Coast of Ireland- Epic Whirlwind Drive

Day 5 onwards looks like particular madness. I imagine you won't be disuaded but you're going to have little time for anything. Irish roads can be a slow grind once you are off the major thoroughfares. I could suggest things off the beaten track but you're not going to have time and you've given almost zero time to Dublin. IMO you are making bad choices here.

"we have travelled this way a few times and find that there are better adventures that await us when we don't plan too much in advance"

all very rushed with your route contradicting your above statement of not planning too much. you also mention wanting to come across festivals in different areas but how can you enjoy a festival if you flying through a place for a few hours. i know you might find it difficult to drop places off your plan but in my view you do need to.......after some doing research i suggest picking a few places that are a must see for you and work from there

I agree 13 days to drive around the coast of Ireland is an impossible ask, if you really want to see the coast of Ireland which has many amazing features, and not be on major roads and you really need a little time in Dublin

You do not mention which festivals you have looked at but quite often they will quickly soak up all the accommodation in the area. Some of the more eclectic ones are not necessarily in areas with much in the way of B&Bs or hostels so you should be thinking of booking now especially if travelling over the summer period.

It is also common that many events do not start early and things may only liven up aftere 10 or 11. Not so good if you are committing yourself to a long journey the following morning

I think to allow yourselves reasonable times at chosen places some days you will need to use the main N roads which while fair for business travel do not necessarily take you to the more interesting scenic areas.

R

Thank you all for your responses. We appreciate the realistic approach to our itinerary...it seems as though we will need to rework our plans and sadly eliminate a few places. We definitely do not want to short change the amazing places that we know we will come across in our travels, and ideally we would like to take non major routes and be near the Coast when possible. We did not want to book accommodations in advance, because we did not want to commit ourselves to a destination in case we fell in love with another. Also, I should have prefaced the post with our trip beginning in Dublin for 3 days and ending in Dublin for another 2 days. We know that the matchmaking festival will be starting in Lisdoonvarna around the time we are there, and we thought that the Redhead Convention in Cork sounded like great fun as well. We also wanted to check out the electric picnic music festival, but don't really see it working out for our timeframe.
For those reading this who are planning on renting a car, we discovered yesterday that the rental price quoted to you on most rental company websites is inclusive of Damage Waiver Insurance, but you should anticipate that there will be an additional app 20 euro/day for excess protection and then an additional app 7 Euro/ day for each additional driver. These costs will only incur when on site to rent the vehicle and cannot be purchased beforehand (this applies to those looking for full coverage, not transferring their home insurance coverage). We know this may not be the case for everyone but this was our experience. Hope this helps!
Unfortunately we only have 13 days, and we need to make our way around in that too short of a timeframe.
Thank you for your time, and again we welcome any and all suggestions for hidden gems, festivals and celebrations in your towns.
Cheers!

I really agree with everyone who cautioned you about doing so much that the majority of what you see will be the inside of the car. And, if you haven't arranged your accommodations beforehand (something I generally don't like to do to be flexible) you are going to find that there are a number of locations (i.e. Lisdoovarna during the matchmaking festival) where they are already booked, Galway through the oyster festival, etc.). Irish roads have improved dramatically over the last several decades, however, it still takes quite a while to drive most roads (outside the M and N ones). There will be lots of traffic on the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry, that will also slow you down. You have picked the most "touristy" areas & if that's what you are interested in, I'd suggest focusing a little more. What is important to you? Music? Hiking? Interacting with locals? Experiencing some of the dramatic countryside? Exploring towns? Historic sites? There are lots of great pubs where you'll find a fun time...be sure to check out the Crown Saloon in Belfast, amazingly historic. You have so much packed into your schedule, you really won't have any "fun time" exploring the areas you'll be buzzing through. For instance, in Galway, there is lots to see/do (not to mention Salthill and Connemarra), I'd suggest you focus a bit better and enjoy, leave something for you next trip.

I'd agree with those saying you are trying to squeeze in too much.

First off, I would skip Glendalough, Waterford and Cork. Glendalough is beautiful, but there is simply no point going to Waterford and Cork if you don't then give yourself time to actually see anything. And maybe skip Killarney too (there is nothing really to see in the town - the national park is very beautiful, but it will take at least a day to see it). Dingle is just as beautiful as the Ring of Kerry. I'd suggest driving direct to Dingle, that will give you time to breathe, so to speak. Maybe spend a full day around Dingle, it really is lovely. So is the Burren.

Day 5. Don't go via Limerick, its too long, and Limerick isn't worth it. Get the ferry across the Shannon at Tarbert, its a much nicer drive to go up the Clare coast.

For Glendalough, do it as a day trip on one of your days in Dublin, it will be much more enjoyable, there is lots to see anyway in the Wicklow Mountains.

The two festivals which come to mind are the Matchmakers Festival in Lisdoonvarna and the Oyster Festival in Galway. Although if you go to the Matchmakers Festival, you might end up needing a car for 6....

If you are into surfing, btw, give yourself time to surf around Lahinch, its one of the most consistent and best surf spots, and its a nicer area to stay than Bundoran. There are lots of suit and board hire places there.

As for car rental, remember that they can charge extra for going to Northern Ireland (crossing a border). Do check out carhire.ie, there can be very good deals there.

I'd agree with no. 7 on skipping Cork and Waterford as you simply won't have time for them.

I would include Killarney as with a car you could drive the Gap of Dunloe and the Black Valley to Kenmare and then back to Killarney for the night.

Dingle is stunning especially the O Connor Pass and the Slea Head Drive. You could also visit the Blaskets. Also what trip to Dingle would be complete without saying hi to Funghi!!?

The Clare coast is spectacular and by taking the ferry at Tarbert you'd be able to drive Loop Head and then on to Doonlin and the Cliffs of Moher. Lahinch is excellent for surfing but check the weather as sometimes there's little or no waves.

re the car hire. I'd imagine there wouldn't be an issue or an extra fee, there's no border so there's no way the car hire company would even know you'd gone there.

Whatever you decide, you'll have a brill time and see spectacular scenery.