Where to put one extra night

I would certainly choose Westport over Waterford---a really nice town. Waterford, IMO, is charmless. The Connemarra area on your drive to Westport is beautiful and you could stop by Kylemore Abbey . One night in Doolin may be enough --O'Connor's there was good for the music and a pub dinner. Avoca Mill is worth a visit while you are in that area. Have never been to Kilkenny so no advice on it but if you like horses the National Stud Farm, home of race horses, is near Kildare and would be on your way on the drive back to Dublin. It is a gorgeous place.

Thank you Susan. I am leaning towards Westport.

Now, If I were to drop Doolin/Galway to one night, what do you suggest?

Also, is it crazy to think of going straight to Newgrange upon landing? We get in mighty early (5:30am) and could be first there to get a spot on the bus.

We drove straight to Newgrange from Dublin Airport and it is not a long drive but we had some rain so that slowed us down. On the road we took (major motorway) there is a toll so be prepared with some euros for tolls--about 1.80 about a year ago. We spent one night there & drove to Birr in order to be close enough to see Clonmacnoise and some peat bogs. Without looking at my travel notes our trip was quite different from yours--skipped Dublin since we had been there twice and also skipped Galway. Our trip was all about smaller towns & countryside. Spent two nights in Cliffden, Killarney, Dingle, Kinsale & one in Doolin as well as Bantry. Also one night in Glendalough and one unplanned night near Avoca. The trip was wonderful & I don't think I would have changed much--some hotels/B&Bs were more than we hoped to spend.

We personally loved Kilkenny. We stayed at Pinecrest B&B two weeks ago. It's a cool medieval town. Glendalough was remarkable, but we didn't have enough time there. You could drive through Glendalough and then on to Kilkenny for a day or so. If you decide on it, private message me and I can tell you about a couple pubs that will provide you with a genuine experience. Have fun!

A second vote for Kilkenny here. The town is great, loved the castle. Very convenient to Dublin too. If you went from either Dingle to Kilkenny or vice versa, you could easily fit in a stop at the Rock of Cashel too (well worth it in my opinion).

Thanks everyone. Josh and Steve, I was thinking about a stop in Kilkenny (not overnight) on the drive from Avoca to Kinsale. If it can only be a day trip, would you suggest Kilkenny over Rock of Cashel? I don't think I could hit both in one day trip.

Thanks again.

If you are picking between Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel for a short stop, I'd probably say Cashel, but it's more up to your preferences. I liked walking around the town of Kilkenny - seeing the castle of course, walking up the round tower at St. Canice's Cathedral, having a pint here and there. It's a great place for sure, but I think it deserves more than an hour or two. Rock of Cashel, on the other hand, you could easily do in two hours. We did walk around the town a bit too, but that isn't as significant. So for one stop, I'd vote Rock of Cashel. Go back to Kilkenny next time then!

Exactly what Steve said ... The Rock of Cashel is a single sight (although I've heard the nearby Hore Abbey is well worth a visit too) whereas Kilkenny is a nice town with it's own sights and more to offer, and therefore, deserves more time. We happily spent three lazy days (and fun nights) there and were happy with that. However, if you only have a few hours, go to see the Rock of Cashel and enjoy every minute!