Itinerary Help

First, doing all of that in the time you have available is really, really aggressive, and many would say unrealistic. To pull it off, you need to be moving really fast. That may or may not be wise, a separate discussion.

Second, if your flight out is in the morning, you should be a lot more than "a little nervous" about making your flight if you start that day in Galway. Morning flight out = spend your last night in Dublin (or very close to it), not in Galway or Kilkenny. You have too much at stake and too many things could go sideways.

Personally, I like going "counterclockwise." It helps with multiple efficiencies. First, upon arrival, take the bus ("coach") to Galway -- right from the airport (it's easy, cheap, comfy, and has an extra benefit: you won't die in a horrible car crash at the beginning of your trip). You will be far too exhausted and jetlagged upon arrival to do any driving (especially wrong-side backwards-world driving). Get a good night's sleep in Galway before you get behind the wheel of anything. Do your counter-clockwise route, but drop the car somewhere in the southeast -- pick someplace that has train service. Train back to Dublin, spend your last night or two there.

Hi David,

Thanks for that advice. I like the idea of immediate bus to Galway. Why do you suggest to take a train to Dublin from Southeast, rather than drive, and drop off the car there?

Thanks again!

In case you didn’t know, you pre-clear US immigration in Dublin. The recommended time for being at the airport is 3 hours before departure. So for a 10-ish flight, you need to be there by 7:00. There’s another thread here discussing the staffing issues affecting Dublin airport. So 3 hours is really the minimum amount of time you’ll need. I would spend my last night in Dublin or maybe even at an airport hotel.

Why do you suggest to take a train to Dublin from Southeast

Because the train is comfy, relaxing, easy, and not expensive. The last thing you want while in Dublin itself is a car. If you can manage the pace you are proposing for your week in Ireland, you're going to be at least a little (maybe more than a little) worn out at the end. If you're just getting across Ireland, the train is a less demanding, less stressful way to get to Dublin.

The one challenge is to find a spot to drop the car and hop on the train. The Irish rail network is not as extensive as most first-time visitors often expect. It's a perfectly good way to get around, but it doesn't go everywhere (eg it doesn't go to Dingle). You will need to figure out a place where you can drop the car that's not too far from the nearest rail station. Also consider the open/closing times for the car agency (eg in smaller towns, the agency may not be open or may have limited hours on weekend days). Cork worked for us for that (we needed to drop our car on a Sunday morning, which complicated it for us).

I think you are trying to see way too many places and will be looking at Ireland from the back of a windshield. Ireland is best done at a slower pace. For one week, no more than 3 overnight stops and your last night should be in Dublin before your flight. See Dublin, Newgrange, Kilkenny. Save the west coast of Ireland for another trip.

Per the others, you're really trying to pack in too much during a short stay.
Might help with your logistics to know that there are two direct flights per day from Dublin airport to the Kerry airport near Killarney - one in the morning around 9 AM and the other around 4 PM. There are rental car outlets right at the airport. You could collect a car there, explore the ROK and Dingle for a few days, then drive up the coast to Galway and return the car there - might be a cost-effective option for you with rental car prices being so high.
You could also do the reverse, ie take the train or bus to Galway immediately upon arrival in Dublin, do your visiting there for a few days while you get over your jet lag, then collect your car on the way out of town for the trip south. That way you could return the car at Kerry airport, catch the afternoon flight back to Dublin, and just find an airport hotel to minimize the drama on getaway day.
All this would mean skipping Kilkenny, but it really is an outlier per your overall itinerary and could be sacrificed to allow more time elsewhere.