Visiting Donegal and traveling west coast Ireland

Couple of random observations:
1) The shortest route to Aran Islands is from Rossaveal. The ferry is much larger and more reliable weather-wise. I'd also suggest an overnight, as the character changes aas the last ferry leaves with the day trippers.
2) Many if not most restaurants have special menus for picky eaters. We often travel with a celiac+ and she always finds something to eat, although it sometimes takes a few trips to the kitchen for questions on the server's part.
3) There is too much to experience, even in an infinite number or trips. Just figure out how you like to travel and figure something out. For example, we pack very light, and changing lodging every day is no issue. But a couple or three nights in a place with lots of nearby stuff works as well. I just map all the places I want to go and figure out if it's easier to backtrack or move on.
4) We crave good trad sessions, so that distorts all our plans - we always stay in places within walking distance to pubs, so our advice is probably useless.
5) Depending on when your "Spring" is, puffins might be in residence in places like Skellig Michael and Rathlin Island. There are lots of other spots as well.

Where are you planning on hiring a car and handing it back in? Remember that Northern Ireland and the Republic of ireland are two separate countries so this may cause problems if you are planning on hiring in Belfast and dropping off in the Republic. Also you will need to check that the car hire company will allow you to take the car between the two.

Why have you planned on flying into Belfast? Would it be easier to fly in and out of Shannon and do a loop from there. If Derry is a must then do as a day trip from Donegal (as long as the hire car company are happy with this.)

Depending on where the wedding fits into the itinerary, do the north first, then wedding and then Killarney/Dingle (or flip round ). Allow at least one night to recover from jet lag before picking up the hire car and doing any serious driving.

Looking at your plans you are going to need 4 days (5 nights ) for Donegal. Don't miss Grianan of Aileach stone fort - it isn't the easiest place to find but is amazing.

I was disappointed by Achill Island and felt there would have been better places for us to spend the time. Others may disagree with this.... I'd build in a night on the Aran Islands in preference to this. It is a unique experience.

I love Galway and Connemara and this area again deserves three days to begin to do it justice.

You could combine Dingle and Killarney from a single base although that might mean longer to drive

A guidebook that you may find useful is "Backroads Ireland" from DK publishing. As the title implies it's full of scenic drives off the beaten tourist track and features some of the lesser known attractions along the way. We've found it to be especially informative during our own driving adventures around Donegal ... an area that most other guides don't really cover very well. You can usually find used copies on Amazon for just a few dollars. Might be a helpful planning tool for what you have in mind.
A cost-effective alternative to a potentially unpleasant ferry crossing over to the Aran Islands is to fly. Aer Aran Islands offers several flights per day and even adds a scenic flight into the mix. Plus, they've never had a report of sea sickness on any of their crossings.
After a much regretted stay in Killarney town years ago we've since opted to book a place somewhere along the corridor between Glenbeigh and Castlemaine in order to be centrally located for visits to both the Dingle peninsula and the ROK. From that location we're able to unpack once and settle in for a few days of exploring versus relocating every couple of days in order to stay in Dingle or Killarney.

You don't indicate what your dietary restrictions are (none of our business, of course), but I believe restaurants are required by law to provide allergen information on their menus. I can't recall seeing a menu that didn't provide that information. Not sure about halal or kosher, though.
Derry is worth a stop for the city walls and the Museum of Free Derry. A nice place to stay in Donegal is Killybegs, a fishing village with good access to Slieve League by land and sea. Best fish and chips we had on our trip.
I tend to agree that flying in/out of Shannon makes more sense than flying into Belfast. I think you'd pay a hefty premium to drop a car rented in Belfast at the Shannon Airport. If there is any issue with taking your Republic-rented car into Northern Ireland (and I have not experienced this), then you could probably find accommodation in the Republic and make a day trip by public transport into Derry.

Thank you, you’ve all provided me with some great tips that I’ll look into! And I’m going to look for that backroads book.

We just visited Ireland in May 2024 and one of my highlights was staying in Killybegs. By far the best fresh fried seafood in all of Ireland. There was a food truck right by the harbor and a couple of the pubs let you eat inside as long as you pick up your trash. The pubs there are very nice too. Slieve League is a must see. On the way to Slieve League from Killybegs we stopped at Studio Donegal in Kilcar. They make some wonderful hand woven items and you can tour the mill and see them working on 100+ year old looms. Great spot for some locally made gifts or souvenirs.

scbruinsfan, the food truck had to move from the harbor location and is now in a little alley off Main Street, opposite Anderson's Seafood Restaurant (which is co-owned with the Seafood Shack). Those wedge-cut chips!!!

I have most of my itinerary sketched out and will have 3 nights to spend exploring the Donegal region, and I decided to stay in one place as an hub and travel to sights from there. Ideally I’d like to stay in a walkable town, close to restaurants, however am open to accommodations just outside of town if waterfront area. Although I’d like to visit Donegal town, Ardara, and Killybegs, I’m not sure which will be the best hub for us providing food and lodging options as well as proximity to sights.

My list for points of interest include: Slieve League, Malin Beg beach/ Sturral Sea Sack, Narin beach/Portnoo, Maghera Beach, Assaranca waterfall, Killybegs boat to lighthouse. If time allows: Hornhead/Fanad Head, Gleanveagh National Park.

Does anyone have a recommendation for best location to stay and any tips/recommendations for prioritizing sights?

We just returned from a trip that included Donegal and Derry.....our schedule didn't permit as much time as we would've liked but both were great. Slieve League was likely the highlight for my four (older) children. We were there on Christmas Day so we didn't visit the visitor center and we got a late start so getting to Malin Beg with daylight was a challenge (so we skipped). We walked up from the lower parking lot (farther to the cliff viewing platform) and were rewarded with great views along the way.

We stayed right in Donegal town (great air bnB called River view house, walkable to the town Diamond) and wished more had been open there. Good base with a lot of amenities. The hotels in Donegal town all looked like they would've worked and there are plenty of restaurants and grocery options. We went to McCaffery's on Christmas Eve for a pint but had a few other open options as well (Castle-something also had food).

Had my itinerary been more flexible I would've done 2 nights in Donegal town as we did and added and two nights further afield (closer to Glenveagh). The driving in Donegal was slow but picturesque and manageable - while all of Ireland is beautiful I found it different from Galway, Connemara, Cliffs of Moher and Killarney which I visited in the 90s. I would visit this area again if given the opportunity.

Derry was a bit of a pitstop -- we walked the walls (another highlight) and had timed tickets to the Tower museum (which were sold to us in error - it was closed -- so definitely check in with them if going). The staff in the visitor center very helpful. We also viewed the bog side murals - one of my children is a design student and street/poltical art is of great interest. Had it been available I would've done the well reviewed Derrie Danders tour. We hit Granain Aleach (spelling error - sorry) between Derry and Donegal - great views - kids also loved.

Otherwise -- our car rental was Dublin airport to Dublin airport with Hertz. Extra 30 euro for crossing border (which we did multiple times through out trip -- its hard not to). Could you fly into Dublin and out of Shannon? The drive to Belfast to wasn't terrible and I image the drive to Derry not so bad either (skip Belfast since you've been there and the Antrim Coast?). We stayed in Coleraine (enroute from GC to Derry) - Ibis hotel (like a Hilton tru, super reasonable, good breakfast, new and clean). It's in predominantly a shopping area but had exactly the types amenities we needed before holiday closures - very convenient.

Thank you, it sounds like you had a great trip! I’m pretty well set now flying RT to Shannon, but all these tips will help me iron out the details.