Carrie,

My day by day comments are below:

Sun, May 20 – Land Dublin, 5:30 am.  Powerscourt, Glendalough, and if time Jerpoint Abbey.  Stay the night in Kilkenny. * This is a pretty long day with jet-lag. Had you thought of spending the night near Glendalough instead? Then if you feel the need for a nap you can do it. Keep in mind that on a Sunday Powerscourt and Glendalough will be crowded. It may take longer than you think.

 

Mon, May 21 – Explore Kilkenny, ruins in Kells, Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle.  Where to stay?  Michelle mentioned a Farmhouse BB in Cashel in a post?  I don’t remember the name. * There is enough here for two days. One for Kilkenny and Kells. Another for Cashel and Cahir. The farmhouse near Cashel is Dualla House.

 

Tue, May 22 – Waterford (Reginald’s Tower), Hook Head, Cork.  Stay in hostel in Cork.  Are Waterford and Hook Head enough to fill a whole day?  Is there another town along this route that might be interesting?  We only picked Cork to stay in because we planned to start Wed with Blarney.  We don’t really need time to see Cork. * I think perhaps you may want to skip Hook Head and Reginald's Tower. Why not spend the night in Blarney instead of Cork?

 

Wed/Thur, May 23/24 – Blarney Castle, Kinsale, Mizen Head, Glengarrif, Kenmare, Muckross House, Ladies View.  Not prebooking Wed night.  I figure we’ll leave Cork and head along the coast.  End up Thursday night in Killarney and just see what we can along the way. * You can do that in two days but you will need to zip right along.

 

Fri, May 25 – Day trips around Killarney (Torc Waterfall, Aghadoe, Ross Castle, Killarney national forest, see what we can).  Stay in same BB as Thur night. * Fine.

 

Sat, May 26 – Dingle Peninsula, Slea Head Drive, Conner Pass.  Spend the night at a BB in walking distance of downtown. * A full day. Try for an early start.

 

Sun, May 27 – Take ferry, then see the Burren, Cliffs, Kinvara (Dunguaire Castle), Gort (Kilmcdough).  Spend the night in Galway.  Does this sound like too long of a day? * I think that some things may fall by the wayside. If you find yourself running late be sure to let your B&B know you will arrive after 6pm. That is when reservations expire.

 

Mon, May 28 – Explore Galway, day trip somewhere?  Stay in same BB as night before. * Maybe it is time to think of adding a Galway day to other parts of your itinerary.

 

Tue, May 29 – Connemara area – Clifden, Westport, Cong, Kylemoore Abby.  Not sure where to stay. * If you were starting from Galway you could do this as a day trip and return to Galway for the night.

 

Wed, May 30 – The only thing planned this day is Clonmacnoise.  Any suggestions on other things for this day? Or a place to stay?  I was possibly thinking Ennis for lodging. * Birr Castle is south of Clonmacnoise. The Lough Derg area is lovely too.

 

Thu, May 31 – Ennis, Bunratty, or something near the airport.  Fly out of Shannon at 1:00. * You need to be at the airport about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in advance. You will just have time for breakfast and last minute packing before you must leave your B&B. Bunratty is much closer to the airport.

I think a trip back to the drawing board will enhance your trip. Just keep my tips in mind when revising. Few people get it right on the first try so don't get discouraged. You can make it work!

Michele

Carrie,

First of all, welcome to the forum! You are about to take a trip to a land where laid back and slow pace are a way of life. Your two week "Sunday Drive" is far removed from my idea of a Sunday drive. It is more in line with pacing at the Indy 500.  Bill, I think I wil join you for a dram!

You should look at AAIreland to help deteermine your driving miles. Pay little attention to the Time length, as they are overly optimistic there.  I would suggest:

Three nights in Kilkenny
   Visit Glendalough & Powerscourt enroute
   Explore Kilkenny & Jerpoint Abbey on first full day

   Explore Waterford & Hook the second day

Three nights Kenmare
   Visit Rock of Cashel enroute
   Explore Beara Peninsula first full day
   Explore Killarney National Park second day

Two nights Tralee
   Visit Blarney Castle enroute
    Explore Slea head & Dingle Peninsula on your one full day

Two nights Galway
   Take Kilmer/Tarbert ferry and visit Cliffs of Moher, lunch in Doolin or Kinvara, explore the Burren enroute
   One full day, either take a Lally Tours Bus tour of Connemara, make a day trip to the Arans or take a  horse-drawn open carriages, which line up on the north side of Eyre Square every day from 10 in the morning until dusk.

One night in Bunratty

Visit Clonmacnoise enroute to Bunratty. Book in to the Corn Barn for a last night of amazing Craic (Fun).

That would be my suggestion. I wish you luck in your travel planning.

Slan Go Foill,

Bit Devine
  

Carrie,

Whilst making the drive from Dingle to Galway, you will have plenty of opportunities to stop and stretch, Cliffs of Moher will be the first stop, Doolin for lunch and time for exploring the shops on Fisher Street being the second. If you continue on the coast road, your next stop, actually many stops, will be throughout the Burren. This will make for a leisurely paced day from Dingle to Galway, as well as being packed full of interesting sites, Castles, Ruins, Old Cemeteries, seascapes. It would still put you into Galway around supper time, mid evening, allowing you to enjoy a pub or two the first evening in Galway.

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine