First time to Ireland. Need itenerary help!

I wish I could pack you all in my suitcase and take you with me. :)

Ok...I'm thinking of changing my route again....let me know if I'm crazy! I keep hearing spending a hole day and night in Waterford might be a waste of time.

Sooo...I was thinking of going straight from Dublin Airport to Kinsale. How long is that drive? Spend 2 nights in Kinsale and do short trips to Waterford, Rocks of Cashel, etc. from Kinsale.

Then we'd drive from Kinsale to Dingle (how long is that drive?) and spend 2 nights in Dingle.

I think I like basing for 2 nights instead of schlepping our crap in and out of a different hotel every night...so it would look like this...

Day 1 Dublin to Kinsale
Day 2 day trips to Cashel..Waterford..whatever...night in Kinsale
Day 3 head to Dingle
Day 4 Dingle
Day 5 Somewhere in County Clare to see Burren and Cliffs (What is the best village/town to stay in?)
Day 6 head to Dublin
Day 7 Dublin

Many moons ago in post #1 you were given a route planner. Use that to measure time and distances.

You could plausibly drop in to Cashel on your drive from Dublin to Kinsale.

I think if you want to go to Waterford anyway, and you've found somewhere nice to stay there, then it makes sense to spend the night there. Kilkenny would be a possibly sight-seeing stop en route from Dublin.

The Rock of Cashel is quite a long way from Kinsale for a day trip. I agree with Iviehoff that if you are driving between Dublin and Cork, that would be a better time to see it. Also, Kinsale is quite far south from Cork city and on the west side of Cork harbour, so not the best base for day trips north or east of the city as you'd basically have to go through Cork to get to such places. On the other hand, there are plenty of nice spots west of Cork which you could see from Kinsale.

Kilkenny or Waterford? Which is a better place to stay? I really don't care about crystal, but am interested in seeing the Rock fo Cashel. I was told Waterford was a neat little coastal city to see. I've not heard that much about Kilkenny. Is it pretty close to ROC?

Waterford is nice, like anything coastal, nicer in the sunshine than the rain.

In terms of closeness, again see the routeplanner. You've looked at that right?

46 - yes. I have it as a favorite. I just find it hard to trust measurements in terms of miles when that doesn't tell me road conditions, etc. Just like to get a feel for it from people who've actually done the drive. :) sorry...

AGGIEMANDI,
Driving conditions in ireland vary greatly
expect an average speed of 40 miles per hour /
roughly 65 KPH
so EXPECT THE UN-EXPECTED
for upto date irish weather see.....MET.IE /
enjoy.

I repeat you will not find authentic Ireland on the inside of your Toyota Corolla.
Get out of the car, travel less, smell the heather, doesn't matter whether it is celbridge or Sneem.
Authentic Ireland is the people and you need to get out of the car and talk.

Your schedule gives me the heebie geebies and dare I say it...it represents the stereotypical american idea of visiting a country.

I lived in Texas, travelling around Ireland is NOTHING like travelling around Texas, so multiply the distances by 10 to get the vibe.

Doesn't matter where you are go to the pub and chat with people.
You don't have to drink heavily, drink sodas, but talk.
That is authentic Ireland.

I agree with #49. Less driving makes for a more memorable trip. When some friends and I visited Ireland, we stayed at one friend's relative's inherited cottage in rural Co. Longford. While it was great saving money on lodging and seeing the Milky Way at night (no light pollution at all), driving country roads was stressful and kept me from fully enjoying whiskey distillery visits.

Consider locations that are more accessible by train to eliminate the need for a car (http://www.irishrail.ie/home/company_information.asp# , for an inter-city rail map). I found the inter-city trains to be very nice, at least for Longford-Dublin and Athlone-Galway.

If you want Authentic Ireland, go to small little-known towns. Athlone has a nice riverside castle and the world's oldest pub, Sean's Bar. Clonmacnoise has amazing monastic ruins, Bru Na Boinne organizes tours of awesome neolithic burial mounds. But none of those are along your planned route, sorry.

Edited by: lsalomon