Had a great time in Ireland. My friend and I went for 8 days and since the insurance was going to be so expensive we decided to not drive a rental car - had a great time even without a car. Looking at the cars, we both thought we could have driven on the other side of the road - maybe the narrow roads would have been hard. Had taken the 8 day Rick Steves tour last year and loved Ireland so much, wanted to go back when my friend wanted to go.
If you are looking at airfare try switching around the cities. We originally were going to fly into Shannon and out of Cork and during one search I accidently had us flying into Cork and out of Shannon and the price dropped almost $400 so switched to that itinerary.
Our itinerary was
Kinsale - 2 nights (Friar's Lodge)
Dingle - 3 nights (Heaton's Guest House)
Galway - 2 nights (The Petra House)
Ennis - 1 night. (Old Ground Hotel)
We took a taxi from Cork Airport to Kinsale (after an overnight int'l flight didn't want to deal with a bus) - it was $30 euros (although the taxi company the hotel got us on the return to the Cork train station was only $25 euros and farther). Nice cute town on the water, would definitely recommend it.
Friar's Lodge was nice - furnishings need updating, but clean, comfortable large room. Quiet location. Staff was friendly.
Luckily the day we arrived it was mostly sunny. Took the Kinsale Harbour Cruise (take it when it's sunny, don't wait). Was a good cruise and enjoyed it. Lucky because the next day was raining and winding and I doubt they ran. Took Don & Barry's Kinsale Historic Stroll which was good, although rainy and we extended the tour in a local pub since the weather was bad.
Took the train from Cork to Tralee. (took the 8:55 train which was direct, no connecting) Had arranged with Dingle Shuttle Bus to arrange pickup from Tralee to Dingle ($60 euros one way for 2 people). It was worth it. We would have had to wait an hour for the next bus and longer on the bus from Tralee to Dingle. The driver was great, pointed out sights and took us through Connor's pass.
Dingle: Stayed at the Heaton's Guest House. Very nice rooms, and B&B. Great quiet location. Staff and owner were very nice and helpful and good breakfasts. Would definitely recommend it to others. Had been to Dingle before on the tour but love the town. Nice it wasn't as crowded in April as in the Summer. Only thing some tours, concerts weren't running until mid May. Did take the harbour tour to see Fungi the dolphin, but mainly took it for the scenery.
Used Coast-Line Tours with Elaine and John O'Connor to take a tour of the Dingle Peninsula. Was supposed to be a group but only the 2 of us were on it, so for $25 euros each got a great private tour from Elaine. She was great, took us all over the peninsula with stops and took us to places the big buses can't go. Highly recommend her and their company.
We used the same company - Coast-Line Tours to take us from Dingle to Galway with stops at the Cliffs of Moher. The alternative was going to be a 5-6 hour day of buses and/or trains and the two of us decided it was worth the cost to save us a full day of sightseeing. Elaine was a great tour guide and driver.
Galway: Stayed at the Petra House - a B&B recommended on these boards and definitely worth the high recommendations. The owner was very friendly and helpful. With the extra day of sightseeing we took Michael Faherty's Aran Island Day tour which was great. We met at the bus station in Galway and were taken to the ferry by bus and then given a bus tour once on the island. It was a great place to visit and the views from the cliffs and the stops were well worth it.
Took the train from Galway to Ennis -short trip. Stayed in Ennis since it's close to Shannon Airport. Took a taxi to Shannon which was $30 euros.