Ireland in 8 days

Looking at your itinerary, I'm not sure where you have left room for the relaxation. Assuming you have a direct flight and you only have a 5 hour time difference, you might not be too wiped out on Day 1. Who will be driving? Have they driven on the 'wrong' side before? Don't underestimate how stressful the driving can be until you adjust. Your first day is pretty busy though. We arrived a little latter in the morning, about 10:00ish, but I found the 2 hour drive to Kilkenny to be as much as I wanted to drive that first day. Keep in mind we were traveling from California and had 2 plane changes to get to Dublin. You will be changing lodging each of the first 3 days. That can be tiring, although doing it with a car is more doable. Only you know what your parents are capable of, but I know people their age with a lot of stamina. My father's 86-year-old female cousin is getting ready to do a trekking trip to Nepal!

I think your first day looks OK. I'm a little more concerned about Friday. Just the drive to Galway from Dingle, via the ferry, is upwards of 5 hours without any stops at all, and without factoring in a wait for the next ferry. The Cliffs might take an hour or two. I don't see how you will have time to do any hiking in the Burren. The park looks a little complicated to get to, since it requires driving on very small roads (which can be slowwww). If you really want to make a stop here, I would suggest that you spend the night in someplace like Doolin instead of pressing on to Galway that day. You will see a lot of the Burren just driving through that area. You will see dramatic scenery from Galway to Kylemore, but you will miss what I think is the best of Connemara by not taking the coast road past the National Park. But you don't have time for everything. :) Just in general, remember that every time you change locations you have to spend time packing, loading the car, unpacking, settling in, etc., in addition to the driving time and stops for meals. Also, be aware that driving in that area can be VERY slow - sheep in the road, getting stuck behind slow farm equipment, and the inevitable wrong turn can all wreck your schedule if it is too tight.

You said you wanted a mix of relaxation and excitement, you have the excitement part but not sure about the relaxation. Depending on how you are affected by jet lag, day one could be a little long by the time you get to Kilkenny. Just remember that everything is probably going to take more time than you planned on, especially driving time.

Hi. I also don't see much in the way of relaxing. It's a definitely an ambitious itinerary. The good thing is that March is very quiet except for St Paddy's Day which is on a weekend and that Monday will be a holiday, but other than that you won't have any problems with accommodation. If you decide to stay somewhere an extra night it won't be fully booked.