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Suggestions on finishing my Itinerary

Posted by on

My wife and I will be heading to Ireland during the first week of September for 14 days (13 nights). Right now we plan to land in Dublin and stay there overnight, then stay in Kilkenny for a night, drive to Killarney for 4 nights (1 day to visit Killarney National Park, 1 day for Dingle Peninsula and 1 day for ROK) then visit the Cliffs of Moher on the way to Galway for 3 nights (1 day for Inishmore and 2 days for Galway and surroundings), finally back to Dublin for the last night.

The help I need is planning the last 4 days of the trip before heading back to Dublin for a night. The Rick Steves book says we can make it up to Donegal and Derry on a 14 day itinerary. I’d love to see that area but question whether that would be too much. I am also considering staying 4 days in the Connemara National Park area but I was wondering if that part of Ireland is much different than the Killarney area and if that is too long to stay there. I was also wondering if an overnight on an Aran Island would be worth it. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We will have a rental car.

Posted by
2290 posts

Doin't try and cram too much into your itinerary - slow down and enjoy the places you are already planning on visiting. Also reckon on spending nearly a day travelling between places.

Adding a night on the Aran Islands would be good as it would let youexperience them after the tourists have gone home.

My suggestions would be :

Add another night to Kilkenny. Take your time getting there by driving through the Wicklows visiting Powerscourt and Glendalough on the wasy. You then have a full day to see the many sights in and around Kilkenny

You could add another day to Killarney for Ring of Beara - very different to Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula

OR an additional night around Doolin for Cliffs of Moher and the Burren - with its limestone scenery, this is very different to the rest of ireland.

Add another night to Galway. Connemara is very different to Kerry. Spend a full day doing a circular drive around Roundstone, Clifden to include the Sky Drive, Kylemore Abbey, Killarey Fjord (and cruise?)

Spend another full day heading to Leenane, Louisburgh, Wesport Castlebar (very good Countrylife Museum near here with lots of videos from the 1950s and 60s about life in Ireland) and back along the shore of Loch Mask to Cong with its ruined Abbey and where The Quiet Man was filmed before heading back to Galway.

ON the way back dublin from Galway, do visit the early Christian site of Conmacnoise too.

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you so much for your reply and suggestions. I'll add nights to the places we are already staying and spending a night in either Doolin or Aran islands sounds appealing.

Posted by
933 posts

There are also some possible stops between Kilkenny and Killarney such as the Rock of Cashel, or the town of Kinsale and Charles Fort.

Posted by
5 posts

Anita, I was debating whether to stop at the Rock of Cashel and Jerpoint Abbey on the way to Killarney or go by the way of the Copper Coast. I wonder if anyone has an opinion about the Copper Coast and if they think it is worth bypassing the other sites for a Copper Coast drive.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into stopping at Kinsale and Charles Fort as well. There is plenty to consider on this trip!

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