Dublin, Cork - where do we go next?

We are a couple from Norway, going on a 9 days vacation in Ireland for the first time. 
We fly to Dublin on July 29th and stay there for 2 days, then we hire a car and drive along the coast.
We have booked accomodation in Dublin, Cork/Blarney, Kenmare, Leenaun and Belfast. All of them can be cancelled, so everything is still open.
I think perhaps we should drop Kenmare since it is very close to Blarney, and stay in Galway or Clifden instead? We want to see the Cliffs of Moher for sure. 
I also wonder if Leenaun is a bit too "middle of nowhere" :) Although the hotel (Leenane Hotel) looks very charming.

The plan is to drive across form Leenaun (or Galway?) to Dublin, deliver the car and take the bus to Belfast. Then we stay 2 nights in Belfast, and take the boat to Liverpool on August 7th to watch the first Liverpool match for the PL season 2019-20 before returning to Norway :)
We would be grateful for any advice or suggestions regarding our plans!

Regards, Lise & Frode

Dear Lise & Frode 
Reading your itinerary, I understand Dublin 2 nights - can I suggest drive Dublin via Blarney / Cork (dropping Blarney)  to Kenmare for 2 nights to explore West Cork, Drive the Beara Peninsula - visit Killarney National Park and onwards towards The Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare and overnight in Doolin. Leaving Doolin, visit The Burren, Galway City and Leenaun to overnight.  Explore Connemara, Clifden, Westport  - now revisit the remainder of your holiday to Ireland and I am sure you will be getting Martins input.
Enjoy yourselves
Conor

Hello Lise,

I'm delighted to hear you'll be visiting our wee island for the first time!

There are so many options for you to check, as Conor mentioned on his great response. I'll be happy to help you planning a fantastic adventure!

You have chosen a lovely time of year to visit, and a car definitely gives you the freedom to explore and simply go where the road takes you. I know there is a lot of information available out there about car rental, and I would love to point you in the right direction. You can find some helpful resources and tips on the vehicle rental page, as well as a list of all the companies approved by the Car Rental Council of Ireland. You can also read more about how our other members planned their road trips in the Rental Car Requirements and the I'm thinking of renting a car in Ireland - what do I need to know? threads, as well as this post about an International Drivers License. Most rental companies will require a valid driving license that was issued in the country of residence, but it's always handy to check with them just in case. 

Regarding the cities you're planning on visiting during your 9 days, these are certainly wonderful options and Dublin is a fantastic place to start your adventure!

In addition to the awesome suggestions from Conor, visiting Cork is a must in your trip. If you'd like some ideas for stops along the way, have a look at the suggestions Liza received in an similar thread. You can adapt this freely to your wishes - stay longer in certain places and exclude others - for a tailored trip which will give you time for a day trip out to the iconic Cliffs of Moher.

If you decide on staying in Galway city, then there are quite a few castles and historic houses close to the city. Galway has plenty to keep you busy from walks around the city, food places to enjoy the local produce to excellent locations to listen to trad music and have some craic!

Belfast is no doubt a beautiful city to close the full circle of your adventure. If you need to go by bus after delivering your rental car, we recommend this route available with Bus Eireann. 

You also commented you already have places booked for all your hotels, but you can also find some great places to spend your nights using our accommodation search tool.

My advice would be to take your time and be sure to take breaks along the way if you ever feel less than completely comfortable. I hope this information helps with the planning of your trip, and let's see if some other members will jump in with some other suggestions!

Have a lovely day!
Romina

Thanks Conor and Romina for useful tips and information.
I understand that we have to rent a car in advance, especially since we want an automatic, not being used to driving on the left side :)
I think perhaps we would like to follow Conors tip and drive from Dublin alle the way to Kenmare, if you don't think it is too far for one day? And should we drive along the coast, or follow the M9? Will we have the time for a stop in Cork on the same day do you think?
The next day we are thinking of driving the Ring of Kerry, starting from Kenmare. Is that a good idea?
The trip from Kenmare  to Doolin looks OK for a day. And after googlin Doolin it definately looks like a place to visit :)

It is not easy to choose from so many beatiful places!

Br, Lise

Hi Lise,

The drive from Dublin to Kenmare is a far distance but the drive would be lovely if you did indeed go through Waterford and Cork using the M9 to take out some of the distance. A journey time of about 5 and a half hours in total but with stops still can be done in a single day. Our daylight hours are still quite long so an earlyish start and an evening finish would give you time enough!

Travelling the Ring of Kerry from Kenmare is a good idea, the direction is always open to debate. The buses all travel anti-clockwise so you can either choose to follow them around or go the other way and meet them head-on as you travel. From a drivers perspective, it is often said that the views are easier to see going the anticlockwise route as you are on the landside looking out to sea. As an alternative, a more hidden gem is the Beara Peninsula as Conor mentioned, equally as stunning and a little more unknown.

Doolin is a super location for the Cliffs of Moher and at just under 3 hours drive from Kenmare, certainly achievable. After that, a drive up to Leenaun for a stopover would be about 2 hours. The Connemara area would be a great place to explore before taking the route back to Dublin and your bus trip up to Belfast if you plan to stay in Dublin for the night. If you plan to go straight to Belfast without stopping then it's a 3-hour drive using the motorways back to Dublin.

We would have to agree that it isn't easy deciding what to see and do but what you don't manage to see this time can always be done next time! :)

Martin

Thank you Martin for all the useful information.
I actually think we will explore the Beara peninsula instead of Ring of Kerry, we are not super enthusiastic about meeting a lot of tourist buses :D
Looking forward to visit Ireland in a couple of weeks!

Regards, Lise

First of all I want to say "you are so lucky", because you have 7 days trip package of Ireland. My advice is that you should visit all the tourist places.
Here is the list of Ireland's most beautiful tourist place-
1. Ring of Kerry
2. The Giant’s Causeway
3. Cliffs of Moher
4. Glendalough
5. Skellig Islands
6. Cooley Peninsula
7. Connemara National Park
8. The Burren
9. Glenveagh National Park
10. Aran Islands
Choose best places from the above list according to your choice and budget. Enjoy....

Hi Lise,

As Martin mentioned, the Beara Peninsula is quite the secret treasure, it is a delight to hear that you might be adding it to your itinerary. 

Do you mind if I ask if you'll be driving straight to the Beara peninsula from Dublin, or do you plan to take a brief stop in Cork? If you'd like to drive directly from Dublin, another option might be to take the M7 and switching to the M8 just after passing Portlaoise. This should help save a bit of time, cutting the drive from a bit over 4 and a half hours to just a touch under 4. Of course, the M9, as Martin mentioned above, is still a lovely option that would bring you right through Waterford.

From there, you could make your first stop in Glengarriff, one of the two gateway cities that the Beara Peninsula is so well-known for. You can adventure across the rest of the peninsula from there, including the Caha mountains, Garinish Island, and so much more.

Once you've seen and explored the Beara Penisula to your heart's content, you can head up to its other gateway city, Kenmare. This will put you right back on the path Martin had suggested, but with fewer tour buses to greet along the way.

I do hope that this helps and if you need any help at all smoothing out the rest of your travel plans, we're certainly happy to help.

Warmest regards,

~Rochelle

Hello Lise & Frode! 

I'm just checking in after your visit in July. We'd love to hear more about your travels around the island. Did you manage to explore the Beara Peninsula and Leenaun? :)