Well, although most people who responded to a poll on this site said they didn't like Cork (myself included) you might want to base yourself in Cork for a night or two. Dingle, is on the opposite coast from Cork, and might be too far to go for your limited time. I would suggest staying on east coast. From Cork you could visit Kinsale, which is just an hour drive east to the coast. It's a great little town for a day trip and has Charles fort (which is one of the best preserved star forts in Europe), and old James fort opposite it on the harbour. The town is famous for its restaurants, and has a crystal factory as well as a small museum (mostly maritime stuff). A very pretty harbour town. From Cork you could also do a day trip to Blarney castle (which I didn't do, too touristy for me). From Cork you could  then make your way north through Cashel and see several sights on the way (Michelle will help you better here), but the towering Rock of Cashel is a must see! You could then spend a night in Kilkenny and visit the castle there, and then on your way to Dublin it might be feasable to detour through Glendalough etc. Michelle should be able to help you much better with driving times etc., but I highly recommend basing yourself out of a town for at least two days, otherwise you are just going to be travel weary by the time you get to Dublin. You probably want to see at least some of Dublin before you fly out, even if it's just the hop-on hop-off bus tour, which would take you a day at least. Hope this gives you some ideas!

arindasue,

You don't have much time for seeing Ireland but you can get a little taste of it on your short trip. I will assume that jet-lag will not be a problem on your first day since you are coming from London. That being the case, you say you are arriving in Cork early in the day. You could easily go directly to Dingle and spend the next two nights. What sort of accommodations are you looking for? I have many good recommendations on my "Lodgings" page.

Since your last night or two will be in Dublin you should be looking to stay partway across the country going in the general direction of Dublin for your one night after Dingle. Cashel is a nice inland town.

Michele

I just realized I have not been signing in before posting. I guess that doesnt actually affect the great suggestions that I've been getting from people, though. Keep them coming....Thanks!

Thank you, Michelle. I've been thinking though....do you (or anyone) have any itinerary ideas for our three nights from Cork to Dublin that would not include the Dingle Peninsula? Also, we'd prefer to stay in the towns as opposed to on the outskirts Even three separate nights would be OK. (Assuming we need two nights in Dublin) Thanks.

-- Edited by arindasue at 10:26, 2005-12-28