Six Days In Ireland..need feedback.

We are heading over to the Emerald Isle in 7 days! A lot to see in a short time. I have written before under Dublin for a Day, and now need more info! Dublin for the first full day and night, seeing what we can, and hitting the pubs!. Which hop on hop off bus is the best to use? We definitely cannot walk it all. Then next day, off to Galway. I am wondering what the best route will be going over. We were going to do the train, but so many sites talk about how much there is to see on the way, off the main motorway.  I know there are location to visit, and Sean's Pub to stop at. Should we visit Trim Castle, or go down through Kildare? We plan a short time, maybe lunch, in Galway. Drive around Galway Bay, Galway Castle. Then, through the Burren, Doolin and planning to get to the Cliffs of Moher for sunset. We are deciding where to stay that night, but hopefully close to the cliffs so we can maybe go the next morning, too. Please tell me this is do-able in a day's drive.

From there, we are heading to Dingle, Inch Beach and the Dingle Peninsula. I've read about Cooper's Pass, and think we want to avoid that mountain road! How do we avoid that? We are staying in an Irish cottage B&B in Kenmare that night.

The next day, we hope to do the Ring of Kerry and the Skellig MIchael Eco-tour. Thursday and Friday night we will stay in Killarney National Park.

Then, we will either head to Cork, and up the east coast and stay in Enniskerry. We may need to skip Cork so we can have time in the Wicklow Mountains, and Powerscourt.

I know this is a lot and I hope we can actually do it all. I just turned 60 and get tired quite easily. But hoping the adrenaline will keep us going! Staying in a castle was on my list, but haven't worked that in. There is nothing close enough to the cliffs, as we do not want to drive too far at night, though we have looked into Gregan's.

Am I crazy for trying to do all of this, with shopping and lots of photo stops!? I hope this is not my only trip over and we will return someday, but I want to fit all this in. I also am hoping to narrow down where my ancestors may have been from, and where they left from and came to the US.
Any ideas/suggestions are more than welcome!

Hi Mary, 

It's great to see how your plans are coming together, and it looks like a busy but wonderful trip so far. Very exciting that you're just a week away from your visit as well. :)

Which attractions and sightseeing spots in Dublin are you planning to explore? With the Dublin Pass you can visit the most popular attractions in the city, and the Hop-on Hop-off Bus is included for free! Take a look at the official Dublin Pass page for more information.

Are you thinking of renting a car to travel between Dublin and Galway, instead of taking the train? If you'd like to make stops at Trim Castle and Kildare, a car might be easier. 

Are you planning on visiting Galway, The Burren, Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher all in one day? It will be possible to drive to all of these locations, but it is definitely worth it to take some time to explore everything as well. Depending on how long you'd like to stay everywhere, it might be tight. 

If you'd rather not drive Conor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula, it might be an idea to not drive the whole loop, but instead drive straight to Inch Beach from Dingle.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday all look doable, and depending on what you have planned for the rest of the days, you can choose to skip Cork so you'll have more time to visit Wicklow and Powerscourt on your way back to Dublin. I definitely recommend to take your time on your first trip here, and really relax and enjoy the things you see along the way. It would be amazing if this is your first trip of many, and you get to explore more and more in the future. :) 

I know it's difficult to choose from everything to see and do, and I hope some of our other members can provide you with even more insight and their personal experiences. 

For helpful information and resources on how to start researching your Irish roots, check out the Ireland Family History section. You're also more than welcome to start a thread there so our experts can point you in the right direction.