Rick's Ireland Itinerary in Reverse?

I don't think it matters which way you go.

My two cents is don't take Rick's word for it. In general, he picks sights that appeal to a broad swath of Americans. Broad swath, however, may or may not represent your interests. Do a lot more studying before deciding which specific sights appeal to you. Why use your time to visit a sight that doesn't interest you? You will probably have to let some sights go because they can't fit (usually time/distance to see them). At least you'll know what you're passing up, and why.

After you decide on your favorite sights, work that into an itinerary based on time you have available. Be realistic and don't make it a death march. Keep some time in reserve. I prefer either doing a loop or going a general direction and ending at a different airport (in this case one end would be Dublin and the other Shannon). I hate backtracking because I see it as a waste of valuable travel time. I think a loop works well for Ireland unless you are just going north or south. Even then, I'd want to add Clonmacnoise (which turns it into a loop).

Thank you. I usually use Rick's suggestions as a guideline and edit per our interests but have not usually gone in the reverse direction. I appreciate your feedback.

We usually try to follow scenic Drives so that the Passenger gets the best view and we are not looking over a lane a traffic to see the ocean lets say.....

That way the Passenger can take pics out the window and is not looking at traffic next to them.

Good point. So you are saying that by going in reverse we may not have the best view for photos. Was wondering about that.

I really don't think any RS itinerary considers the view out the passenger side window. I get the feeling that you're following Rick's advice too slavishly.

Use the tour itinerary as a starting point, and then venture off to make your own discoveries. There are a zillion places in Ireland not on the RS tour itinerary that are fabulous. Enjoy!

Last fall, we landed in Dublin but headed straight for Galway, then worked ourselves clockwise back to Dublin. A big part of that was hitting Clifden during the Arts Festival there. To really enjoy scenery out to sea, there are pull-offs and parking spots (and sometimes adjacent walking paths) that allow for a much better appreciation of the views than a drive-by. And the interior is often beautiful, too, so a passenger gets lots of opportunities for great scenery, whichever direction you’re heading.

In 2 trips to Ireland, we haven’t yet ventured into the southeast part, so there’s still some of Rick’s highlights that remain for us to see. If you can work in time, definitely see Galway, visit an Aran Island or two, see The Burren, drop down to Dingle, visit Skellig Michael, go up to Counties Mayo, Sligo, and Donegal, and spend time along the far north coast and the Boyne Valley sights, not necessarily in that order. And Despite being “happening places” with some worthwhile sights and experiences, Dublin and Belfast have not been our favorite places on the Emerald Isle - more charm and mystery is in the countryside and smaller towns.

Thank you all so much. We are excited to see more of Ireland and maybe meet some of our ancestors.