Ireland Itinerary Advice and a Castle stay?

I think this is an excellent itinerary, Kate. It's a lot of moving around, but the distances are reasonable and you will see a lot of wonderful sites. On day 6 make sure to take the Tarbert ferry; it will save a lot of driving.

On Day 9 you could head to Connemara. It's a beautiful area, and Clifden makes a good base. Or you could add an extra day in one of the places you are staying. I would suggest Dingle or possibly a night on Inishmore.

Have a great trip!

Looks nicely paced. You could use your extra day to see some things that are more in the interior of the country (Newgrange, Trim, etc), or head up into Connemara.

Kate, your itinerary looks well-paced and reasonable. I agree that Newgrange would be a great place to visit, perhaps combined with a trip to Trim Castle. Also, since no one has addressed your desire to stay in a castle, I would offer Dromoland or Adare as possibilities. Neither is terribly historic or authentic, but we enjoyed the luxury and beautiful settings. Dromoland, around your Day 8 or 9, would set you up for Bunratty and Durty Nelly's. See who is offering the better deal - sometimes their internet rates are pretty reasonable. Finally, you might consider staying two nights in Kenmare. We LOVE Kenmare and the nearby village of Sneem...plus the Ring of Kerry is a day in itself. A second day would allow a visit to Muckross House, Ross Castle, and Killarney National Park.

Ashford Castle is amazing, and worth the stay. Pricey though - keep your eye out on the web site: sometimes they have 50% off sales with breakfast! =)

My favorite overnight in Ireland was Dingle, I wish I had set aside two, as you have. Great itinerary, I agree with the fly in to Dublin, fly out of Shannin; open-jaw route, if you rental car allows returns to alternate cities.

Hi Kate,

We did an itinerary similiar to yours two years ago. However, we flew open jaw, into Dublin and out of Shannon. Next time we go we will fly into and out of Shannon, as we prefer the southern and western parts of the country. We stayed at Dromoland Castle for one night...expensive as heck, but a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience! No matter what you choose you will surely fall in love with Ireland! Have a great trip!

Kate.....You have lots of great places. I would add Newgrange, especially since you are flying to/from Dublin. Enjoy.

My only concern would be Day 6. Lots of folks have done it, but I was glad that I broke up the trip. We stayed in Kilrush, just after crossing the Shannon on the Tarbert ferry. Then we drove up to Galway the next day, hitting the Cliffs and the Burren on the way.

I wouldn't spend more than two nights in Galway, unless you're just using it as your base to explore Connemara. Another option for your extra days would be Kinsale. It's a beautiful and historic old town on the south coast. You could spend Day 3 there and then head to Kenmare on the night of Day 4 to set up your ROK drive on Day 5.