short break in ireland help please

Suzanne,
You might get more help by posting this question in the "To the North" section. Many previous travelers to Ireland will check in there. Good luck.

Thank you for that , silly of me not to have noticed

Yes, this is too much to do. First you need more than a day in Dublin. The hop on/off bus is pretty good as it hits most tourist spots. I've been to all these places, my suggestion Day 1 and 2 in Dublin Day 3 drive to Clifton, tour abbey and then sleep in Galway Day 4 spend day in Galway sleep Galway Day 5 drive To cliffs of moher spend night in Doolin, we booked into a farmhouse with working farm. Small pub there with music and a lot of fun. Also if you have time drive to the Dingle Peninsula, this drive is closer and shorter than ring of Kerry. Day 6 get closer to Dublin, find a town not too far, Kildare has famous horse racing, or Dalkey and Bray to the south of Dublin are great sea side towns, or throw a dart at the map. Day 7 spend the morning exploring the town you're in and leave Plenty of time to get to the airport.
Every city has a tourist board, you can go there to get revommendation for a b and b, they will even book it for you, they can also book for the next town you will be in. Costs a few dollars. Look up Board Failte.

Thank you for the much appreciated tips. I have now decided to stay one night in Doolin, then go down to the Dingle Peninsula for the last days. Have booked internal flight out of Kerry back to Dublin to allow more time enjoying the scenery. New plan is now Day 1 thursday night and friday day and night in Dublin Day 2 drive to Clifton, tour abbey and then sleep in Clifton ( saturday) Day 4 spend day in Galway and surrounding area, sleep Galway ( sunday) Day 5 drive To cliffs of moher spend night in Doolin, ( monday) Day 6 Dingle Peninsula, spend 2 nights in Dingle ( tuesday and wednesday) Day 7 Fly from Kerry to Dublin and spend last hours in Dublin before flight home I hope this is an improvement on my earlier plans. Will we have enough time to visit the Burren from Doolin on the monday?
Thanks again everyone

The hop on/off buses in Dublin can orient you to the city's sights. After that first circuit, however, they are too slow, especially around Temple Bar, to serve as transportation point-to-point. Loading and unloading in that prime tourist area takes more time than simply walking to where you want to go.

The burren is one of my favorite areas of Ireland; absolutely stunning, desolate, quiet. It does take some time to appreciate it (eg, to get out and see the wonderful flowers/plants hidden away in the fissures). We last were there in late May of last year, and that was a perfect time for the wildflowers.
Burren to Dingle is doable, but it's going to be a long day. You don't mention when you're going, but I hope it will be when days are longest. It gets dark early in the winter, and finding you way around rural Ireland in the dark is not easy. I used the Irish auto assn route planning website to try to get an idea of how much we could travel in a day (AA is the abbreviation for their auto club). However, my recollection is that their time estimates are a little optimistic, more what a native who knows the area would achieve, rather than a lost tourist. once off the freeway, plan on very narrow two lane roads, no shoulders, no easy passing areas, and other drivers going remarkably fast.

Our trip is at the end of September. I had planned to stay the night in Galway city ( this can still be changed as have not booked yet) and visit the Burren during the following day on our way to Doolin . It seems that I have planned way too many sights and I am still seriously trying to decide what to visit and how long we need to spend there. Leaving Dublin early saturday morning we only have until the thursday lunch time to arrive at Kerry airport. After one night in Doolin we have planned to drive to Dingle and spend 2 nights there. I have been advised to make use of the Shannon Ferries to reduce driving time.
Thanks for the advice and I would be interested to read your comments on these plans.

Too much! We did pretty much the same trip- except backwards- in two weeks several years ago and wished we had budgeted more time. Dublin is unbelievably crowned.. I tell people, it's like Manhattan at lunch time all the time. On/off buses always have a line. Plan on your driving time to be about 35MPH-- 56 KPH (did I calculate right? Good roads but narrow.
Have fun!

Once again I am hearing that my plans are much too overcrowded. Do you have any suggestions as to what I should leave out?
I was planning only one full day in Dublin, the friday. Then rent the car and drivewest on the saturday. We have to fly out of Kerry ariport thursday morning, so have 5 and half days to fill. This is more complicated that I thought. Thanks again for the help

These are the places I would NOT miss: Dublin- Book of Kells Cliffs of Moher The Burren Killarney- many sights and side trips One of the Rings- Dingle, Kerry or Beara. (We liked Beara the best. Not as many tour buses!).
You mentioned B&B's. Crystal Springs in Killarney was our favorite in Ireland breakfast is fabulous!

Maureen - what is the name and location of the working farm? I'm getting overwhelmed by looking through the availabilities! Thank you.

Posted this on your other version of this same question in To the North, but it's not clear that you ever went back to that one: Is Day One your arrival day? If so, what time do you get in? Day Two is going to be very long. It's about five hours from Dublin to Clifden (not Clifton), and then another hour or so to Kylemore Abbey. You take the Sky Road from Clifden, and actually pass Connemara (not Connemare) National Park on the way. So Day Two and Three might need to be rearranged, since it seems you are driving in circles. Galway doesn't seem workable for lunch unless you are on your way toward Doolin, but then you can't do the Sky Road in the afternoon because it is behind you (unless there is a different Sky Road than I am talking about). Try tracing it on a map and seeing what other way you can arrange your days. Maybe a route past Kylemore Abbey on the way to Clifden, instead of backtracking? If you spend night three in Doolin, you will have passed through the Burren on your way there. On Day Four you could spend some time there, and see the Cliffs of Moher (not Mohar), but why spend a second night in Doolin? You will spend no more than a couple of hours at the Cliffs, and then what will you do for the rest of the day? Personally, I would press on toward Killarney, by way of the Killimer/Tarbert ferry. Day Five could then be spent seeing the Killarney area, or driving the Ring of Kerry if the weather is nice. We have stayed on a sheep farm near Cashel, a jumping-horse farm near Cork, and two cattle farms (one near the Cliffs of Moher, and the other near Wicklow). There is a "farmhouse B&B" directory available from the Irish Tourism office.

Would it be better to stay in Dingle town or just outside? We will be there for our last two nights. I would love to enjoy the coutryside but am thinking about not being able to drive home after the pub so I guess we should stay within a 15 mins walk! Also does anyone have any good B&B recommendations for me.
Thank you