlantic flight. Any chance you could alter the the day in Dublin from teh end of the holiday to the start and push everything back by a day? I'd discounted hiring a car in Belfast as there may be issues with dropping it off in Dublin.

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