This is just MY opinion. 

I flew from the US (MCO Orlando, Florida) into Cork ONCE (in 2000), for the then princely sum of US$930 per ticket.  The flight was on British Airways, non-stop to London Gatwick, with a connecting flight on Aer Lingus.  I THINK I bought it through either Trip.com or Travelocity, but it MAY have been through BA ????  Last year, we flew GNV to ATL to AMS, stayed 3 days, then AMS to ORK (Cork) for two weeks, before returning, SNN to ATL to GNV.  Those tickets would have cost about US$1700 each, had we not used Delta FF miles for all but the Amsterdam to Cork flights.

So, you COULD do an INTO Cork and OUT of Dublin, for example.  Just select the multi-flight option, rather than a straight, "Round Trip".

           My memory gets a little fuzzy with age.     

A common choice for a Cork area base would be Kinsale.  To my thinking, Donegal and the West are two separate entities --with each requiring a MINIMUM of three days, in duration.

For the West (Galway/Mayo), Westport would be my recommendation.  For Donegal, something in the vicinity of (but not necessarily IN )Letterkenney.  The Drive from Westport to Letterkenney would 'eat' the better part of a day -- as would the drive from Kinsale TO Westport.  So, too, would a drive from Donegal to the vicinity of Dublin, which is where Powerscourt is located.  Not that those drives wouldn't be interesting -- or filled with LOTS of possible stops, for tourist-related interests -- but they still will take time away from your areas of interest

So, factoring in driving, you would, in effect, have only TWO days in each location -- remembering that the West and Donegal are mutually exclusive.

With only eleven days, something probably has to go -- either Donegal, Cork, or Powerscourt as they are the three 'Extremes' of the island.

Maybe Michele or one of the Irregulars will see something that I've missed, but ...

Bob

Alabama,

As Bob and Bit have indicated you need to find a focus for your trip. Most people who have never been there think that Ireland is extremely small and that they can zip around the country in a few hours. That perception is not correct. Outside a handful of major cities there are few motorways. You will be traveling at an average of 35 mph. Hence to drive from Cork City to Donegal town would take you about 7 hours with no stops.

Of course, some people want to spend their whole time driving in a car when visiting Ireland. If that is the type of trip you want it can be done. Everything depends on your personal preferences.

Give us more info and we will all be happy to help.

Michele

I like Donegal because of its "wild beauty" aspect. I'll be renting a car-
I dont' want to be rushed, so any help along the lines of how to condense things is welcome. I'd rather go fewer places and not be rushed, if that's what I need to do.