Opinion of 16 days Ireland Tour in mid to end of July

You say you'd rather see a little of many different places, and that's what you'll get with this jam-packed itinerary. Personally I know I would not enjoy this type of trip, but it's your choice.

What would you suggest we skip? My husband wants to see the North which would include Derry and Portrush along with Belfast but we could move some of the other sights from Day 8 to Day 14.

I figure we need to chose between Ring of Kerry or Dingle unfortunately and between Burren or Connemara? And perhaps no Donegal Loop, just Derry Town direct from Galway.

I hope that you have carefully checked out the actual driving times between your stops since many roads, especially in the West, are rather slow. The good news is that days are long and you can be on the road in broad daylight from 5 am to 9 pm. Since many people write into this Forum with very similar questions, you can read the responses they got. IMO you could do a great service by tracking how much you actually see and how long it takes each day. Then please return here after your trip to list what you really got done vs. your plans. Ireland is quite charming, have a grand time.

As others have said, and as you realize, you are cramming a lot in, but it is probably doable, if you can adjust on the fly. You have allotted 2 nights in many areas, so if you realize you can't (or don't want to) do it all, you can go back to town and have a pint and relax.
Some suggestions:
* Skip the Waterford Crystal tour. The crystal is actually made in Central Europe now, so you don't see the artisans doing their work.
* Blarney Castle is a big tourist thing, and even if you said "What the heck, I want to do it," there is a series of ring roads around Cork, and we spent hours try to find our way in just to drive past it, which never happened. Your time is better spent elsewhere as you have many things planned for that day.
* Driving can take way more time than you think. If the stone circle in Kenmare is the one we went to, you drive down one-track lanes where cattle stare you down and you have to wait for them to move, then find yourself with a tractor heading towards you. One of you backs up to a tiny pullout so the other can pass. This can happen multiple times before you reach your destination. It's all part of being in Ireland, but it takes time.
* Day 10 seems packed, but you can adjust as you are traveling to what is important to you. Driving the Dingle loop will take at least a whole morning if you limit your stops. It;s been several years since I've been to the Cliffs of Moher and I understand it is much more crowded now, so take crowds into account.

* Day 11: I don't know where you are staying in county Galway. We stayed in the coastal village of Roundstone, where my husband's grandmother was from. From there, we drove to Kylemore Abbey, which was lovely, but it was a 2 hour drive each way, albeit through Connemara
* Day 13 or 14, I would suggest adding Dun Luce Castle to you itinerary. It is full of history,and your son would probably love it. The castle hangs on a cliff on the side of the ocean.
* Day 16--Definiitely try to see Newgrange and the burial mounds. They are very impressive, showing the technology from 5000 years ago.

As other have said, look at Goggle Maps, but add at least 30-50% to the time they say. I think you have covered a lot of history for your son and yourselves, which is great, but be realistic that it won't all happen. And that's OK, because other stuff will happen that's great, too.

Thank you so much!! We appreciate all of the advice. We do understand that we can plan and may just abandon said plans. We will definitely look for our must sees and pass the rest or be lucky to see them if time allows.
Definitely giving up Waterford Crystal and probably Blarney Castle. Any other Castle suggestions? We do love Castles but I suppose we shouldn't stop at them all.
Any suggestions, on where to stay between Galway and Portrush? (We are aware that some nights will be late so that we will arrive to a Travelodge/hotel on a few nights as not to bother a Bed and Breakfast family)
Thank you!!

Sligo is about 2 – 2 ½ hours driving time north of Galway and is worth a visit, especially if you have any interest in W.B. Yeats. It’s a good stopover between Galway and Portrush.

Even if you don’t have time to tour Donegal County, visiting Londonderry is worth it. The city walls are interesting to walk around; the murals devoted to the “Troubles” are thought provoking, and the Guild Hall Museum tells quite a bit about the history. I enjoyed Londonderry much more than Portrush.