One and a half days in Ireland!

Are you talking about a day trip to Dingle, returning to Dublin that night? Or spending one night in Dingle?

Either way, with just a day and a half and one night in Ireland, I wouldn't spend it going all the way to Dingle. Just a personal choice. I've spent 24 days in Ireland and haven't made it to Dingle yet and I don't feel in any way deprived. There is so much more to see in Ireland.

No night in Dingle (unfortunately). Express train Dublin to Galway-rent a car and tour south area (Dingle, Cliffs & ?) train back to Dublin?
Thanks for your suggestions !

Driving from Galway to the Cliffs to Dingle and back up to Galway is 8 hours on google maps - keeping in mind that's just with current conditions and it's midnight there, and to really account for Irish roads you'd have to add several more hours on, and then more to actually experience the places. The earliest train to Galway from Dublin gets in at just after 10 am, at which point you'd still need to get to the rental agency, pick up the car, and presumably get acquainted with driving on the left side. Even if you left the rental agency by 11 . . . that's not a very nice day by the end and I'd be surprised if the rental agency was open to drop off that late. Even if you were willing to swallow the cost of dropping the car off in Dublin instead of needing to be back in Galway in time for a train back, it's still an overly full and I think potentially impossible day. If you really want to add a day trip on, instead of just exploring Dublin, what about taking the train to Galway, spending the day there, and then taking the train back?
Another possibility - taking a small organized tour from Dublin to the cliffs (and maybe Dingle?). Would cut out needing to get to Galway and the business of getting the car.

A day trip to Dingle from Dublin sounds a little crazy to me. What is drawing you to Dingle specifically? Maybe we can suggest an alternative closer to Dublin.

With such limited time, I would look into an organized day trip tour from Dublin, if you feel you must leave Dublin. With a tour, you’ll see the countryside (without having to drive), get some commentary from your guide, and see a lot in a short period of time.

Dingle is not a day trip from Dublin since it takes 5h to get there and another 5h to get back. Touring the peninsula takes 4h and that doesn’t include spending time in the town Dingle where you want to spend at least one night enjoying its pub culture. Assume that you’ll return to Ireland and visit it then. Dingle is closer to Shannon Airport (2h 45m) located on the west side of the country than it is from Dublin.
I would sleep in Dublin and the day you arrive check at the visitor center to see if you can take a morning tour for the following day to Brú na Bóinne.

Assuming this isn't a joke, going to Galway to get to Dingle doesn't make a lot of sense. As mentioned by another poster, Dublin-Dingle takes around 5 hours each way and going all that way to just turn around and come back seems a bit of a waste. You could get a similar experience going for a virtual drive using Google Street View. Plenty to see and enjoy closer to Dublin.

If you only have 1.5 days in Ireland you will be well served to spend it all exploring Dublin.

Either check out a day tour to Dingle or consider alternatives near Dublin.
First, read the multiple steps to get from airport to Dublin train and train schedule=uses up chunk of valuable time and energy.
Suggest instead: bus from airport to Galway and spend overnight there.
Better yet: airport into Dublin and arrange for small bus tour south to Wicklow Mtns. The tour first showed us Dublin, then headed south with pub lunch. Spent evening seeing st stephens green, downtown and over bridge and great food and pub time.
Pre arranged next day fabulous bus tour to bru na Bonne. Or other greats(depending your interest) - the old jail, Guinness, trinity college, outstanding archeological museum.
With a little planning, I think you can find plenty to fill the short time you have and then plan a much longer trip for western Ireland in the future.

100% agree with KBK!

A day tour to Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge would be doable.

I suggest staying in Dublin or (at the most) adding in Belfast.

Arrive Dublin. Explore Dublin. Temple Bar if you must. Too tourist oriented for me. Instead be first in line to visit Trinity College to see The Book of Kells and then the Long Room. ( the place a dear friend who is an avid reader wants to be buried)

Afterwards walk over to the National Gallery, then off to SPAR to grab some picnic items….find a bench in St Stephen’s Green. Soak in the ambiance, people watch. Look around for a pub advertising folk music (craic)performance that evening and Go!

Arrange transport to Newgrange the next day. Make certain no one in the family is claustrophobic. Narrow passage into the center of the Neolithic cite.

EARLY AM board first train to Belfast. Have fresh mussels or clam chowder at Mournes near Kelly’s Cellars. Visit the Titanic Museum. Train or bus back to Dublin.

Go home. In all honesty you’ll be pushing it trying to include Belfast.

Best for only 1and 1/2 day to enjoy wandering about Dublin…