We are two Seattle couples in our late sixties and early seventies planning to visit Ireland for the first time in September. We think we want to avoid driving. Our interests center on the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, and perhaps the Aran Islands. We haven't settled on lodgings; we may be interested in renting a vacation home for a week in a location convenient to those areas. Would Killarney be a good place to base ourselves? Can anybody suggest a car and driver/guide? If we flew into Cork, what would be the best way to get to Killarney? Thank you.
Welcome to the forum. Killarney is a very good base for the SW of Ireland. There are good day tours that depart from Killarney so you may not need a car and driver:
You could spend a couple of days seeing just the Killarney area. Then day trips to Gap of Dunloe, Dingle, Ring of Kerry.
From Cork you can get a train or bus to Killarney. However, if you are flying into Ireland from the US your gateways are Shannon and Dublin. From Dublin you can train to Killarney.