Ireland self-drive car trip - 6 days - itinerary help!

It's a SMALL island. Your drive from Dublin to Kilkenny is only an hour and a half. Could see and do so much more on that first day. For instance, leave Dublin, visit Glendalough ( you can't miss Glendalough! ), then drive over to the coast traveling down to Wexford (little towns, beaches, along the way.) Late lunch in Wexford. if it's still open the D'Lush Cafe at the Wexford Arts Center has some great coffee. Refreshed you might check out some of the shops and galleries in the area or hop back into the car and head out to see at JerPoint Abbey in route to Kilkenny for the night. This first day would give you exposure to Eire's changing landscape and charm. Simply remember some roads are small, stay on the left side of the road, watch out for sheep, tractors, etc. You can see alot in a day. Have a great visit.

Agree with Claudia that you can use your arrival day better. If at all possible, cancel your Dublin reservation and make your First night Kilkenny (take the scenic route via Powerscourt & Glendalough if you're up to it). Second day drive to Killarney via Cashel (that's only about 2.5 hrs of driving). Third day drive the Ring of Kerry in the morning and then head to Doolin in the afternoon (afternoon drive is only about 2.5 hours). Fourth Day visit the Cliffs of Moher in the morning then head to Ashford Castle as planned. Fifth day as planned.

You didn't say when you're going but, keep in mind the time difference. Getting behind the wheel right away may be a bit challenging. If you get in early, I'd have to agree that I'd head to killkenny. The most irish town. Our favorite. It's worth a day and a half at least. Stop at Glendalough on the way, again it depends on when you're going and when you get there. Me personally would make time for Dingle.

I agree with previous poster, much prefer Dingle over Ring of Kerry. Depends on what time you arrive in Dublin but probably early morning. We usually hit the ground running although not going crazy. That said, I would skip first day in Dublin, get car rental and go straight to Kilkenny. Guess it depends on how jet lagged you will be.

My husband's home town is very close to Kilkenny and we always drive right from the airport. The mountains of Wicklow would be easy to fit in. You could fit at least Dingle and Kilarney in as well, possibly the Blarney Castle. If I had to chose, I would pick Dingle & Kilarney.

We flew in from the West coast, picked up our car upon arrival in Dublin and drove directly to Kilkenny. I had never driven on the right before and I will say that after a long journey and then getting adjusted to the driving, I'm glad we had no further to go on Day 1. We spent the rest of the day exploring Kilkenny. We went to the Rock of Cashel the next day on our way to Dingle. We spent 2 nights there. You could manage with only one night, then head up North by way of the ferry. You could spend your nights in Doolin and at the castle, saving your two final nights in Dublin. We dropped our car off when we arrived back in Dublin and took the Air Link bus into town, then again back to the airport for our return home.

One thing to consider before you start changing your first day itinerary is jet lag. Yes, you could fit more into that first day, but my husband and I tried to do that and we crashed. It was 3 p.m. and we were trying to keep our eyes opened as we toured some museums. Taking it easy might be the best thing to do. That said, it might also be good to cancel your first Dublin hotel (if possible; I know ours was part of a vacation package we bought so it was set) and drive straight to Kilkenny. It's an easy drive and the pace of the town would suit you getting acclimated to Ireland. Also, you could push the rest of your schedule up a day and then have another day at the end to tour Dublin. I wish I had done this as I would have had a lot more energy for a cool city. I wouldn't feel bad about not visiting the Blarney Castle - it's pretty underwhelming unless you really like gardens. Didn't do the Ring of Kerry, but from what I've heard, it pales to Dingle, which I would urge you to go see over the Cliffs. We did both, and while the Cliffs are cool, Dingle is cooler. I didn't go to Doolin so can't tell you what it's like, but my guess is the town of Dingle will give you the same feel, so maybe instead of doing the Cliffs and Doolin, just go to Dingle. But, if you still decide to skip Dingle and visit the Cliffs, I can tell you that we did like them. Otherwise, I can tell you that your schedule is not hectic at all. You could actually pack more into it, I think. For instance, when we left Dublin, we visited Newgrange, which is just 40 minutes north of the city and is really cool, and then drove down to Kilkenny, spending the afternoon and night there. We then explored the town's castle the next morning before driving to the Rock of Cashel. Even after all that, we still had time to drive down to Cobh and visit the Old Middleton Distillery, and we never felt rushed. That's just an example.

Thank you all for your thoughts. I think after reading your posts we have a nice travel outline with space for more experiences (especially the Dingle Peninsula!). We've decided to keep the first and last days in Dublin as they are already paid. Here's our modified yet flexible itinerary: Day 1: Dublin (Trinity College, St. Pat's Cath., Nat. Museum, etc.) Day 2: Wicklow mtns. (possibly Glendalough)and Kilkenny Day 3: Rock of Cashel (possibly Kilarney) and Doolin Day 4: Cliffs of Moher and Dingle peninsula Day 5: Ashford castle/explore the Burren Day 6: Tullamore (Charleville castle) on the way back to Dublin
Day 7: Short morning in Dublin (last minute shopping!) before our long flight back to the USA

You need to take another look at your Day 4. You can't do the Cliffs and Dingle Peninsula in one day. The Cliffs are near Doolin and the Burren. The Dingle peninsula is hours and hours away. Then you plan your next day for Ashford Castle and the Burren? You really need to look at a map and see what is near what so you can route yourself better. Try www.viamichelin.com for routing and time estimates, but add about 25% to their times to get a more accurate picture.

Ok, so maybe no Dingle peninsula or Burren, but we'll have fun with the sights we see on a not so hectic schedule!