Ring of Beara

The Ring of Beara is beautiful and less visitied than Ring of Kerry and Slea Head Peninsula. However doing it from Kinsale is going to be a long day. You are talking about 6hours solid driving plus time for stops. Have a think about doing Mizen Head and Sheep's Head Peninsula instead. They are less far to drive. Do it as a circular drive along the R600 to Clonakilty and then pick up N71 for Skibberrereen . Do the loop round Mizen and at Durrus do the detour round Sheep's Head. This is along unclassified roads which are narrower and slower through lovely gentle scenery. From Bantry cut back cross country to Kinsale back through Brandon.

If you want to cut down on driving time, miss out Mizen and concentrate on Sheeps Head and Bantry (a small pretty town around its harbour) , including a visit to Bantry with Bantry house and Gardens.

Yeah, it would be a very long day indeed to try to visit Beara as a day trip from Kinsale.
Consider the shorter drive over to the village of Ardmore - about an hour and 15 minutes from Kinsale. It's a pretty little place in its own right - well off the beaten tourist path, featuring the ruins of an old monastic site complete with a Round Tower, the ruins of St. Declan's Well, and a very pretty cliff walk around a scenic peninsula complete with an old Martello Tower.
Could combine it with a stop at the village of Youghal which has an interesting history of its own.

Thanks those are great suggestions. We are trying to do more non tourist sites and visit more of Ireland's scenic but smaller communities. We did the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula last time we were in Ireland. Any other suggestions for Kinsale besides a trip into Cork?

Buy a road atlas of Ireland and use this to explore some of the minor roads. There are so many pretty places in Ireland which don't feature in the guide books or tourist itineraries waiting to be discovered by those who are prepared to ditch sat nav and get 'lost'...

There's also the guidebook "Backroads Ireland" that's quite good if you're interested in meandering day trips by car. It's chock full of the kind of off the beaten track excursions and attractions that wasleys suggests.
Can usually find used copies on Amazon for just a few dollars.

good advice. I will order that book. Thanks