One day only-Dublin itinerary help

Great that you have tix already for Kilmainham Gaol.

It would be great to catch lunch at MJ O’Neill’s Pub at 2 Suffolk Street next to the Molly Malone statue. After lunch, take a 10-minute walk over to Dublin Castle just to see the exterior of the castle. You could then take a walk past City Hall right next door toward the river and across the O’Connell Street Bridge to see the outside of the General Post Office— a key site in the history of the Irish Republic. You’ll also see statues honoring several prominent figures in Irish history on O’Connell Street between the river and the General Post Office.

I think this will give you a quick flavor of the city in a 30-minute walk which the Book of Kells will not be able to do. The Book of Kells is quite an investment of time and euros to only see two pages of the illuminated manuscript.
Then the EPIC Museum.
You might want to taxi back from Kilmainham Gaol as it takes quite a while to return to Dublin’s center by bus or tram because they stop frequently. And the clock is ticking on your one day in Dublin.
Slainte Mhath!

Having just spent 4 days in Dublin, the best advice I can give you is to do less, not more. I think you have packed way too much into one day and that you’ll end up exhausted. Pick what you’re most interested in, take some time to walk from place to place and savor being in Dublin.

Having done everything on your list (other than a big bus tour) my recommendation would be to focus on Killmainham Gaol in the morning and EPIC/Jeannie Johnson in the afternoon. We really enjoyed EPIC (sounds like you have the combo ticket….we did half of EPIC, then the ship, then a snack break, and then the second half of EPIC and the pacing was perfect).

Temple Bar is mainly crowded overpriced pubs and restaurants full of tourists. With limited time I’d omit it altogether.

We enjoyed seeing the Book of Kells — it was included in a half day walking tour we did with a private guide. But EPIC was honestly more interesting and much less crowded. I cannot imagine attempting to see all of the things on your list in one day. Sometimes less really is more!

Thanks for chiming in!

I’m wondering about perhaps cutting Malahide out of the list (we will be seeing other castles) and driving from Newgrange to the EPIC museum, arriving in the late afternoon (4:00-5:00) to fit in the museum and then doing a Big Bus evening tour. Then the following day we could do the Gaol, Boo of Kells, lunch near Temple Bar, and relax our pace a bit.

How awful would it be to drive into Dublin and park? We could drive back to Howth after Newgrange to drop the car off and take public transport it, but that will eat up two hours.

Ashlotte, your EPIC ticket is good for return admission within 10 days. So if you’re too rushed or too tired to do all of EPIC after Newgrange, you could return to do the remainder on your Dublin day. We were glad we had several hours to enjoy EPIC and not have to rush through and skip things.

If you are set on seeing the Book of Kells and haven’t purchased all your tickets yet, I’d consider definitely seeing EPIC but forgoing Jeannie Johnston (we enjoyed it but we had 4 days for Dublin. With only one day I wouldn’t consider it a “must see.”

I don’t know anything about driving and parking in Dublin, but if you parked at the Drogheda Station after Newgrange and timed it right to get the 37 minute fast train from Drogheda to Dublin (which runs somewhat less frequently than the 60 minute train) you’ll arrive at Connolly Station, which is only a few minutes from EPIC, saving you a lot of walking time. After your Dublin afternoon/early evening take the fast train back to Drogheda and pick up your car there.

You are trying to pack in WAY too many "things" and won't have time to experience Dublin itself.
There are virtually no circumstances in which I would drive a car in Dublin City Center. If you take the other commenter's suggestion to park somewhere outside the city (I would pick a station much closer to Howth than Drogheda, though) and take transit in after Newgrange, I suggest a walking tour. There are zillions of them. I booked one through AirBnB Experiences. I'm sure there's an RS audio tour for free. If you don't make it that night, maybe stay a little later on your full day in the city.
The way to see Dublin is on foot. If you want to do a bus tour, do the Vintage Tea Bus for your lunch. It's as overpriced and touristy as Temple Bar, but it's a lot of fun. Departs from St Stephen's Green. https://www.vintageteatrips.ie
I saw that there is a Leo Burdock's in Howth. They have great fish and chips. Also, try to make time for the cliff walk while you're out there. To me, this is a better use of your evening after Newgrange than trying to get into the city.