Hello All,

I am busily planning my upcoming Irish vacation which is a little over 9 weeks away, and need a little help with my itinerary.

I will be leaving from the Ardee area ( Smarmore Castle) on Tuesday morning, May 1st, and heading south toward the Wicklow Mountains.  I suppose that I am presented with some alternatives as I approach the  mountains:  drive down the coast through the Bray, Greystones, Wicklow, Arklow area, or head
through the mountains via Enniskerry, and visit Powerscourt and the monastic site at Glendalough.  I would appreciate any comments as to the preferences for each route.  ( I'm rather leaning toward the interior route)

I also see that it is possible from Glendalough, to drive from Laragh out to Wicklow, and head south from there.  Assuming that I plan to walk the gardens at Powerscourt, and to the Upper lake area at Glendalough, would it be too ambitious to drive from there, out to Wicklow and the continue south. Is there much noteworthy to see in Wicklow or Arklow ?

If possible, I would like to pay a brief visit to the village of Avoca, and maybe have a pint in Fitzgerald's ( yes I'm a Ballykissangel fan).  From here, I still have to make a choice as to whether I cross over to Kilkenny ( where I plan to spend a night ), or continue south to Wexford?..or maybe Waterford ?

I know, it's a lot of decisions to make, and I will probably have to concede to the rule that "you can't see it all !", but I'd greatly appreciate any input from those that are familiar with the area in question.

Thanks

Thom