Ireland in 4 nights (Is it possible?) (Revised)

have you driven in Ireland before? Not just driven on the left but in Ireland?

You might be able to do all of this if you had a week and went fast. I don't know how jet lag affects you but your first day trying to drive to Cashel and sight seeing along the way could be a killer,literally.
On day one you might try doing some of the area south of Dublin plus Glendalough and stay somewhere in that area. There is just too much to see to run from point A to point B and ignore everything in between.

Sunset in the middle of November is about 4:30 P.M. which makes for very short days.

First, if you haven't booked your flights yet, I'd suggest leaving from Shannon instead of backtracking to Dublin. That will save you some time, and allow you to see Lahinch, Liscannor, Doolin, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, etc. It will take some time to get out of Dublin airport, get your rental car, and get oriented, but Glendalough isn't far. And you could probably get to Cashel the same day. Remember, though, that you probably won't have slept much on the plane, and you'll get tired early. And if you aren't familiar with driving on the other side of the road, that will take some getting used to. Driving in Ireland is notoriously slow. Www.viamichelin.com will give you a good idea of driving distances from one place to the other, but add about 25% to their time estimates.

Many tourist attractions close or have reduced hours after the first of November, so you might want to consult a guidebook like Michelin Green Guide to check on whether things you want to see will be open. You should also check the B&B listings on www.discoverireland.com to see which ones are open yearround in the areas you will be visiting.

I have no opinion about Ring of Kerry because the day we tried it (in April) it was rainy and foggy enough that we couldn't see anything, so we gave up.

For what it's worth, I've traveled to Ireland several times, and one of those was a four-night trip in late February (so, same off-season issues). Because it wasn't my first trip, I didn't plan to venture far from Dublin (I hadn't spent any time in Dublin on previous trips). I spent my first night in Navan because I had been to see Newgrange. The second day I drove to Glendalough, then down to Avoca and Arklow, where I stayed. I then drove back to Dublin and spent two nights there, leaving in the afternoon of the last day. I personally wouldn't try to get all the way to Dingle and back to Dublin with only four nights. Save Dingle and the west for your next trip.

I agree with Nancy--if you can't fly home from Shannon I'd save the west coast for a future trip. Another option for this trip would be to drive from Dublin to Kilkenny and stay there for 2 nights. Take a day trip from Kilkenny to the Rock of Cashel. Spend 2 nights in Dublin either at the beginning or the end of your trip.

Hi Michael,
I may be of unpopular opinion here, but I think that what you would like to do is doable. I agree with the others that it may be a bit much in 4 days and that flying out of Shannon would be a better option, but it sounds as if it is not an option. It also sounds like you are a pretty frequent traveler and that this is what you want to do so I say go for it. The shorter days might pose a bit of an issue as far as what you can see, but if you get early starts you can still make the most of your day. We drove from Dublin to see Glendalough and then to Waterford one day, but we did not leave Dublin until late morning. It may be a bit much to get to Rock of Cashel and you should be sure to check opening times. We spend about 2.5 hours at Glendalough because we walked to the top lake, so how much time you spend there depends on what you want to do. The monastic ruins there are pretty cool. Rock of Cashel is also a great sight. The weather was not so good for us when we were there so our visit was a bit shorter than it may have been, but I think we were still there for a couple of hours. We went from Waterford to Rock of Cashel to Blarney Stone and then on to Dingle in one day. This was a very long day for us and I had not done good enough research to realize that and would not do it the same way again. I think that you having a night in between is a great plan. We did not see the Ring of Kerry so I cannot give a good opinion here, but we loved Dingle. The Slea Head drive is breathtaking and it was a fun little town. We were there in early November and most everything was still going/open. We stayed at the Cill Bhreac House which we enjoyed very much. Our room was cozy, but the view was wonderful. We had 3 nights in Dingle and this was enough time, but would have liked more. Your drive back on Sunday may be long, but it is doable. We flew into Shannon our first day and drove to Dublin with a stop at Newgrange. Good luck and PM me if I can be of further help!

The Shannon flight does connect through Dublin, but it would save you driving all that way back. The stop in Dublin is very brief (you don't get off of the plane, just wait for people to get off or get on), certainly not as long as the drive back to Dublin from the west, during which you wouldn't have time to see anything.