dublin to galway trans

I'd really recommend trying to spend the night in Galway if you can swing it, as the pubs and night life is great. If you really want to do it in a day, a good book and the train are probably your best bets.

As a note, if you decide to take one of the bus tours around the burren for the day, which many people do (and which are a great way to see a whole lot in a day), make sure you mention to the driver that you're catching the last train. I've put a few friends on them in the past, and haven't ever seen one get back at 5pm as advertised, so you'll need to make sure s/he knows to get you back to the station in time.

Yep, #10 is spot on - I took the parents on a Burren / Cliffs of Moher / Ailwee Cave tour and the tour was due back in Galway for 5:00 - we finally got back about 6:15.

A few people left the bus early and had a taxi arranged to get them back to Galway City for their train back to Dublin.

There is a one-day rail/bus tour you could take that includes the Burren as well as Galway. No need to worry about missing your connections. See here.