Ireland 14 days need your advice

Joanne - I think you have a pretty could start. You should get lots of really good input from this helpline. Here's a few recommendations I might suggest. 1)Don't need a car in Dublin. You can take tour groups to Newgrange and Hill of Tara to the north of Dublin. We especially like Powerscourt just to the south of Dublin in the Wicklow Mountains. 2)Lots of good B&B's in Dingle. Our favorite is the Lighthouse. 3)On your way north out of Dingle, you might consider 1 night in Cashel. The Rock of Cashel and the Abbey there are pretty awesome. The Ard Ri House in Cashel is an excellent B&B. 4)1 Night in the Doolin area is good. There are lots of B&B's between the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin. You could then go through the Burren on your way to Galway. 5)Our next trip we are going to spend some time in Clifden in Connemara. Then we are going to go further up the coast to County Donegal before returning to Shannon. Just a few ideas to ponder. Have fun!
Jerry

When we went to Doolin, we stayed at a BnB that was a bit out of town but the owner and her husband were great hosts. She was the only BnB owner in our 3 week tour of Ireland that offered us tea and cookies when we arrived. Look at: Emohruo BnB. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g214506-d502833-Reviews-Emohruo_Farmhouse_Bed_and_Breakfast-Doolin_The_Burren_County_Clare.html

Thanks Jerry & John. After leaving Dingle is this possible; Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Connemara? Staying in Galway, Doolin and Cong? Reading R.S. guidebk I would leave Dingle and catch the Tarbert-Killimer car ferry, than drive costal route to Cliffs of Moher then through the Burren. Not sure of order and which towns to stay in. I have 5 days, is this enough time? Thanks
Joanne

Yes, you could do as you are thinking, take the ferry, see the Cliffs and the Burren, etc. A good night's stop would be Doolin. It would be a decent drive from Dingle (via the ferry), you could see the Cliffs at their best in the afternoon, then go on to Doolin for dinner and music. The next day you could continue up through the Burren, through Galway, and on to Clifden in Connemara. The next day you could continue up the Sky Road to Kylemore Abbey and Cong. You could adjust your spacing to fit your time available.

We spent 20 days in Ireland last April. IMHO, the best part of Ireland is the three southwest peninsulas which are all beautiful. You could base in Kenmare and enjoy the Beara and the Ring of Kerry. Another suggestion would be to drive north and visit Connemara which is west of Galway which is also very beautiful. while in Connemara you could go to Rosseveal one day and take the ferry to Innishmor, the biggest of the Aran Islands. Dun Aengus, the hill fort there, is truly amazing.

How much time would it take to do that drive, from Dingle, across that ferry to the Cliffs and then thru the Burren to Galway. We're planning on doing this in the fall. Wondering how early we need to leave Dingle to make it to Galway before 6:00 PM, and still have some time to see the cliffs.

I agree with one night in Doolin...we stayed at the Doolin Activity Lodge B&B which was lovely and we were able to walk into town. Galway is. Fun town with lots to do...we stayed at the Petra House B&B which we loved!

We enjoyed staying in Ennis on our 2002 trip. As Rick says, it's a workaday town that does not pander to the tourist dollar while not shunning it either. Cruise's Pub used to have traditional Irish music in the evenings. Consider a stop at Cahir, near the Rock of Cashel. The town has a castle that supposed to be good (we sped through and did not see it), and the nearby Swiss Cottage is supposed to be nice as well. On out next trip to Ireland, probably next year, we will probably spend a couple of night in Galway - from what I have read in guide books, it's very much worth a visit.

I would definitely recommend a night in Doolin. We just got back a couple of weeks ago. Three nights in Dingle sounds great. We stayed at the Towerview B&B, an excellent place. The view can't be beat and they really take care of you. In Doolin we stayed at the Harborview B&B. It was fine, just not as homey as other B&Bs. But definitely do not miss a bowl of Guiness beef stew in O'Connels Pub. I could find nothing to match it anywhere in Ireland, even the Guiness factory in Dublin didn't come close.. The music is great but I would go back just for the stew! The town of Doolin itself isn't much to see, but drive down to the pier and watch the surfers!

I would definitely recommend a night in Doolin. We just got back a couple of weeks ago. Three nights in Dingle sounds great. We stayed at the Towerview B&B, an excellent place. The view can't be beat and they really take care of you. In Doolin we stayed at the Harborview B&B. It was fine, just not as homey as other B&Bs. But definitely do not miss a bowl of Guiness beef stew in O'Connels Pub. I could find nothing to match it anywhere in Ireland, even the Guiness factory in Dublin didn't come close.. The music is great but I would go back just for the stew! The town of Doolin itself isn't much to see, but drive down to the pier and watch the surfers!