Overwhelmed with planning

Some of these days do look aggressive, particularly day 1. Have you checked driving times? They are typically longer in Ireland than you would anticipate. If you haven't done this, it's worth doing. I've used the Michelin website and added maybe 20% to allow for surprises, slow traffic, rest stops, etc.

I'm having a hard time figuring out some of your plan--I think the format got a little mangled. It seems to be jumping around, out of sequence. So let me just comment on the Kenmare days. On Day 4, you are doing the ROK and then returning to Kenmare before driving to Dingle. I'd suggest checking out of Kenmare in the morning, doing the ROK starting at the Kenmare end, and going to Dingle at the end of that drive; that eliminates some backtracking.

A few favorites of mine are missing; you might want to check if they are of interest to you. The monastic ruin of Glendalough is really beautiful; you could do it on Day 1 after leaving Dublin, but you'd need to reduce your plans for that day. The ruins of Clonmacnoise are also stunning and MUCH less crowded than Glendalough; you'd probably need to work that in on your trip back to Dublin (Clonmacnoise is fairly isolated). I also love the Burren, a limestone desert-scape with wonderful tiny wildflowers growing among the rocks (depending on when you go), and we also enjoyed a visit to the Burren Perfumery.

I agree with Sherry, I think your day one is too ambitious. I think once you get to Kilkenny you will want to spend more time, it's a neat little town. Maybe stop here for the night? Start your day 2 with the Rock of Cashel then continue to Kinsale where I would highly recommend a stop at Charles Fort (I didn't get to Glendalough so can't comment). I would agree with skipping the Blarney stone, much too touristy. From here on your plan gets a little confusing, the days seem to jump about. I did not get to Muckross house, but people rave about it so it must be worth the stop. I did do a Gap of Dunloe tour from Killarney, though, and really enjoyed it. I'm wondering if doing both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Penninsula might be too much? Maybe others who have driven the route are more qualified to comment on this, but it seems to me both would take a day each as I did a full day Dingle tour from Killarney. If you aim to end up in Galway you really shouldn't miss a stop at the cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Galway was my favourite town, and there is a lot to see and do in the area that you are going to miss with your schedule. The Connemara region and a trip out to the Aran Island are just a couple. I would also recommend a stop at Clonmacnoise on your way to Dublin. You don't seem to have any time scheduled to tour Dublin, but Bru na Boinne and the passage tombs at Newgrange are a great place to visit.

Thank you so much. Don,t know what happened but the days got mixed up in forum.. let me try again.
Day 1 thru 4 maybe stay the same On day 4 I am in Kenmare in the morning ,drive to Ring of Kerry and then to Dingle
Day 5
9am Dingle Penisula, stay again in Dingle
Day 6
9am Dingle to the Cliffs of Moyer
1pm tour the Cliffs
3pm Leave for Galway Stay in Galway
Day7
All day in Galway suggestions are The Burren, Connemara and others you suggested
Day8
9am Leave for Dublin

Day 9
All day in Dublin

With all due respect, I think my spouse and I would probably be headed for divorce if we undertook a "vacation" itinerary like that you are proposing. For me, it just seems a tad over-planned without room for the spontaneous. How are you going to enjoy some majestic vista or unexpected "must see" when you're worried about getting to your 3pm?

For example, we happened to be in a small town in Scotland the day they were holding a regional bag pipe competition. We lingered longer than we had anticipated (it was supposed to be a lunch stop) but you don't know what you've been missing if you don't experience over a hundred pipers congregated at the same place at the same time! That wouldn't have happened if we had been on as tight a schedule as you're planning.

My advice, map out the absolute "must sees" and leave a little more latitude for the rest of the schedule.

Thanks so much for the replies. Will definitely shorten the first day.

Day 1: I agree that it is very busy. Can you leave earlier in the morning? Eating lunch in Kilkenny is better than nothing but there are a few things to see and do, and lots of cute little shops, if that tickles your fancy. I'd plan for a few hours at ROC. There is also a great castle in Cahir to see but you won't have time unless you overnight in that area.

Day 2: I don't know anything about Kinsale so not much help here.

Day 3: Muckross House was fantastic, we loved it. You can walk to the Torc Waterfall through some beautiful scenery at the Muckross House estate. Definitely recommend it if you are able-bodied, it was gorgeous. If you want to hire a horse and buggy back to the House, I recommend that you reserve it when you first walk up to the park for the Waterfall. After we saw the waterfall, we wanted to ride a buggy back, but the wait was way too long as all of the buggies had already been reserved. You can probably see Ross Castle this day, too, if you want to fill your day with sight-seeing. It was my favorite castle (beating ROC and Cahir) and I'd highly recommend it as well.

Don't underestimate the drive time between Kenmare and Killarney. It's part of the ROK and very windy/twisty and takes a good 30-40 minutes, for us as least, to drive. There were also some beautiful scenic stops to enjoy along the way.

Day 4: This will be a very busy day, which we did in the reverse that you will be doing. There are LOTS of fantastic stops all along the ROK -- plan for a full day. We saw two ring forts that were both very different and very awesome. There was also a castle in ruins that was incredible. We loved the ROK and didn't run into troubles with the tour buses.

Day 5: I see in your amended itinerary that you are giving yourself a full day for the Slea Head Drive -- that is good and you will enjoy it. Again, tons of things to see and do just like the ROK. We loved stopping and hiking at different points along the rugged coastline. Stop for a snack in a pub along the way...one of my favorite memories were these older Irish gents gambling on horse races, yelling in a mix of English and Gaelic, at a small pub on the drive. We downloaded an app that gave audio highlights for each point along the Slea Head Drive -- great commentary and history. We just brought an auxilliary cable and plugged our phone into the rental car and listened from the car speakers as we drove.

Day 6: Depending on your interests, you may or may not wish you have more time at the Cliffs of Moher. In retrospect, my husband and I could have spent a half day there hiking along the cliffs but only had planned for a couple of hours, which I regret. If you are outdoors-y, I'd rethink how much time you spend. We loved the town of Doolin and heard great Irish Trad there. I see you are considering the Burren as well. I would suggest you consider staying this night in Doolin and see the Burren in the morning before heading to Galway on Day 7. We took a walking tour with John Connolly in the Burren and it was another highlight of our trip. There are also other interesting things to see in the Burren area like Poulnabrone Dolmen and Corcomroe Abbey.

Day 7: My suggestion is to see the Burren in the morning and drive to Galway for the afternoon and spend the night.

When I researched our trip, we were also interested in Connemara. The general consensus I received from other travelers is that it is a big, beautiful area worth a few days on its own.

Hope this helps!

We did the lower half of Ireland in 8 nights, staying at 4 B&B's 2 nights each - great advice from the travel forum. On our second day we got completely lost, using both multiple maps and a GPS. Even if you are a good navigator, I'd plan on that happening if you are traveling on the "regional" roads. Apparently, the Irish don't believe in road signs. Locals told us THEY get lost too. The motorways are the best way to travel if you are on a tight schedule. But there is so much you'll miss if you do this...the town of Fethard is one example, between Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel.

Galway to Dublin is a surprisingly fast drive across country. I'd highly recommend visiting the passage tombs (Newgrange, Knowth) at Bru na Boine in the Boyne Valley. It's not far from Dublin. The Boyne Valley is steeped in history and there is so much to see - Trim Castle, Hill of Tara, Monasterboice, Slane Castle and the list goes on. On your way, I'd call the visitor center to see how long the wait is for the next tour - when you get there, you take a number, then wait for the next bus to whichever passage tomb you want to see. We had an hour wait, so looked at the museum and had some great coffee and treats in the cafe.

If you leave early enough from Galway and want to see some of the sights in the Boyne Valley, you could easily be to Dublin by late afternoon. We returned our rental car near the airport and took a taxi to our B&B (25 to 35 euro depending on the day and length of drive). Again, that was good advice from travel forum members. Driving and parking in Dublin can be dicey. We used the LUAS train to get to the center of town which was very affordable and easy to figure out.

Just one comment on your question about the Don and Barry tour in Kinsale... I joined a tour in 2011 and loved it. It was a ton of fun, well-paced, and very informative!

We just got back from 10 days in Ireland. We did the Hawk Walk at Ashford Castle and loved it and the monastery ruins nearby at Cong are also nice to see. We went to Connemara area-beautiful scenery. Stayed at Abbeyglen-enjoyed the atmosphere and having a fire in the gas fireplace in June!. Wish we'd had more time so we could have done the Fjord cruise in the area. Husband said scenery in Connemara area reminded him of New Zealand.

We loved our stay at Drumcreehy House B&B in Ballyvaughn. Did a 1 hr boat trip from Doolin to see Cliffs of Mohre and were able to get close to a rock with lots of birds. Loved Shane Connally's Burren Walk.

Dublin was underwhelming. I enjoyed the Archeology Museum, but didn't feel that Book of Kells was as interesting as sights in other European capitals. Took Collins Tours daytrip to Glendalough and Kilkenny-good use of time and money.

Not sure if your "day 1" is your day of arrival or not. If it is, you might want to reconsider driving the first day after a long overnight flight. Just not a good idea -- but that is just my opinion.

I agree with TC. Our travel time was supposed to be about 12 hours from Washington state and ended up being almost double that due to "mechanical difficulties" and having to wait for another plane to take us to Dublin from Chicago. A drive of two hours, after getting used to the left side, was enough. We were more than happy to rest our feet and discover what Irish pubs are all about!