OK, quite aside from plans to move to Ireland, or even going over for interviews in the winter of 2010, I am planning another summer jaunt, purely for pleasure, in June 2010.  It will be my friend Kim and I, who traveled together in 2006 in southwest Ireland.  This trip is northwest/west Ireland, and will be for 17 nights.

Flying into Belfast, Letterkenny or Donegal (any will do, though Belfast looks like the least expensive and only one connection). 

Drive the first day to stay in the Letterkenny  area for 4 nights (perhaps we can visit Anchoress in Colmcille?)

4 nights in Sligo area
4 nights in Galway area
2 nights in Kilkenny
2 nights in Drogheda (we want to explore the Boyne valley ancient sites more)
1 night in Dublin, to fly out the next day.

Kim and I are more interested in landscapes, nature, ruins (castles/cathedrals/abbeys), history and music than we are in shopping and such.  We like relaxing in the pub of an evening, and talking with people.  We love music of just about any type, but prefer traditional.

Suggestions, comments, ideas?  Neither of us have been in the northwest before.  I've been to Kilkenny twice, and just love the place, so we wanted to stay there again (in the Alcantra B&B again, hopefully).  Drogheda was chosen because we are both very interested in the spiritual history of the land.  While we've both visited Newgrange and Tara, we want to explore more - and visit Clonmacnoise (on the way from Kilkenny to Drogheda), among other sites.

We've been to the southwest, south, and Dublin.  This is our next 'chunk' to bite, so to speak.  We spent two weeks in Ennis, Killarney, Kilkenny and Dublin last time, and I spent a week near Kilkenny in 2002, and several days near Dublin in 1996.  I'm slowly adding to my experiences :)