Train from Cork to Dublin?

Driving in any major European city is a really bad idea. Taking the train from Cork to Dublin seems like much better way.

I agree about driving in Dublin, avoid if possible. This company has daily tours to Newgrange, recommended in the RS guidebook. I'm signed up for one but haven't taken it. The guidebook also explains how to get there from Dublin by train (plus taxi) or bus. It also recommends a couple of Dublin-originating tours for Glendalough, but doesn't offer information about getting there by public transit, which probably means it's too difficult or not possible. If you don't mind driving between Cork and Dublin, maybe you could use the car for Glendalough and turn it in somewhere near Dublin, like at the airport, before visiting the city itself. Hope you have a great trip.

Train from Cork to Dublin is easy, not expensive, comfortable, and 100% stress-free. It's how I got back to Dublin from the southwest, I was really glad I did it that way, and I'd do the same again. You do not want a car in Dublin.

If you can not (or choose not) to fly in to Shannon, arrive in Dublin, get on a bus ("coach") from the airport to Galway (do not drive exhausted and jetlagged). Sleep there in Galway your first night, then when you are rested and refreshed, pick up your rental car there the first day, and head south along the beautiful west coast. I did that, it worked out great. Only trick was finding a rental agency that was open (on a Sunday morning) when we wanted to head back to Dublin for our onward flight. Cork worked well for that (the airport car agency office was the only one in the region we could find that was open on a Sunday morning, and there's a rail station in Cork a short taxi-ride away).

Thanks to all for the great responses so far! Sounds like I'm on the right track. (Pun intended!)

Seems like it's more expensive to drop a rental car in a different location than it was picked up, but I'll definitely factor that in. Also will look into private coaches for excursions out from Dublin.
RS suggests flying into Dublin but rather than doing Dublin first, get the car at the airport and head out to explore the countryside, while also getting acclimated to driving in Ireland. Then return the car at the airport and take bus into Dublin, saving the Capitol for the end. But I'm hoping to keep my driving time to a minimum. Thanks again!

If you are going to the west/southwest, accept that you are going to be doing lots of driving (unless you find someone else or pay someone else to do the driving). Public transport options in the west/southwest are thin, and are not optimized for tourists (both understatements). Unless you have many days to burn, a car is the ideal way to get around. With no car, you will need to spend a lot more time getting around, and/or will be limited/miss out on much of the best stuff.

Don't assume that picking up and dropping off in different locations will cost an arm and a leg. Car rentals are not super-cheap (looked as gas prices lately?), but it's the cost of doing business if you want to be free to go where/when as you please.

Please do not try to figure out how to drive in Ireland right after coming off an overnight flight from far away. It's seriously dangerous. Everything is "backwards" (to most of us), and the roads get impossibly narrow especially in small, rural locations in the west. Take safety seriously.

Thanks! Yes, I realize that getting around in the SW and West will require a fair amount of driving. I should mention that I plan to arrange for the rental car ahead of time and plan to pay extra for an automatic. Since Cork is on the itinerary, seems to make sense to fly in there, spend a day seeing the sites, then pick up the car to continue on up the coast. Right now the plan is to spend two weeks in Ireland. Starting in Cork, meandering the Wild Atlantic Way to Westport. Then back to Cork, turn in the car, take the train to Dublin for a few days, then return to Cork for the flight home.

Sounds like I'm on the right track. (Pun intended!)

I hope not! Trains in Ireland use the left track! (Pun also very much intended)

Since Cork is on the itinerary, seems to make sense to fly in there,
spend a day seeing the sites, then pick up the car to continue on up
the coast. Right now the plan is to spend two weeks in Ireland.
Starting in Cork, meandering the Wild Atlantic Way to Westport. Then
back to Cork, turn in the car, take the train to Dublin for a few
days, then return to Cork for the flight home.

That doesn't make sense to me. If you really want to do it that way, fly home from Dublin. If your trip ends in a city with a major airport that has direct flights to several North American cities, it doesn't make sense to take the train to a smaller city to fly home from a small airport where you'd need to connect somewhere in Europe to get to North America.

Yeah, I hadn't considered the flight connections involved. Good feedback y'all! Thanks!

The two major airports in Ireland are Dublin and Shannon, in comparison Cork is a rather small airport.

Roger that. I'll look into flights in and out of Shannon. Thanks!

I assume you are coming from North America.

Something to consider before your plans get too far: I'm pretty sure there are no direct flights between Cork and anyplace else in Ireland (someone correct me if that's not true). Cork (like most airports in Ireland other than Dublin) is primarily for flights to the UK and other points in Europe, not for flights within Ireland. Even Shannon, Ireland's "other" international airport, does not have direct flights to Dublin or elsewhere in the Irish Republic. You can fly between Dublin and these airports but you would have to go via someplace else in the UK or further away, which really messes with any plans to efficiently fly from place to place within Ireland. And since the flights to smaller airports in Ireland are going to be on low-cost carriers (usually RyanAir), you would not be on the same ticket for you international flight....separate tickets, risks of mis-connecting, and what happens then.

I doubt you will find inbound or outbound international flights to/from Cork (unless you stop in London or elsewhere outside Ireland), so you are probably going to arrive/depart from (probably) Dublin, as most do, or (maybe) Shannon (fewer flight options there).

Investigate and confirm your flight options before you get too attached to any plans for your ground itinerary within Ireland.

Don't think I'll do any flights within Ireland. One thing I am thinking about is doing a day trip to Liverpool to maybe do a Beatles tour. Definitely not doing the ferry 'cross the Irish Sea. Probably a cheap flight from Dublin and back. I will definitely compare the different flight and rental car options. I'm also cognizant of potentially trying to cram too much into 2 weeks. I'd rather experience a place more than seeing a large number of places just to blaze through a checklist. In that vein, while I'd like to visit Northern Ireland, I'm not sure about it for this first trip.

If it was my trip I'd look at a round trip to Dublin or an open jaw to Dublin and home from Shannon or vice versa.

In fact I just looked at flying into Shannon and returning home via Dublin and it only added a few $ so I will definitely keep that in mind! Thanks again to all!