One week. One town. Your choice?

Dingle....

Dingle is probably the best choice. A town like Sneem or Kenmare on the South side of the Ring of Kerry offers great advantages too....near so much, tons of great walks, hikes, truly great scenery, awesome history w nearby ringforts, castles etc. pubs w great trad music and loads of stuff within your 90 minute drive....Killarney, Ring of Skellig, Killarney National Park, Skellig Michael etc. You can easily spend a week in Dingle or Kerry. One other spot we loved was Wicklow. We stayed in Tinahely. Near to incredible hikes on the Wicklow Way, awesome walks near amazing historic Glendalough or the beautiful Timnafinogue Woods. Also insanely good trad music at The Dyin Cow Pub....and near wonderful ocean beaches and historic sights well within those 90 minutes.
May want to consider renting a home/cottage for the week. Usually far cheaper than an Inn, hotel or B&B it offers individual space, a super relaxed atmosphere, privacy and proximity to tons of stuff. In Wicklow we stayed in a converted stone building from the early 1700's -awesome.
Have fun !!!!!

Though Dingle is terrific, I think that basing yourself there for a full week would be too much of a good thing.
Somewhere near (but not necessarily in) Killarney would give you more options to keep you fully occupied for a 7 night stay - would be central to Dingle and Slea Head drive, all of the attractions around the National Park, the Gap of Dunloe, Valencia Island, the Skellig Ring Road, the Ring of Kerry, etc.
Kenmare would be further from Dingle, but would allow easy access to the Beara Peninsula - one of the best kept secrets in Ireland. Lots of great hikes and casual coastal walks out there, and a trip over to Dursey Island via the cable car would be a memorable experience.
Dublin of course would have a lot to offer, including day trips up to Belfast and the Titanic Museum, the monastic settlement at Glendalough, Powerscourt, the Boyne Valley and Newgrange, all of which can be accessed via day tours or public transportation - you really don't want the hassle of a car in central Dublin.
Much as we love Dingle, I think you'd be better served by basing yourself elsewhere and visiting the town and the peninsula as a day trip.

My vote goes to Killarney. Lots of options for walking to pubs, restaurants etc and so much to see and do within that 90 minute drive

Thank you, that’s lot of great input so far. Lots of new ideas to research. Killarney does look like it would be a bit more central for access to more places with less driving. But Dingle does get a lot of love here. Kenmare and Sneem are on the water...ah, decisions.

we did Dingle and Kenmare in the spring..Dingle will offer more variety of pubs than Kenmare IMO. We enjoyed Kenmare and had a great B&B a short drive from the town center that was not a problem, parking was easy. We hired a great guy for a Ring of Kerry private tour and if you have a few extra bucks it is well worth it....but for walking to pubs and for a variety of music and food I would have to vote for Dingle. Message me if you want further on where we stayed and info on the tour guy in Kenmare...we also hired a 4 hour Dingle private tour that was great in a guys private car...I had done all the driving so two hired tours were great for the driver to take a break and look around. We hired a private walking tour in Lucca IT and learned that the private tours are money well spent!!

As much as people here love Dingle, for a week as a base, I don't think it's central enough to give you multiple options for day trips within 90 min or so drive. I loved Kinsale and it gives lots of options for day trips to cities like Cobh, Cork, Killarney, in addition to the more rural areas. But, for a whole week in one place I think Kenmare is a better, more central, choice. That gives you the opportunity to do day trips to Kinsale and also to Dingle and even the ring of Kerry in a long day if that appeals to you. If I had a week in a cottage in Ireland that's the place I would choose for seeing the south and west of the country.

Thanks again. With the exception of Wicklow, no one has suggested anything along the east coast. I guess Wexford is not as interesting as further south and west?

The east coast is fantastic and offers a wealth of everything you listed as in your area of interest.....and the scenery is amazing and at times spectacular. However the insanely amazing scenery - well centralized with tons of fun things to see and do is in the south and west. We LOVED Wicklow and the east ..... but for one week go for Sneem, Kenmare or perhaps Dingle for a perfect blend. Unless you want a city, although a fun nice city.... and a healthy dose of tourists I would stay clear of staying in Killarney itself. If you do enjoy the hustle and bustle then Killarney is great. Hope you have a great time.

southwest it is! Thanks everyone.

Galway was my favourite town. It's small enough to be walkable, and big enough to have lots of options for tours and night life. The Cliffs of Moher/Burren, Connemara, Aran Islands are all easy to see from Galway. It's also fairly close to Dublin by train (about 2 1/2 hours) so it's quick to get to as opposed to Killarney which will take almost twice as long by train. I really enjoyed staying in Killarney. There's lots you can see or do from there as well. The Gap of Dunloe, the lake, Muckross House, Ring of Kerry, and you can do Dingle and the peninsula from Killarney as well. If you are going to be in Dublin first then I think Galway would be a logical choice. If you aren't going to have a car then I would definitely choose either Galway or Killarney as they both have many options for guided day trips that smaller towns won't have.

From everything we have heard from those who have been, I would also say Dingle, unless you want the city feel of Kenmare. AirBnb has great rentals. Way cheaper than hotels or inns.

I didn't think Kenmare had a 'city' feel. Kenmare, Dingle, and Kinsale are all about the same general size <2500 population. I would put all three in the village or very small town category. And all three are on the water so, in that respect, are fairly comparable. I just personally think Kenmare and Kinsale are both a little more centrally located, although there are good day trip opportunities from all three.

I realize I am in the minority here, but I did not find Dingle exceptionally scenic (compared to day trips along the Oregon or California coast). Many of the BBs sit next to a brackish bay. Especially in July, you will be surrounded by tourists. You will also pay " tourist trap" prices at the restaurants for fairly mediocre food.
If you do choose Dingle , the Castlewood House is the clear choice for accommodations. The rooms are elegant and the breakfast are made-to-order feasts. Mostly it would be a very comfortable spot for a multiple night stay. The rooms have large modern bathrooms with lots of counter space. There are armoires with shelves and hangers. There is a tray with a kettle and tea/ coffee supplies. Our room even had a vanity table and two comfy upholstered chairs. The lounge downstairs has tea and small snacks available all day.
Check TripAdvisor for detailed info about villages that interest you. Between the forum posts, hotel reviews/ traveler photos and ratings on sights nearby it should help you discern what best meets your needs.
Of course if it were me I would be headed to Scotland instead, so consider that bias. 😏

I agree with Dingle. We spent a week there once and 5 days there another time. Have been there 4 other times for fewer days. Absolutely our very favorite place in Ireland. We rented a cottage for a week and have used B & B's the other times.

just an update - I booked a week here, in County Kerry, more or less in the middle of most of your recommendations, so we can sample both Dingle and Beara peninsulas, Ring of Kerry, as well as Killarney and surroundings. I know I said we didn't want to be out in the country, but I eventually decided this was a pretty good location to minimize long drives around the southwest. I'm excited about this place, hope it is everything it advertises. I found it both on VRBO and AirBnB and the reviews are very good.

I, as someone who has LIVED in South Kerry for 4 years, suggest Glenbeigh. Definitely NOT Dingle.

Not Dingle for one main reason: location. It is well into the Dingle peninsula, so every time you'd want to go on your day trip you''re driving off the peninsula and that's covering the same route, over and over, and parts are not as pretty coming off that peninsula as may be expected.

Glenbeigh because of this: Glenbeigh has live trad music 7 nights a week in the summer. There are many choices of accomodation from AirBnB (we like Railway Cottage) to Hotel (Towers, Olde Glenbeigh Hotel) to hostel (The Sleepy Camel) to guesthouse (Kerry Ocean Lodge) to regular B&Bs. You're walking distance to Rossbeigh Beach, there are hill walks up through the woods to the beach, there is a fantastic easy loop walk around Windy Gap, there are hill walks into the lakes up behind Carra Lake. There is Kells Bay Gardens & Rope bridge less then 10 miles away. Cromane is nearby. The Skellig Coast an easy day trip (Valentia Island; kayaking in Waterville with SeaSynergy; Seaweed beach walks with lunch via IrishAtlanticSeaweed.com; The Ring of Kerry goes through Glenbeigh so you can do the Ring and be back for the trad session that night! There is also horseback riding at the Rossbeigh beach; good restaurants, and more.... If you want to check out Dingle, you can do a day trip there......

If you're in to seafood, Glenbeigh Shellfish is located there and does wonderful oyster & prosecco tastings on the beach!

It's a much smaller place than Dingle or Killarney, which both have hundreds of places to stay. but still big enough to enjoy for the week! Dingle can be VERY crowded at that time of year! My husband and I have a mobile home in Glenbeigh, so spend alot of time there in the summer. It's a fantastic place to base yourselves!

Susan
Expat living in Waterville

Here is a new idea: Westport, Co. Mayo. It's in the Northwest.

Westport is famous for being the "biggest" village near Croagh Patrick (http://www.croagh-patrick.com/). It's the almost perfectly conical holy mountain of Ireland. Legend has it that St. Patrick prayed for the souls of the Irish for the biblical 40 days on the summit of Croagh Patrick. Though you said you don't like aggressive hikes, I climbed Croagh Patrick in 2 to 2.5 hours. It's just slightly more than 2,000 ft. The views from it -- especially those of Clew Bay -- are stunning. If Croagh Patrick is too much, there are plenty of walking trails.

You mention music. Matt Malloy, a member of the Chieftains, has a pub in West called Matt Malloy's (http://www.mattmolloy.com/home). There is music there every night. Also, you won't be far from Tobercurry, Co. Sligo. It has a very active music scene and an Irish music school in the summer.

There is a ton of culture nearby, especially antiquities. In north Mayo are the Ceide Fields site (http://www.museumsofmayo.com/ceide.htm). There are tons of others, including among the best castles I have seen in Ballymote, Sligo (http://www.britainirelandcastles.com/Ireland/County-Sligo/Ballymote-Castle.html). There are plenty of other antiquities.

You'll see turf being farmed and thatched cottages and hear a bit of Irish. The shabeens are smoky, and people spend the evening in them talking craic.

You're also halfway between Galway city to the south and Sligo town to the north, two bigger "cities."

Great choice Nelly - bet your going to love it. Love the thatched roof ! Even though it's not technically in the west Kerry dark sky preserve - if you get a clear night take a look at the night sky. The sight when we were in Ballinskellig was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen ! Hopefully it will still be great there for you. So much to see and do near where you are staying.......Just give yourself plenty of time for the little things - no rat racing - and time for the Irish people who are almost all amazing. Hope you have the trip of a lifetime !!!!!

Thanks so much for your positive comment, ewewoolknit, we're very excited to get there - and then relax. We'll drive a little, walk a little, relax a lot. We hope that settling into a fairly central location keeps up from being tempted to run around too much.

And thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts, this is a great community.

I'd vote Killarney too. Lots of things to see within your 90 minute one way criteria. Plus its a fun little town with lots of music, pubs, shops.

My vote is for Galway. While it may be a bit larger (more city-like) than you're thinking, it is a great launching pad for day trips and has lots of options for dining, pub crawls, and more nightlife type stuff.