On the car - the rate of $30/day for an automatic seems way too cheap.  You should make sure there are no hidden costs.  Maybe others have more insights--maybe it's just a really good deal!

You should be able to get B&B's for $28-$35 per night, depending on location (at least on the west coast - my experience is all Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal - I don't know about the SW area).  Of course, it's more fun if you just wing it, so you don't have to book ahead.  But you will find it more difficult to find a place, and may have to pay more for less value.  You can always find somewhere.  If you take the Town & Country B&B book, you can call places ahead a day or 2, as you make your plans.  I've found that to work quite well.  If you do want to book before going, that book (you can use the website) is a great resource.  I used it on my last trip, and each place was very good.

You can save money by buying food in stores for daytime meals.  There is a wide selection of fresh and deli items.  If really on a tight budget, you can buy pre-dinner snacks and drinks to have at your B&B before going out.  Ethnic restaurants, including Italian, are usually the least expensive (and pubs, of course). 

There are many free and nearly free places to see; especially if you're interested in scenery and possibly walking.

Hi Dan:

Congrats and all that for everything that's going on (wedding, trip, grad school ...). It soounds like a busy time. I'll see what I can do to answer some questions for you.

First, the car deal sounds very good. There are a few things to keep in mind. When you get to the rental desk, they will try to sell you some other coverages that aren't covered by the CDW. One of  them will be liability. By Irish law (as I understand it) rental companies are required to provide third party liability coverage. That coverage covers everyone BUT you the driver if you are involved inan accident and it's your fault. I just checked with my health insurance company and they informed me that I would be covered for emergency health care even in Ireland. You pay the bill and they pay you back. I have an HMO so that was good news. Check with your medical plan on that.

Use cash instead of vouchers for all sorts of reasons at B&Bs. Prices will run 28-35 euro, not dollars. As far as winging or booking in advance, you can always find rooms though you but in July it will be much harder and I wouldn't want to spend my hard earned vacation time moving from B&B to B&B finding a place. It's not real difficult to put together an itinerary that you can stick to. There are lots of folks that are plenty willing to help.

In Dublin, book your rooms as soon as possible. They fill up quickly. Hotels are generally the best deal and if you can get one for under $100, it's quite good. That of course, depends on the hotel.

There are a number of castles in the Shannon region and around the contry so that won't be a problem. Within just a few miles is Bunratty castle which is in the Bunratty Folk park. Interesting castle, I find the folk park not as interesting though. The castle is nice. It's likely to be crowded though so a stop as soon as the place opens is a good idea, before the buses have hit. Midday is painfully busy. Dunguaire is in a beautiful location just south of Galway. If the tide is in, it's very photogenic. Both Bunratty and Dunguaire host castle banquets which are kind of pricey, but fun. Cahir Castle in Cahir and the Rock of Cashel just up the road would be other interesting stops.

The Cliffs of Moher are within 1.5 hours of the airport and you can stay in the area (Doolin or Lahinch),

There are no beaches in Killarney but there are some lovely lakes just outside of town in Killarney National Park. Killarney is very crowded in the tourist season, try somewhere like Kenmare or Sneem. I've stayed a number of times at The Shores Country House on the north coast of Dingle (it's a favorite of Michele also) and it's a great place. The price is a bargain for what you get. It sits across the street from the longest beach in Ireland and a walk on the beach would be a fabulous way to spend some time on a honeymoon. It won't be crowded at all even in July.

I've never stayed in Youghal (pronounced yawl) but Ireland has lots of coast line and you can find a variety of beaches of different sorts. I'm not sure I would ever consider going for a swim though.

I could write for days, but mull over this for a while and see if you can think of more that you like to do. You might want to consider Michele's book. It's very good, probably the best take it with you book. It's not big on pictures, but it's packed with info.

Book those Dublin rooms.

Bill

Congratulations, Dan, on all the exciting events coming up in your life! An Ireland trip could be the frosting on the cake (or "the jam on the scone" or "the head on the Guinness," so to speak)

Bill and Andi have both given you good advice and they have a lot of travel experience. 

Have you considered staying in some hostels?  They are probably the least expensive housing and some are quite nice with private en suite rooms.  Dublin, which is very expensive almost anytime, has quite a few hostels.  If you google Dublin hostels you should get a good listing.

Also, some of the universities around Ireland open up housing for good rates during the summer.  In Dublin, Trinity College and DCU have suites, apartments, and rooms.

http://www.tcd.conferences/visitor2.htm  (for Trinity)

http://www.dcu.ie/accommodations/visitors.html

thanks. 

just one question about dublin.  where is the best place/area to stay?  we plan on dropping the car off at the dublin airport and taking a shuttle/taxi to our hotel.  so just curious as to where would be a good convenient place to stay in dublin.

thanks michele.  this has helped a lot.  as for the beach town i was thinking of...it was.... Kilkee (too many towns that start with K are messing with my brain...haha).

so looks like we should start planning our itenarary and booking B&B's ahead of time.  i think we are gonna prefer B&B's since they seem to be more "local" and more personal.  also, the breakfasts sound good.  hmmm..what else are the must see/do things in Ireland?  we have 10 days to fill!

Plan some downtime... it is your honeymoon and all.

We have has good luck booking Dublin hotel rooms thru www.visitdublin.com

and if you are a gambling sort, priceline is always a good bet for a big city.

everyone has given you great suggestions - but we were more impressed with the cliffs out on the Aran Islands than the Cliffs of Moher due to the construction. We have been out to the Inis Mor twice now on day trips and really enjoy it. i don't know how crowded it is in July but i can see that a tandem rental for the day and lounging on a beach out there would be some great photo opps and really romantic.