Advise on including Northern Ireland on 17 day Ireland trip

A couple of thoughts at first glance:

Depending on when your flight arrives in Dublin, your first day might be too ambitious. I did exactly the same thing once, and by the time I got my car and got out of town, I had time to get to Newgrange and Monasterboice, and then I needed to find housing for the night. And since you are traveling in June it might be doubtful that you could get into Newgrange in the afternoon. Tickets are first-come, first-served and you might have to wait for your turn on the bus (the only way to get in to the tomb site).

The drive from Portrush to Kilkenny will about 5 1/2 hours at least, so I'm not sure how much time that will leave for Glendalough. Glendalough is worth a lot of time if you want to hike to the lake and see the very worthwhile museum there.

I would skip Portrush altogether. There's nothing there except some cheap amusement rides. Much better places to stay on the Antrim Coast and if you like hiking you can actually take a trail around most of the coast. The Glens are also very nice to hike around

I'd stay in Derry City (Free Derry Corner, the City Walls, the craic at night) and would try to take a drive to see the Innishowen Peninsula in Co Donegal as it's absolutely breathtaking in good weather. A lot of stone crosses and monuments located on that drive.
http://earlychristianireland.org/index.html

The Doagh Famine Village is a great tour as well even though it may not have the best looking displays. http://www.doaghfaminevillage.com/ The owners have put their hearts and soul into this place.

Since you are by yourself I would suggest having a list of places you would like to go and then play it by ear. So many things are available and you end up missing a lot rushing place to place.

I agree with Tyson. Portrush is an overcrowded, honky-tonk beach town. There are numerous better places to stay along the Antrim coast.

Second, why drive all the way down to Kilkenny from N. Ireland, and then backtrack up to Galway? It'd make more sense to reverse the positions of Kilkenny & Galway on your itinerary.

We spent 17 nights in Ireland in 2002 and visited many of these same sights. You have the time to do it. It does seem like you do some backtracking. We did this trip in the reverse order (Glendalough, Kenmare, Dingle, Galway, Connemara, Derry, Portrush, Trim, Dublin) and it flowed very smoothly. I would go from Portrush to the Connemara, then Galway, then Dingle, then Kenmare, then Kilkenny and Dublin. It just seems to flow better that way and I think you will spend less time driving.

Thanks everyone for all for the input. I get into Dublin at 9AM so I should have a full day to explore. It's the weekend before the summer solstice so I'll have lots of daylight. Sounds like Newgrange should be my first stop. There's a lot I want to see so I'll spend part of day two catching anything I missed before heading to Belfast for the evening. I want to spend some time on Saturday at the Battle of the Boyne site and see some of the living history.

I also appreciate Tyson's advice on skipping Portrush. Derry sounds like a better base and jumping off point. (Thanks also for the links!)
As far as my route I had thought that travel might be faster doubling back along the east coast versus the Derrry to Galway drive. I didn't want to go clockwise all the way around Ireland and end with two big cities at the end. With all of your advise staying in Derry and going counterclock wise seems to make better sense. Derry to Westport or Galway doesn't look to bad at all. I'll plan to visit Glendalough as my last stop before the weekend in Dublin to give me plenty of time. I'm thinking it might be fun to stay at the hostel at Glendalough http://www.glendaloughinternationalhostel.com.
I like the idea of playing it more by ear and having the opportunity to linger longer or keep on moving but I was also thinking about locking in reservations to getting better deals on B&Bs by reserving in advance. I might end up going with more hostels which I expect are more flexible. Where would you recommend that I lock in reservations?
Thanks for the input. I'm open to more.

There's no advantage to locking in B&Bs as far as price is concerned. The June prices will be the same whether you book them now or as you go.

Derry to Westport ends up about a 5 hour drive. Easily manageable as its all highway. Only bad part is it doesn't take you through the most interesting scenery of Donegal or Sligo. If it turns out you like the looks of Co Donegal, a route through Glenveagh National Park to Gweedore is a beautiful drive. You can stay in Gweedore and then go south down the coast road through Killybegs and Donegal Town to Westport.

I'd suggest booking ahead in the cities and just drive around until you find a B&B that looks nice around the villages and towns. The only problem you may encounter is there won't be a lot of single rooms advertised however most B&Bs will probably give you a break on the double price.

It would be a shame to be in NI and not at least see part of Donegal,Ireland's most scenic county. Glenveagh Natl. Park,Slieve League,Ardara,Glengesh Pass etc. It sure beats fighting the crowds in Dingle and Galway.

Mike, remember that your first day won't start when you get off the plane. You have to go through passport control, which can take awhile depending on how many planes are coming in at the same time. Then you have to do your rental car paperwork and get to your car. It will be closer to 11:00 before you get going.

Another vote for Pat's suggestion. If you stay in Derry, Glenveagh National Park is only about a 90-minute drive away. The scenery is beautiful, and the tour of Glenveagh Castle is very fun and interesting. Greta Garbo liked it; you will too.

The http://www.discoverireland.com/ is a great site which will let you browse different accommodations as well as routes.

If you can find the contact number they will also send you out a free guide with B&B listing for the North and the Free State.

If you need a few recommendations where to stay in Derry or Co Donegal send me a message as well.

You made an excellent decision including the North of Ireland. You won't be dissapointed in your decision.