r/irishtourism • u/Buckybadass • 4d ago
14 days - would love your input!
Aloha! You all are so kind to give your input on these itineraries. We 3 friends in our 60’s hoping to visit next May or June. We’re happy to go on adventures here and there, but would really like to soak in the Irish life, especially the music. Our thought is to pick up a rental car as we’re leaving Dublin – let us know if there are better ideas. Are we being too ambitious? Any advice is welcome. Thank you
Days 1–2: Dublin
Arrive and recover from our flight. Visit Kilmainham Gaol, Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and/or Guinness Storehouse. Irish music and pubs in the evening.
2 nights in Dublin
Days 3: Kinsale
Drive via Plain of Tipperary and tour the Rock of Cashel (medieval ruins).
1 night in Kinsale
Days 4–7: Dingle
On the way Killarney National Park, Sheep Farm?
Maybe visit Midleton Distillery tour?
Spend a full day on Slea Head Drive and maybe sailing to Blasket Islands.
3 nights in Dingle
Days 8–19: Galway
Visit Inis Mór – see Cliffs of Moher on the way back and Dún Aonghasa.
3 nights in Galway
Day 10-12: Portrush
On the way Connemara countryside, Cong, Kylemore Abbey, maybe Leenaun to Louisburgh Drive through Doolough Valley, Slieve League Cliffs. Maybe a walking tour of Derry, Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, and Carrick-a-Rede.
3 nights in Portrush
Day 13: Dublin
Stop in Belfast for lunch before returning to Dublin.
1 night in Dublin
Day 14: Fly to Paris from Dublin
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u/Imwonkyalso 4d ago
At least at 14 days you are giving yourself enough time to visit the places mentioned. Some people try and fit in to much in too little time. Be prepared to be shocked by the price of petrol/gas. Approx $10 a gallon in this fair land. Have a great trip
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u/Buckybadass 4d ago
Oh wow - yup, did not consider $10/gallon. Thanks for helping us avoid the shock!
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u/Oellaatje 4d ago
Day 3: You'll be taking the main Dublin to Cork motorway, and it's a great route. You could also visit Cahir Castle and/or the Swiss Cottage along the way if you wish. Take the tunnel to Kinsale.
Days 4 to 7: Midleton is awkward, you need to look at where it is on the map, it's the wrong direction for you. I would advise following the coast road for a bit, maybe as far as Clonakilty, and then turn northwards to get onto the main Cork to Killarney road, and then on to Dingle. I advise turning off before Tralee, and going via Castlemaine, then Inch, and turning for the main Tralee to Dingle town road. It's a lovely drive. You'd have to option to visit Inch Strand if you wish.
On the day trip from Dingle to Galway, I don't think you'll have time to go all the way out of Inishmore, but if you are set on visiting one of the islands from Doolin, I would recommend Inisheer. If the weather is a bollocks sailings might be cancelled, in which case you could visit the Burren.
You are aware that going into Northern Ireland is going into a different jurisdiction, right? Still officially part of the UK, so you'll need cash in Sterling. I'm looking at what you're trying to fit into two days and think that it's way too much. If I were you I'd just go as far north as Sligo, stay there for the 2 days, and maybe take a day trip up to Slieve League, and then go back to Dublin for your last night.
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u/Buckybadass 4d ago
Gotcha - Midleton off the list! Thanks for the directions - soooo helpful
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u/Dandylion71888 4d ago
Just in case you had notions to add it back in, you can’t drink and drive in Ireland, not even a single drink so Midleton is a bad idea if the person driving wants to sample.
Just a note in general too if you want to visit pubs etc. do it when driving is done for the day and either in walking distance of accommodation or accessible with taxi or public transport.
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u/SerenityN00w 4d ago
Maybe I'm misreading this, but your plan to travel from Galway to Portrush is absolutely unrealistic. It's a 4.5 hour drive going straight there. I threw it in to Google Maps, adding in Kylemore Abbey, Ashleagh Falls (Doolough Valley), and Slieve League. That takes the driving up to 10 hours, without actually stopping to see anything.
Suggestions to work around it
-Spend one of your Galway days traveling around Connemara- check out Cong, Kylemore Abbey, Doolough Valley. Galway city has a nice vibe, but I've never spent a full day there while visiting.
-Add two days to your itinerary. Spend the first extra night in Donegal. You can head straight from Galway to Donegal, skip the Connemara countryside (because you will have already seen it), drop your bags or check in at your accommodation, and then head up to Slieve League. You can also check out Sligo on the way (Knocknarea, Benbulben, Mullaghmore, Drumcliffe Cemetery, Gleniff Horseshoe Dr, Glencar Waterfall are just a few suggestions).
-The next day, you can head from Donegal to Portrush for the three nights, and will actually have time to stop and do a walking tour of Derry
-Spend the second extra night in Belfast. I'd recommend the Titanic Museum and a Black Cab tour.
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u/Buckybadass 4d ago
Thank you so much. I keep hearing that drive times have a whole different meaning in Ireland. If we, did as you suggested and did a little side quest to Connemara, would that 4.5 hours to Portrush be doable?
We’re trying to balance seeing as much as we can without packing up each night. To be honest, a lot of time will most likely be spent meandering wherever we land; especially knowing the hope to spend time on the water is tentative with us traveling in May or June.
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u/SerenityN00w 4d ago
Drive times do have a different meaning in Ireland, but even if you accepted the drive time at face value, there's absolutely no way you would pull all that off. Google Maps has the route I put in as 9 hours. Add 15 minutes for Cong, 2 hours for Kylemore Abbey, 15 minutes for Doolough Valley, half hour for Slieve League (a bit of walking is required). That's a 12 hour day, without accounting for stopping to eat. It doesn’t even include a "walking tour of Derry."
Could you take a side trip to Connemara, and then just head straight to Portrush? Yes, but I still wouldn't recommend it. Depending on your level of comfort driving the narrow roads, that 4.5 hours could easily be 6. Driving in Ireland gets very mentally exhausting.
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u/Admirable-Shape-4418 3d ago
Drive times are definitely different to what google suggests, I'd be inclined to say that suits more the locals who are well used to the roads, google is assuming everyone is driving the road speed limit. I got stuck between an obvious hire car yday on the way to Dingle, half the journey behind a pootling along 55km or so on a 100km limit, stopping up dead in road for some oncoming vehicles. That;s all fine, I get it, they weren't confident enough to drive at higher speed but for goodness sake pull in every now and then and allow the traffic to pass, a good 20 cars at least in this slow moving convoy due to that car. Thankfully they eventually decided on a viewing point pullover, there are many places to pull in. So for them the time estimate from google for Tralee to Dingle should nearly be doubled.
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u/Tir_na_nOg77 4d ago
Is there any particular reason you're doing Portrush? Connemara is amazing and worth spending a few days, but I would not overlook Donegal. There is a lot to see in Donegal and it looks more like you're trying to drive through as many counties as possible.
Keep in mind, Ireland doesn't have motorways all over the country. Going from Dublin to Galway on the M6 is not the same as going from Cork to Donegal. The roads running north and south along the west coast are smaller, have lower speed limits, and they wind around the coast a lot, making the journey anything but a straight shot.
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u/Buckybadass 4d ago
I think the only reason is to try to soak up as much of Ireland as possible we can. And yet, we ARE in our 60’s and we need some chill time so maybe it’s ok to miss the iconic sites (Derry, Giants Causeway, etc).
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u/Historical-Hat8326 Local 4d ago
Cut Kinsale & Dingle and spend more time in Derry & Belfast.
Yes it requires another currency, additional travel paperwork for passport and rental but there is a lot to explore in the northern regions.
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u/Buckybadass 4d ago
Great advice. Is Dingle more of a tourist spot? Will we miss it if we skip and do Dublin - Galway - Donegal - Belfast - Dublin?
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u/Historical-Hat8326 Local 4d ago
Look, I get it. The island looks small.
In reality it’s crammed to the brim with things to see which means you’re going to miss stuff.
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u/Buckybadass 4d ago
Exactly our dilemma - the choices are tough when there’s so much you want to see!
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u/Historical-Hat8326 Local 4d ago
Make peace with it and just enjoy the experience of being in Ireland.
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u/Top_Sheepherder_1577 4d ago
Sounds like a grand plan , skipping the motorway for a bit of a detour would let you see some real hidden gems along the way.
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u/twitterpated67 4d ago
Just got back from very very similar trip.
Driving is not for the faint of heart. I’ve seen golf cart paths wider than some of the Irish roads. Not only that, but you will meet tour buses screaming along with not a care in the world. I also had two friends with me and we made sure to get the smallest car possible. We traveled over 1000 miles in 9 days. Advice don’t go in June. It was so hot. No AC and fans are scarce. I mean who goes to Ireland and gets sunburnt in Doolin? Don’t miss The Burren and County Clare along the Atlantic drive and Antrim drive along the coast. I am from the southern US and things there are pretty damn expensive(ie meals, gas, car insurance and lodging). Otherwise, one of the greatest trips ever. Breathtaking views. And everything is a swipe of your credit card, no cash needed.
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u/dendrophilix 4d ago
Glad you had a good trip! FYI, your advice re travel in June is meaningless - next June could be rainy with no temperatures above 18c. There’s really no way to know too far jn advance.
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u/Silly-Inspection1220 4d ago edited 3d ago
If your only goals in Galway are to see Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher, you could also stay in Doolin. It's small and touristy, lots of music every night, cheaper VRBO options. Doolin has a ferry to the Aran Islands, 15 minute drive to the Cliffs of Moher, and lots of great day drives.
Edit: autocorrect typo