Need help with a quick itinerary in Ireland

How long do you have? How many hours do you want to drive in a day?
What are your interests?
Is this the first time driving on the left side of the road?

Must see? Here is one:

The oration re-enacted daily for visitors to Glasnevin Cemetery of Patrick Pearse. Here is end of his speech:

"They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! – they have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace."

We will be in Ireland a week. We don't mind driving around 3-4 hours a day. We have driven a car on the left side of the road before.

Must Do's (in no particular order): Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin; the Neolithic sites of Newgrange and Knowth; Glendalough; the Rock of Cashel; the Aran islands (choose one); the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula (don't try to do both with only a week); Killarney National Park; Connemara National Park.

Ah, David, I just put this on my list for my trip in the spring. Thank you.

I'm always wary of 'must sees' as my must see list could be the itinerarty from hell for someone else.... While I loved Newgrange and Glendalough, I know other people may (and do) find them boring. What sort of things are you interested in? History, museums, castles, guinness, sporting activities, shopping, walking, scenery, pubs...

Are you planning to stop in a different place each night or make a base for 2-3 nights?

Where are you flying in from and will you be jet lagged? Suggest spend at least first night in Dublin and possibly two nights to recover from jet lag and there is plenty to do and see there.

Do you know anything about Ireland and what is it that attracts you?

With just a week don't be too ambitious and don't try and do everything. Driving in Ireland is slow and it is the kind of place you need to slow down, relax and enjoy yourself.

Trotter’s list is a good start, but probably too much for only a week. I suggest you look into flying into Shannon and out of Dublin, or the other way around. This will save you time backtracking to a place you have already been.

Our first trip there we rented car after two days in Dublin then drove west and stopped in Dingle.for.two.nights stopping at.Newgrange which we loved..left.car.at.Shannon airport and flew.home.from.there and there was.minimal fee for.dropping off at.different location.. Have found that true in similar trips. If you want to go to.Kilmainhaim Gaol.be sure to.book tickets ahead of time. Don't remember doing it for anything else but of course things change.

Don't remember doing it for anything else but of course things change.

I would also include Newgrange in that, as it is always popular and there are limited slots. If you are wanting to do a Mary Gibbon's tour, those also book up well in advance.

We were in Ireland for a week this past May.
We rented a car and started in Dublin. We saw the National Archaelogy Museum, St Stephens Green Merrion Square, Chester Beatty Museum . We then went to the Ring of Kerry. Next we took a tour to Inishmore in the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher.
We then went to the Dingle Peninsula. The next day we went to the Blarney Castle and the day after the Rock of Cashel.
It certainly involved a-lot of driving but is doable.

The EPIC: Irish Emigration Museum is a worthwhile visit while you are in Dublin. We are sports fans but did not get a chance during our trip to see any GAA games in person (Hurling, Irish Football). That would have been fun for our family. We also enjoyed our visit to the Gaol as others listed. And we found the GPO museum also an informative and interesting visit too as we embarrassingly knew little of the Easter Rising history.

Here's what our host has to say about Ireland -- and there's more in his (or any) guidebook. Under "At a Glance" you'll find what he'd consider "must sees," and under "Plan" you'll find his recommended itinerary for various lengths of visit. You should think about your particular interests in planning this trip. And, of course, skip the car in Dublin. The advice to fly "open jaw" using Dublin and Shannon airports is good if you can pull it off.