Kilkenny to Dingle (eventually)

Skip Blarney, it's on Rick Steves' top ten tourist traps in all Europe for good reason. Save the driving time and the time there and spend it on the oh.... 500+ better sites in the southwest.

Dingle is fantastic. Slea Head can be done in a day but you can easily explore the area more fully over a couple of days. We spent almost two weeks there and didn't exhaust all the possibilities. Highlight of the whole time filled with fun and wonders was the day long trip out to the Blaskets - incredible.

As to where to stay on the way a lot depends on how much time you have. We love the town of Kenmare. It's got plenty of food, pubs and music and is close to all the great stuff NEAR Killarney without being in that tourist overrun city. Nearby there is Ladiesview, Muckross, Ross Castle, the wonderful Gap of Dunloe and much much more.

That whole area of Ireland is pure magic......Beara, the Skellig Ring, the Ring of Kerry, incredible Dingle....the things near Killarney. Just avoid Killarney itself and seriously skip Blarney......nothing wrong if you enjoy it or want to see it......but for many if not most it's a staggeringly lame tourist trap and waste of time. To each their own but I think Rick nailed it on this one. Enjoy Dingle and hope you get to see the ROK and the things near Killarney ....so amazing.

This would be our second trip to Ireland. Already been to Kenmare, Ring of Kerry, biked the Skellig Ring. Planning on spending a few days in Dingle, but wanted to hit the sites we missed before (Cashell, etc). I was thinking of Killarney, but you've given me some other ideas. ( I keep waffling on Blarney. Keep reading on how it's such a tourist trap, but people said the same thing about Times Square and I liked that).

Thanks

I, too, would advise skipping Blarney - for the reasons previously stated.
If you're a fan of Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes, etc.) a stop in Limerick might be of interest. Though it's a little grittier than your average Irish city it would help put a face on some of the locations he mentions in his novels. Believe they've converted his old Leamy school into a very well regarded museum if you really want to immerse yourselves.

You may have done it but reasonably near Kilkenny is Glendalough which is one of the jewels of Ireland. Absolutely beautiful and the Wicklow Mountains so gorgeous.

Blarney isn't Times Square. Plus within a two hour drive of Blarney there are literally hundreds of better things to see.....from scenic to historic to cultural and mixes of all.

Second the Limerick idea. Good thought. It's very different and grittier as said but really enjoyable and real modern Ireland and there's lots of stuff nearby....that links to the history and beauty of the country.

We drove from Kilkenny to Cashel to Dingle, and did not stop at Blarney. Just to give you a sense of timing, we left around 9:00 a.m., stopped in Cashel for maybe two hours, and didn't get to Dingle until maybe 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. And we didn't even stop for lunch. So I'd echo the others and recommend skipping Blarney.

My in-laws recently went to Blarney and they did seem to really enjoy the grounds. So I'm not trying to be negative about it. I just think that would make for a very long day, and Dingle being my favorite place we visited in Ireland, I'd rather just get there and have more time to explore.