Itinerary help - Dublin to Shannon

We're starting this part of our journey in Dublin. After 2 days there we're going to make our way south west to Shannon. Not really knowing what we're getting into, I think I might be overdoing it. Let me know what you think...

Depart from Dublin and head north to Newgrange and Hill of Tara for the morning (?) then head south to Cashel where we will spend the night. The following morning we will check out the Rock of Cashel then head south to Cork, seeing Cobh and Blarney Castle, spending the night in Killarney. The next morning, do any visiting in Killarney and then head north to Ennis, where we will spend the next 2 nights as I want to go see the sights in the area before heading to the airport in Shannon.

Is this ridiculous ?? Suggestions?

Yes, you are overdoing it.

Doing Dublin to Newgrange to Hill of Tara to Cashel is not impossible, but its a huge journey and involves having to come back to Dublin (from Meath to Tipperary means having to use the M50 orbital around Dublin). Its about 250 km of driving, which is a lot on Irish roads. Also, there can be very long waits to see Newgrange, depending on the time of year you travel. I would suggest instead (assuming you really want to see Cashel), to do a route that touches on the nicer places to see between Dublin and Tipperary. Perhaps go to Glendalough in Wicklow (a very lovely place for walks and history), and stop off in Kilkenny on the way to Cashel. Much less driving, and just as nice, if not nicer (the road over the Wicklow Mountains can be very beautiful.

Cashel to Kllarney via Cobh and Blarney is.... well, very long, It also involves nearly 250 km of driving (check out www.aaireland.ie or googlemaps for route planning). And neither Blarney nor Cobh are worth it - really. Blarney is a horrible tourist trap and Cobh is a pleasant coastal town, but by no means the nicest in Cork, and to get there you have to fight your way through Cork city traffic. If you want to see parts of Cork on the way to Killarney, then I'd suggest driving from Cashel down to Kinsale (much prettier than Cobh), then go through some of the towns of West Cork (Clonakilty is nice, Castletownbere is in a magnificent setting), before going to Killarney. But I'd advise Kenmare above Killarney (less twee), and if you have time, visiting the Dingle Peninsula on the way up to Ennis (don't go through Limerick, take the ferry at Tarbert instead).

I need to elaborate more...We'll be travelling in mid to late September if that helps with crowds at all?? And Hill of Tara is kind of a requirement for me as it's my namesake. So I think the long drive might be required for that portion. Now as long as we're up that way, wouldn't it make sense to check out Newgrange at that time? As for Cobh and Kinsale options, I'll definitely look into those routes. I've been charting our route on aaireland.ie and the mileage didn't look to ridiculous to us but I guess we're taking into consideration that we've driven coast to coast in Canada...on Canadian highways...not goat paths!

As for Blarney Castle..it's the only thing my husband has requested other than the Guinness Storehouse!

Knowing we have 4 nights and 5 days, can anyone make a suggestion as to where to stay each night that will allow us to see a little bit of the mentioned counties??

Thanks for your help so far, something to think about for sure...

Edited by: the_halifax_girl

If Tara is a 'must see', then yes, it makes sense to see Newgrange too. I'd recommend going early morning (Newgrange opens at 9am) to get the first tour there. That should give you time to then do a walk around the Hill of Tara. Beware of the M50 at peak time, it is nightmarishly slow. What you might consider is a drive from Tara following the N52 thgough Tullamore, Birr, Roscrea and Thurles. This is a slower road than the N3/M50/N7, but it is unlikely you'll hit much traffic and you'll see more of the countryside. Birr and Roscrea are well worth a stop off. But it will be evening by the time you get to Cashel so you will have to wait until the next morning to see the Rock (which is well worth it).

If your husband really must see Blarney then take the N73 west from Mitchelstown and then the N20 south from Mallow (this avoids the slow and heavy traffic in Cork City). On reflection, it may take too long to get to Kinsale from there, perhaps drive south down to Bandon, then Clonakilty, then follow the N71 through West Cork and up to Killarney. Its a long drive but very scenic in parts.

As for accommodation, it all depends on budget. If on a tight budget, then I recommend that outside the weekends just roll up and try to negotiate a discount (the newer hotels are usually most anxious for custom, so they will give the biggest ones). If you want a Country House type experience, the one place I'd recommend is about 20 km from Cashel, its Inch House, near Thurles.

At the risk of providing you with too much information:

I live in Cork, only about 15 minutes east of the city. The new motorway has opened the whole way to Cork from Durrow which means that it's only an hour of driving from Cashel only 10 minutes further to Cobh. (No need for the N7 anymore) In all the drive from Dublin to Cork only takes about 2.5 hours these days. I would definitely agree that Kinsale would be a better option than Cobh. If it's too far out of the way Midleton and Ballycotton could be good options. Midleton is the home of Jameson whiskey & you can take a tour to show how the whiskey production developed. There are also some really nice B&Bs in the area with some fantastic restaurants in the town. Ballycotton is a gorgeous part of the country with fantastic cliff walks, the Ballymaloe cookery school is also on the way to Ballycotton. Seafood around here comes straight out of the ocean onto your plate. Kinsale is also fantastic for seafood. Blarney is about 25-30 minutes drive from Midleton and the woollen mills are another tourist attraction in the town

The drive to Killarney is about 1.5 hours from Cork and is very touristy but does have some lovely hotels and scenic areas!

Hope this is some help!

Okay so things have changed a bit now as I will apparently be about 5 months pregnant while we do our Ireland adventure. Originally we were splitting our time between Ireland and Scotland (hence the short duration in Ireland) but now we're going to spend about 10 days in Ireland. I would still like to stick to the SE to SW area and as we have to get back to London for a few more days, I think we might fly back out of Dublin instead of Shannon as that's where we fly into. Despite my pregnant status, I would still like to at least let my husband visit the distilleries and we're still quite active so that won't really limit what we can/can't do. Other than more time, does anyone have any suggestions as how to pull off this route now. I have really enjoyed the suggestions from all of you - somethings I would never have considered without this post...

Thanks again!

Since you've got time now and I imagine that you won't be so keen to sit in a car all day, you can take your time in seeing the important things you want to see. I'd suggest taking a day in the north Midlands to see Tara and Newgrange and staying in the area. Since your husband likes distilleries then maybe visit Kilbeggan, its a lovely old distillery building and not as touristy as the Jameson one. After passing through Blarney (really, only stay a very, very short time, its horrible), then I'd suggest slowly exploring west Cork, it really is lovely. Baltimore is a particularly nice spot for an overnight stay (especially mid week, its quite popular the weekends). And I'd also suggest checking out the Dingle peninsula.