Seeking Advice on Tentative 21 Day Itinerary

Hello! We just did pretty much the exact amount of days around the entire coast of Ireland. We also went to Northern Ireland. We went the opposite direction of you, however. I'm just gonna give you my advice. Kinsale was kinda boring to spend three nights in. I'm disappointed we did not stay longer in dingle. We stayed three nights in Dingle and I wish it was at least 5! We stayed at the Milltown House in Room 7. It came to about 280 euro. The bed was amazing! The room had a beautiful view of the sea and the walk to town is perfect! Not to mention, Seamus, the sweet Irish wolfhound that resides here, too! Great breakfast included! This place even has a bar in it that's like sitting in a living room. Trust me, this was our favorite place by far!!! You won't be disappointed. If you get the chance, stay a night in Portrush, too. We did not get to see donegal or kenmare (no time!). We did make it to Doolin. Two nights are plenty there. We stayed at churchfield B and B there. It was lovely, but small. Friends of mind really like the roadford house there.

Personally, I would skip Belfast. Maybe we were there on an off time but it didn't seem to friendly. The little towns on the west coast have all the friendly people you will meet! But, I really hope u consider staying longer in Dingle. The bean there has great coffee, too. Remember room 7 at the Milltown house. Lovely!!!!! Best place I've ever stayed! Also, in Kinsale, eat at fishy fishy. Wow!!!!!!!!! The oysters are amazing!!!! We ate at the steak house, too. And a really good Indian restaurant.

Anyways, whatever you do, you will have a blast!
Cheers!
Lisa

Ps we are leaving Kinsale now and headed to Kilkenny. Will let you know if I have any pointers! :)

We stayed two nights in Dublin. Hardly anyone was from Ireland. I'm from Seattle and it was kinda like Seattle in a way. Busy as hell! Keep in mind that we prefer country as opposed to city so it's all about what you like. :).

Greetings from Ireland.
Typing this from Galway, where I have jus returned from Inis Oirr (the smallest of the 3 Aran Islands) with Rick;s son, Andy Steves, what a great day it has been! Consider visiting the Islands on your trip for definite.

To be brief, for now, I'd drop a night in Kilkenny, Kenmare and possibly Donegal (my home county!). But I'm delighted for you that you'll go to Donegal, so so beautiful and authentic.
I'd add a night in Dingle for definite, Id even consider Killarney for a night and would most definitely consider a night in Derry or in Portrush.

If you say you may never be back in Ireland, yet you sound like you are very interested in my motherland due to the fact you are giving us a very flattering 21 days of your most valuable commodity - your time!, then I dare say its essential you go North. In my opinion the one of the top 3 best everything about Ireland is in the North - history, scenery, food, welcome, characters music etc etc

If you have any specific questions just drop me a private message or post here so the answers may help other travellers on an in-depth itinerary.

Lovely to hear Lisa from Seattle enjoyed my guest-house in Dingle, Milltown House, and my big friendly gentle-giant Seamus, the Irish Wolfhound! I'll be back down there tomorrow. Sorry I never got to meet you Lisa.

I can also understand how Lisa would think Dublin is a bit like Seattle and how there are hardly any Irish people there. I hear his so much from travellers, however I think you just need to see it with the right people and be brought to the right spots in town and you'll see that our beloved Capital city is indeed the quintessential urban centre-piece of the Irish-Nation. Its a wonderful city, if you see get shown the best parts!

Best wishes on your journey

le meas/with respect
Stephen McPhilemy
Rick Steves Ireland Tour-Guide
Dingle and Derry

Thank you Lisa & Stephen!

To be clear, we plan to spend several nights in certain towns, not just for that town but also to explore the areas reachable from it. So, if I say we plan 2 or 3 nights somewhere the thought is that this would allow time to wander around from a temporary home base.

If Kilkenny doesn't warrant 2 nights is that because that area itself (Glendalough on the way, Rock of Cashel, Waterford, Wexford, etc.) is less interesting than somewhere else that I should rather add the extra night to? Same question for the other towns you would have me shorten or skip-- not just about the town but the area around it.

Staying in Kinsale, Kenmare & Dingle was meant to allow for exploration of the peninsulas in that area plus a day in Killarney park. Would all of that be easily doable from just one of those towns? (I'm assuming Dingle because we do want to stay there-- thanks for the great recommendation of Milltown House)

We were planning on exploring a bit of Northern Ireland from our home base in Donegal. It sounds like the recommendation is to also stay in Kerry or Portrush, so maybe NI isn't as easily reached from Donegal as I had thought.

We're just trying to keep from too many 1 night stands (so to speak) so we can enjoy places instead of rushing to and from them. Make sense?

Thanks again, Lisa & Stephen, for your feedback. I appreciate it very much.

Would still love to hear more from you and others!

I agree that Belfast isn't exactly inviting. It is a bit depressing, in our opinion. They have a Titanic museum, if you are into that kind of stuff. My husband and I did an outstanding TAUCK 14 day tour of Ireland, three years ago. We loved Ireland and it people. We preferred southern Ireland to northern Ireland. We absolutely loved visiting the Ashford Castle. It is the former summer home of the Guinness Family. The grounds are outstanding. I understand that the hotel was totally remodeled last year. We wished we could have stayed more than two days there. We didn't want to leave the castle. We also stayed at another lovely location - the Mount Juliet Hotel. We hope to go back to Ireland even just to stay at these two locations.

Thank you Lisa, Stephen & Elaine!

Does anyone else have any input, please?

Thanks!

A couple years ago my husband and I were traveling on our own in the Dublin area and Belfast before taking the ferry to Scotland. Personally, we feel Belfast is an important place to see. In Belfast, we stayed in a bed and breakfast near Queens University for two nights. The owners, a married couple, were Catholic (man) and Protestant (woman). We had such interesting conversations with them. We learned so much about the "Troubles," from people who had been married many years and lived through that period. We had some good Irish food and ale at the "Barking Dog," found the Crown Saloon's snug booths so fun, enjoyed touring City Hall (despite the fact that the guide was so incredibly pro-British). Most importantly, seeing first hand the divisions, barriers, and signage still in place dividing Nationalists (Catholics) and Unionist (Protestant) neighborhoods in sobering. Is Belfast all warm and fuzzy? Well, no. But it interesting, historical, and provides a "teachable moment." We found people there to be so grateful still to George Mitchell, who facilitated the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement. So, our opinion is to understand Ireland, don't bypass Belfast. Your Irish experience will be enriched.

We love Dingle, and could spend a week there -- check out Pax Guest House. Truly amazing views, service and overall ambience. John, the proprietor, is wonderful. There is a dog, cat and chickens on site, and it looks over the sea. Definitely spend a few more euro to get a sea view room.
We also love the Kilkenny area, and have stayed twice now with AnnMarie and Mark at Lawcus Farm Guest House. I would live there if I could. Quiet, on the river, farm animals and lots of home grown foods. In the area are Jerpoint Abbey and Kells Priory, which we like. There is also a pottery nearby, as well as a glass blowing studio.
We liked the music in Doolin, but found it a bit too quiet after Dingle. Cliffs of Moher are a must.
We loved the village of Kinsale. Two nights there was not quite enough for us. Check out a delightful B&B run by Orla and Aileen called The Cloisters.
We liked visiting the famine ship in Wexford, but probably wouldn't spend more than a few hours there.
Remember to be flexible. Once, when we were driving back to Lawcus after dinner in another town, we passed by an athletic field with the big lights on. We turned around, went back and found the local kids having hurling practice. We struck up a conversation with one of the moms, and it turned into a great hour. We got to talk to everyday people and learn about a new sport as well. Those are my favorite kinds of experiences.