Southern Ireland in 6 days

You might want to add in Cahir Castle and Glendalough. I'd skip the Ring of Kerry and just do Dingle. And I'd build in extra time for that detour to somewhere interesting you didn't know you'd want to see but are glad you did! Quin Abbey in Quin, near Shannon, is worth a stop. It was closed when we were there but you could walk around and see inside some and I was really sorry we missed it.

Thanks I was planning on going through Glendalough. Leaving there I'm unsure how to fit in the Rock of Cashel and Waterford. After Waterford we will head west along the coast to Blarney and Dingle. Would you go from Glendalough to the Rock and then down to Waterford. What is reasonable our first day out leaving from Dublin?

We were there about a month ago and went from Shannon to Dublin. We left Enniscorthy in the morning (9:30 ish), stopped in Avoca to see the mill, stopped at Glendalough, drove over Sally Gap, zoomed through Powerscourt in about an hour) and were in Dublin by 5ish. We stop a lot to take pictures and we stayed off the motorway as much as possible. We saw the Rock of Cashel in December of 09, and spent a couple of hours there. I suppose you could do it quicker, we take a lot of photos, look at everything and even read grave stones so we are probably slower than the average visitor. Why do you want to go to Waterford? (just curious).

I'm not sure I would bother with Waterford if it doesn't fit easily into your time. The crystal factory is not the original one, but a smaller, more touristy version of it, and there is really nothing else to see there.

I'm not sold on Waterford but this is my sister's 50th birthday tour and this is one of the things she had on her list. Should I try to talk her out of it?

Just got back from Ireland. Right now Rock of Cashel is half covered in scaffolding for repairs so it's not that interesting for photographing. I did the tour in about an hour so it would be an easy on-the-way stop to somewhere south. It was a 2-hour drive from Dublin Airport. I did Ring of Kerry tour with Skellig loop counterclockwise as recommended by tourist office. Sign posts are not great, especially on the Skellig loop, where I ended up on farm roads up and over a mountain because signs were missing. I wished I had just done the Killarney National Park area down to Sneem; it was the end of my day but by far the most wonderful part. If you've been to Grand Canyon, the Cliffs of Mohrer are rather disappointing. I found the Connemara region much more beautiful.

I've been to the Grand Canyon and I've also been to the Cliffs of Moher twice and was not disappointed. You can't really compare a canyon with sea cliffs, and the Cliffs of Moher are one of the iconic sites in Ireland. I will agree, though, that the Connemara region is beautiful.

Thanks Nancy, I was a little worried about the cliffs thinking I had been to the grand canyon and it was incredible but you have relieved my worries. I'm not sure we will have enough time to get to the Conmenara region? I really appreciate everyone's help and experience!

I agree with Nancy the Cliffs are beautiful. Very different from the Grand Canyon, which I have also seen. I was not disappointed in the least. I love Connemara too, but you can't do everything in six days. Best not to try to cram too much into your trip.

Kilkenny is an adorable little salt-of-the-earth Irish town that might be worth a stop on your way to Waterford or Cashel. Also, if you're far enough south, Kinsale is a great little town -- one of the oldest in Ireland I believe. Driving there is a challenge, the streets are just wide enough for the wagon carts of olden times, but that is part of the charm.