Is Galway a good place to stay to venture out to County Clare and Kerry?

Maria,

With 7 days, you just don't have enough time to see all 3. I'd drop Galway; it's nice, but it's not nearly as unique as Dingle. And as another commenter posted, you'll only see cities if you go Dublin/Galway. And seeing the countryside is one of the best parts of visiting Ireland.

You could potentially mix in visits to the Rock of Cashel (spectacular Christian cathedral ruin), Killarney National Park, or the Ring of Kerry on your way to or from Dingle. You won't have time to do them all, and you'll probably want to stop somewhere overnight (perhaps in Cashel) between Dublin and Dingle. But each of these sites would be good options.

Remember, driving in Ireland is SLOOOOOOW. You will not be going 65 or more like on US highways. More like 35 to 40 with occasional drops to 25. Give yourself enough time to travel without rushing or exhausting yourself.

Galway is too far from most of the places you mention to be a good base for day trips. If you are flying out of Shannon at the end of the week, you could hit the Cliffs of Moher as you head back to the airport. Everything else is way south.

I agree with the previous poster. Galway is a little far to try and day trip down to Dingle. If you do decide to go farther south, I would choose either Dingle or the Ring of Kerry since they are similar. (if it were me, I would choose Dingle) You might consider doing Dublin, then heading to Dingle for a couple of nights. That would be a nice mix of city and country. (versus 2 cities-Dublin and Galway)

Thanks for the info! Sounds like we will need to move from place to place then. How many days would you recommend staying in Galway? Can it be done in a day or 2?

What about kind of creating a triangle? Starting in Dublin, then heading to Dingle and then Galway before heading back to Dublin for our flight?
Looks like the drive to Dingle might be long, are they good places to stop on the way that are worth it?

Thank you again for your help!

Thanks for all the advice! I guess I will just have to come back to see Galway!

Are you flying out of Shannon or Dublin?

We are flying out of Dublin. I wish I had looked into Shannon before getting our tickets!

Any suggestions for a route from Dublin to Dingle?

We just went to Ireland for a week last month and this is what we did -
Flew into Dublin, picked up the car and drove to Kilkenny for one night. Drove to Dingle (by way of Rock of Cashel) and stayed two nights. Drove the Dingle Penninsula while there. Drove to Galway using the ferry and stopping at the Cliffs of Moher. Stayed Galway (actually Salthill) one night. Drove to Dublin, dropped off the car, took the Airlink bus into town and stayed three nights. Flew home. It is way too far to do a day trip to Dingle from Galway. We had a great time everywhere we were, but I liked Dingle the best.

I would suggest you get your car at the Dublin airport, head to Galway, see the Aran Islands and maybe a bit of Connemara, drive down through County Clare and take the ferry to Dingle, then see the Ring of Kerry / Gap of Dunloe on the way to Kenmare, see the Beara Peninsula, if possible see Glendalough on the way back to the Dublin airport. The Irish countryside is far more interesting than Dublin, which is IMHO one more big but not spectacular city. Yes, the roads are slow but they aren't dirt tracks and the entire country is smaller than the state of Ohio. If you get an overview on your first trip, you will know which places you would like to savor on a return visit. Others will disagree, but this is what works for us on a first visit.

I like Andreas plan with one small difference.Id stay 2 nights in Galway and 2 in Dublin.That would allow for a late arrival in Galway with a full day to explore Galway.