Ireland Itinerary

Not bad but why Kilkenny? To be close to the Rock of Cashel? Even with the shortened day light hours of November you can make it from Dublin to Kinsale in a matter of hours. hell, Galway is only 4 hours from Dublin or 3 and a half from Belfast. Small island. Personally, I'd spend you first day and night in Dublin. Give you the time to recoup from jet lag, get used to the Irish accent, exchange money, etc. Walk around St. Stephen's Green and along Graffton Street, see the Book of Kells at Trinity college, pose on Hey Penny Bridge, have a proper pint in a pub, get a good night's rest and leave the next morning for Glendalough. Driving the Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains to visit Glendalough will provide the "real" feel of Eire. From Glendalough to Kinsale is about 3 and a half hours so figure what route you'd like to enjoy. Down along the coast (to Arklow and then West) or inland so you can see the Rock of Cashel. Take a good look at a map. A lot can be visited, explored and experienced in a day. Most important thing is to take your time on the roads less traveled and absorb the surroundings. Watch out for sheep. Stay on the left side. If you get lost, all the better. No need to rush.

I think your itinerary looks fine, though I would probably vote against Kilkenny, too. I just don't understand what the attraction is, compared with other places in Ireland. Getting from Dingle to the Cliffs will be a long driving day, even if you take the ferry across the Shannon River at Killimer (saves some driving distance and time). You can use www.viamichelin.com to estimate driving times between places, but add about 25% for a more accurate picture. It can be very slow. As for spending your first day in Dublin, by the time you get out of the airport and into town, you will most likely encounter a long line for Book of Kells (best to get there before they open). Ha'penny Bridge will be there when you get back. Spending your first day there is likely to be less convenient, too, since you will have to spend time your second day getting your rental car (won't need or want it in the city) before heading out. I like the idea of leaving the Dublin area that first day. You can get aways into the country before stopping for the night. You will find B&Bs everywhere, though some close for the season after Nov 1. Depending on the weather (and shorter days) in November, if Ring of Kerry is fogged in or it's rainy, you could spend the day in Kenmare instead.

I had a very similar itinerary to yours, actually, and it was very doable. The only difference is we did our two days in Dublin at the start of the trip and then did a day seeing the mounds north of Dublin, skipping the Ring of Kerry. I actually loved Kilkenny. I know it's not considered one of the top places to see, but my husband and I really liked it. It's such a charming little town and makes you feel like you stepped back in time. Also, if you love big old houses, the castle there is fun to tour. I think it would be a great way to start your trip, because you can just walk around the town and relax a bit instead of feeling like you need to cram in the sites or do a lot of driving (it isn't far from Dublin, maybe an hour). The castle doesn't take long to tour, 1-2 hours. I also don't see it on your list, but you should try visiting the Rock of Cashel. It's in between Kilkenny and Cobh.

Also, Nancy is right that you'll spend a lot of your day driving from Dingle to the Cliffs, but again, we did it and it really wasn't that bad. Besides, as cool as the Cliffs are, you can see them in about 1 to 2 hours. There's not even probably a full mile to walk along and then just a small museum. We left around 9:30 a.m. and got to the cliffs around 1 or 2 p.m. (take the ferry across whatever body of water it is that you would otherwise have to drive around; I can't remember what it is). I would actually encourage you to leave from the Cliffs and drive to Dublin that day, so you can have two full days in the city. One tip on the drive from Dingle to the Cliffs: If you want to take a little bit of a shortcut, want to see a different view and/or are not afraid of heights, there's a road that cuts from the town of Dingle across the peninsula to the north side of it that shaves some time from you driving across the highway all along the southside of the peninsula back to the mainland before you can head north. The shortcut takes you to the top of a mountain, though, which terrified me. But there's also a cool lake at the top, if you're not afraid of heights.

Thanks all for your ideas. I prefer to get the car and head out of town the first day. we have been on several European trips and have found that "hitting the road" is the best way for us to manage our jet lag. I chose Kilkenney because people have told me it's cute and Rick recommended it as a good place to spend the first night. My wife wants to see the crystal and stuff at Waterford, I thought we would hit that on day 2 but would that be a good option for the first night? Carl

There is a great castle in Kilkenny that you can tour. They also had some great pubs and restaurants when I was there. The ring of Kerry and Dingle peninsula are similar, you could skip one of these. In Dublin I would go to the kilmainham gaol ( the jail ). The tour there will give you a great understanding of Irish History.