Dulin Airport to Trim-1st day

Airport to Trim would be a good, direct and fast route (about 1 hour) to take if arriving in the morning. You will be headed away from traffic at that time...which is good. Have you tried using the AA site? http://www2.aaireland.ie/routes_beta/ Enjoy your visit!

Trim is a convenient spot to stay the first night but you can certainly do more the first day than just drive to Trim. We went up to Newgrange and Knowth a did an early tour of both sites. We then drove to Trim and took an afternoon castle tour. Adjusting to driving on the "wrong side" is anguished over by first timers far more than it deserves. I'm familiar with Mt Vernon (WA I assume) and you've already seen backcountry roads that are as challenging as anything you'll see in Ireland.

Ken, thank you for the comforting words about driving in Ireland. I am so used to driving around the flats of Mt. Vernon, that I rarely brave the drive to Seattle. Country boy, I guess. Going to Newgrange and Knowth on the first day is an interesting idea. We were going to do that at the end of our trip as we come back to Dublin. I was just assuming that I would be a basket case after the flight, but perhaps we should leave open the possibility of doing more than just going to Trim that first day. Thanks for the suggestion. I wonder how you come to know Mt. Vernon? The weather here is apparently attempting to acclimate us to Irish weather because it has been raining for the last month and the island we live on (Fir Island) is awash with water. Thanks again, Ken, for your suggestion.
Andy

I have a sister that lives close by Mt Vernon. I went to the UW and had a room mate from there. When you land early, you're definitely not 100% but you should be able to drive easily. There are various sites in the area north of Dublin. You can easily fill a day. It's a reasonably long drive from Newgrange to Trim so it's worth considering another spot. Trim Castle is nice but it's not a top tier, not to miss sight. You could easily catch it on the drive through the next day. It's worth about an hour. There is a little walk across the river from the castle but that's only if you have time to spare. If you're driving to Galway, consider stopping at Clanmacnoise about 30 minutes off the main highway on the Shannon River. My wife and I enjoyed that stop. If you're doing any sightseeing, get the OPW card. You almost pay for it by touring Newgrange and Knowth (see both).

When I arrive in Ireland, I'm always adrenaline-charged, excited about being there. Newgrange was my first stop on one of my trips. I then visited Monasterboice to see the high crosses, then found lodging in Navan (but I could have chosen Trim - they aren't far apart). After dinner I was ready for an early bedtime, and then was fine the next day. If you chose not to go to Monasterboice, you could easily do the castle tour at Trim instead.

Thanks for this Nancy. Maybe I am going to be alright when I arrive in Dublin. After all, I am going to be using the No-Jet-Lag homeeopathic jet lag prevention tablets I found at my local AAA store. I'm pretty excited about this trip. Thank you again.
Andy