Planning a trip for the last two weeks of September this year. I would like to tour and drive a variety of sights in the southeast area of Ireland for three to four nights before heading over to the southwest side. Any suggestions on a place and or city to hub out of for this time period. I'll take suggestions for the southwest region as well. Will do the same thing there as well.
Why don't you look at TripMasters.com, a big consolidator operating in Ireland? They have a bunch of different trips outlined online at great prices including hotels and rental cars. Dunhills is another website that has Irish trips.
I share your interest in the southeastern area (County Wexford). Haven't been there but have read it has the least rainfall in Ireland and has lovely sandy beaches.
The village of Ferns, north of Wexford town, has a fairly robust tourism website http://www.fernsvillage.ie/ And I noticed there's a Tintern Abbey, which has a history related to the more famous Tintern Abbey in Wales.
There is also the annual opera festival in Wexford town, which takes place in November; the opera house has other types of events throughout the year.
Other threads have commented on the sights in the Waterford-New Ross area, including Hook Head Lighthouse, the Kennedy homestead, Dunbrody famine ship, and Ros tapestry.
Our favorite bases in the southern part of the island are the Kilkenny area, Kinsale, and Dingle.
I was in Ireland for a few, month long stays a couple of years ago for work. Two of the trips I stayed at Fort Conan Hotel in Duncannon and once I stayed in Waterford. I loved the Fort Conan Hotel, the owners are so nice and accommodating. They truly made me feel at home. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.
If you want to stay more to the southeast, Duncannon is great. It's a small village, has a fort, a couple of pubs, and a beach. If you want to venture more to the south and middle, it's a little more difficult to get to from Duncannon. The River Suir divides it and the only way to cross is by ferry or travel up to New Ross. The ferry doesn't run all day, so traveling up to New Ross will add quite a bit of time if you happen to come back after the last ferry.