Dublin driving and Itinerary

Hi Everyone!

My partner and I will be touring Ireland this September for 8 nights. We will be flying in and out of Dublin airport. I would like to rent a car but, based on what I've read here and elsewhere, I have some apprehension about driving in the Dublin.

Which option do you recommend:
a) Landing (10:30am) and departing in our rental directly to Galway.
b) Staying the first day in Dublin, then departing from the city center
c) Staying the first day in Dublin, then returning to the airport to depart in our rental

Also, I am in the initial stages of getting an itinerary together. Let me know what you think:
Dublin (tour city sights)
Galway (Connemara, Clifden, Kylemore Abbey)
Galway (Aran Islands, Cliffs of Moher)
Limerick
Dingle (Connor's Pass, Slea Head)
Killarney (Ross Castle, Muckross House)
Kilkenny
Dublin
We are excited about seeing Ireland's beautiful scenery and taking in some of the cool historical sites (castles etc). I would love to hear some recommendations/comments. Am I taking on too much? Should I add/omit something?

Thanks for the response. I am travelling from Canada.

I would recommend option a but only if you think you won't be exhausted after coming off a long haul flight. You could then on the way back drop the car back at the airport and head into Dublin for your last day to do some sightseeing. There's no need to have a car in Dublin itself.

Your itinerary is very busy but doable I think.

Day 1: Depart airport for Galway maybe stop in Clonmacnoise on the way which is an early Christian monastic site and is just off the motorway to Galway. arrive early afternoon and look around city. Sleep Galway

Day 2: Aran Islands. Sleep Galway

Day 3: Connemara and Clifden. Sleep somewhere in Connemara

Day 4: Drive Galway to Killarney taking in Cliffs of Moher. Sleep Killarney. Don't see any reason to stop in Limerick.

Day 4: Killarney sight seeing - National Park, Muckross House, Ring of Kerry. Sleep Killarney

Day 5: Drive to Dingle. Sightsee - Fungi, Dingle Penisula etc. Sleep Dingle

Day 6: Drive from Dingle to Kilkenny on the way see Cahir Castle, Swiss Cottage in Cahir and Rock of Cashel. In Kilkenny - Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice's Sleep Kilkenny

Day 7: Drive Kilkenny to Dublin airport and drop off rental.

Day 8: Dublin

I mostly agree with Archaeobabe. You got a very full itinerary, and you be pressed to do all of it. I might skip the Aran Islands and make sure I saw The Burren in Co. Clare, and Bunratty Castle and Durty Nellys, which are on the way from Galway to Killarney (they're not too far from Shannon Airport). The drive from Killarney to Kenmare is delightful; be sure to stop at Ladies View.

Wow, these are all great suggestions. Thanks so much for the input! I have another quick question. I read a few places that the Ring of Kerry can take quite awhile. Should I skip it as I am already doing the ring of dingle?

"Ring of Kerry" non-stop a leisurely drive will only take you 90 minutes
DON'T skip it ....your a fool if you do.
Make a pitt stop in Waterville and stop for lunch in the Butler arms hotel.
Charley Chaplin and family spent a month each year on holiday for 10 years
during the 60's and 70's you can see the many photos in the hotel lobby.
If your a golfer stop by the "Links" and meet Payne Stewart ( in bronze )
enjoy.

"Ring of Kerry" non-stop a leisurely drive will only take you 90 minutes

It is 179km round, and you certainly can't drive at 120km/h on those roads.

Just returned from a trip from the States which included five days in Ireland. If you have not driven in Europe before, particularly countries that drive on the left side of the road, it is very difficult to get used to. We began with 2 days in Dublin and then rented a car on our way out of Dublin. The Dublin traffic and difference in street signs wold have been really stressful. There are a couple of hop on/hop off tour buses that get you anywhere you want to go in Dublin while giving you great information about the sights. This worked great. We then spent four days touring the countryside. The driving lanes are very narrow, especially on the R (regional) roads and have no shoulders. I would definitely recommend making the trip around the Ring of Kerry while in the Killarney area. Breathtaking scenery. We also really liked the Blarney Castle near Cork. One small inconvenience is that most hotels and B&B's do not have air conditioning and, if they do, keep it set to around 78 to 80 degrees, which was moderately uncomfortable for me. I packed a small fan. Make sure it can work on 220 voltage.

Thanks dvautrot. Like yourself, we have decided to rent a vehicle on our way out of Dublin. Hopefully, it will be alittle cooler in September when we arrive :) Also, how long did you spend driving the Ring of Kerry?

the "Ring of Kerry"
Driving anti-clockwise from Killarney to Kenmare
driving along the main road N70 takes about
2 hours + 20 minutes / 139 kms
Have your camera at the ready and take it all in.

Edited by: yofletch