5 full days in Ireland

3 days in Dingle might be a little too long if you want to see some other sites. Maybe Galway, Doolin or Ennis and then on to Dingle and back to Dublin.

Thanks Mark! I've heard of Galway but not Doolin or Ennis. I'll look into them all.

September can be gorgeous here Linda, but then again maybe not, Irish weather is impossible to predict, May is normally very pleasant but so far this year it has been really cold, we had a gorgeous couple of weeks in March when it's normally cold, impossible to predict! Little enough rain normally in September. I would suggest the Clare/Galway area in September, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, Ailwee Caves, Aran Islands, Connemara, and of course Lisdoonvarna for the matchmaking festival (you don't have to be looking for a 'match' to enjoy the craic, and nobody takes it too seriously).
http://www.matchmakerireland.com/ Dingle of course is a grand option as well, area will be a little quieter in September as the children will be back in school. Enjoy your stay with us whichever way you go

John, I know what you mean about how unpredictable weather can be...here in Chicago too. I'm having a hard time trying to see all I want in just 5 days. I have decided to go with your suggestions and cut out southern Ireland (who knows best than someone who lives there). As they say, always next time. Thank you so much for your help. Anything else you think of, please let me know.

'Who knows best than someone who lives there', you're putting the pressure on me now Linda!, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway. The Burren is something else to be aware of as you're driving through North Clare.

No pressure at all John. I'm sure no matter what I see of your country, I will love it. First time visits are always the best ones. Thank you again!

My husband and I were just in Ireland for 7 days the end of April and Dingle was our favorite part! An idea might be on the day you arrive to drive part way (Kilkenny or Cashel...we did Cashel and did the Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey). The next day we drove to Dingle and stayed 2 nights. So we had 1.5 days in Dingle, which we spent doing the slea head drive (twice so we could get in some more hiking) and going around town. I wish we had longer to go out to the Blasket Islands, but oh well. From there we drove to Doolin for the night and then to Dublin for our final 2 days. I would try to make it to Dingle and if you do, the Milestone B&B is fantastic...definitey the best we stayed in during our trip. Hope that helps!!

Thanks so much for your input Angela. Since we only have 5 full days to site-see, it's really hard to narrow it down without spending too much time driving. So many people have said to make it to Galway besides Dingle & Doolin. I appreciate also the B&B recommendation. As soon as we settle on where to go and stay, that'll be the next decision I'll have to make so your suggestion is deeply appreciated.

Well, not to throw another wrench in your plans, but here are two suggestions: Stick with your original plan to do the Dingle peninsula, just do it in two days instead of three. I would have to say that the Dingle peninsula was probably the coolest part of our trip to Ireland - just amazing. I didn't go to Glasgow, so I can't tell you what it's like. However, since you're already doing Dublin, it seems to make sense to me to give your trip a bit more balance of nature vs. city. Unless of course you're not big into nature and love cities! But I'm actually that way, and I STILL loved Dingle! Two days should be good, though. Take about a day for the drive around the peninsula (it's small so probably a leisurely four hours would be good) and then another day for driving and exploring Dingle. Option 2: Forget the west coast entirely. Either way you do it, you'll spend quite a bit of time driving. There's actually a lot of cool stuff to do that's not too far from Dublin. To the north are the ancient burial mounds, Newgrange, which I can't even begin to tell you how cool they are - I pictured in my mind some boring empty caverns that were nothing but dirt. MUCH cooler than that! Kilkenny, as someone else suggested, is a really cute town with a a fun castle to explore. The Rock of Cashel was also really fun to go to - great view of it from far away. To the south of Dublin are the Wicklow Mountians and Powerscourt gardens. I did not go there, but they are supposed to be gorgeous. There's more, too - I believe the castle where they shot Braveheart is nearby Newgrange.