Need help with Ireland itinerary

What "9th" are you arriving on? If it's February you may not be able to get to the Aran Islands. In the winter, the ferries run very infrequently, and not at all if the weather is severe at sea.

Opps, sorry that would be August.

Wow, you have a lot of driving planned for a short amount of time. I would be inclined to skip Kinsale/Clonakilty even tho we really enjoyed that area -- and just go from the airport to Kenmare. That will be plenty on your first day. Jet lag will zap you-- especially since you are coming from the west coast. Look around town that day/night. The next whole day you could do the Ring of Kerry --or Beara Peninsula. Then on to Dingle the next day catching Muckross house and Torc waterfall and Ross castle around Killarney on the way. In Dingle the next day take a boat trip around -- or to the Blaskets, see Fungie the dolphin, visit the sites on Slea head loop in clusding the Blasket museum, shop in town, Play pitch and Putt golf.

If you end up going to Clonakilty -- then be sure to stop at the Drombeg stone circle on the coast road to Kenmare. Do you have a particular reason for going clear to Clonakilty the first day? Maybe spend the first might in Kinsale -- it is very charming and since you will be tired anyway -- there will be more than enough to see. We enjoyed Charles Fort and watching the crystal cutter do his work at Kinsale Crystal. Lots of very cute shops and places to eat.

We were thinking we would drive to Kinsale and make our way back north along the coast. I think we will probably just go to Kinsale the first night, stopping to see the Blarney castle along the way. Then go to Kenmare along the Ring of Beara, and stay the next two nights in Kenmare. Can you tell me how far the Drombeg circle is from Kenmare?

Good itinerary. We spent three weeks doing the same area in Sept 2008! You will be lucky to average 30mph on these roads, so plan accordingly and be careful after travelling overnight, even if you do sleep on the plane. Be prepared for narrow, twisting roads. The Dumbeg Stone circle is woprth a stop, but is no Stonehenge. Clonakilty is a neat town, but stop at Timoleague Abbey before there as it is worth a walk round and take photos through the windows. Westport is a good stop. We stayed at Westport Quay in a lovely B&B, sorry, do not have the name of it now. Ate at a thatched pub by the water and had a good meal. We stayed in a cottage at Ventry outsde Dingle Town. If you have timeand it is a clear day, drive over the Coner Pass for spectacular views. A boat trip round the Blasket Islands is also an adventure. We did it in a storm and it was quite the trip. Did not go to teh Aran Islands, but saw them from the Cliffs of Moher.

Enjoy the trip. we had petty mixed weather, but would go back in a minute.

Drombeg Stone circle is located between Ross Carbery and Castletownshen on your way from Kinsale to Kenmare via the coast road. Get an Ordinance Survey Complete Road Atlas of Ireland now and it will help in your planning and even more when you are navigating your route during your trip.

If you have time when you are in Kinsale, you should visit Charles Fort. I really enjoyed it. Also I did a walking tour there that was pretty interesting.

Kay,

My wife and I drove through Ireland last May and hit almost every spot on your list. I would stress again as others have that you have a LOT of driving on your plate. You can't imagine how much slower driving is on Ireland's west coast. 30 mph is a good conservative estimate to use when calculating drive times.

We went from Kenmare to Dingle with the Ring of Kerry in between in one day. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was very tiring. Dingle to Galway is also quite a trip for one day. If you're planning on stopping anywhere along the way, such as the Cliffs of Moher, then I would suggest spending the night somewhere in County Clare before heading to Galway or the Aran Islands. Do you know that you can reach the Aran Islands without going to Galway?? Ferries also leave from Doolin.

Yes, I am starting to realize just how long it will take to get from place to place. We have looked at the schedule and I think what we will do is this,
from Shannon airport;
1st night in Kinsale, 2nd and 3rd nights in Kenmare, 4th night in Dingle, 5th night in Doolin (Galway was turning out to be a nightmare in cost/logistics), 6th night in Inis Meain [7th night we want to go to Dunguaire Castle - any suggestions on where to stay ?] 8th night in Westport, and the 9th and 10th nights in Dublin (we are taking the direct train to Hueston station). Any input you have is appreciated!

This itinerary is better in my opinion, but I have two suggestions. I would spend one night in Kenmare and two in Dingle. Dingle is way neater, in my opinion. Also, I would skip Westport. it's quite a bit out of the way and will require a lot more driving. The places you are going are great and offer a lot to do. Any of them would be nice places to settle in for two or three days.

I agree, one night in Kenmare is plenty. I would also skip Westport.

I was going to add a comment about an extra night in Dingle, but Carroll has already taken care of it. So I'll simply second his comment and add that you will not disappointed that you added time there.

Westport is a good bit north.Have you thought about spending that night in Trim?Newgrange is near trim which I felt was one of our Ireland highlights.Then its a short drive to Dublin airport to srop the car.