Choosing bases for a two-week tour of Ireland

Hi again,
Getting into the detailed planning now. I have fleshed out the time in Dublin, the day travelling from Dublin to Cork (with stops en route in Kilkenny and The Rock of Cashel), and the time in and around Cork (including Cobh and Youghall). I had tentatively planned to include the Ring of Kerry in our day travelling from Cork to Killarney, but have concluded that this would be too ambitious, so have added a night in Killarney so that we can see something of both the Ring of Kerry, including the Skellig Ring, and the Dingle Peninsula during our stay there. What I am struggling with is the journey from Cork to Killarney. One option, of course, is to take the most direct route, arriving in less than an hour and a half, and using the time to explore Killarney itself, which we would have little time to do otherwise, so that's at the top of my list of options right now. But that would mean seeing nothing of the south coast to the West of Cork, nor Bantry Bay, nor the Beara Peninsula, so I'm looking at possible alternative routes. Leaving Cork via Kinsale and following the coast around to Bantry and then on around the Beara Peninsula to Kenmare and on to Killarney, looks like being too ambitious, so I think I shall have to choose between the south coast around to Bantry then to Killarney direct, or Cork to Bantry direct followed by the Beara Peninsula, Kenmare, Killarney. All this to say - if you had to choose between the two, which would you select?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. 
Best regards
Ron

Hi Ron, 

Great to hear the progress with your itinerary. 

It is tricky to know what to keep in an itinerary and what to leave out, and you don't want to cram too much that it negates your overall experience! Both the coast around Bantry and the area around the Beara Peninsula are beautiful but as you intend to do the ROK maybe the Bantry route would provide a different perspective of the rugged coastline? 

Let me know your thoughts. 

Cathaoir 

Thanks Cathaoir!

That's exactly the kind of input I was hoping for. I shall opt for the south coast/Bantry route. We're getting there! I've almost finished planning the time in Killarney and the ROK & Dingle trips. All that's left is the travel up through Limerick to Galway, the three days exploring to the North and South of Galway, and the travel back to Dublin. Should I post my detailed plans here when I've finished? If so, what's the maximum size PDF file I can upload?

Thanks again and best regards
Ron.  

Hello Ron,

It looks like your itinerary is coming together beautifully! Dublin is an amazing starting and ending point, and it seems like you have a wonderful mix of experiences. I absolutely loved to read about your plans and look forward to seeing the completed version, once posted. To that end, I am happy to say that you can add any file type to your message and it should upload fine, so please feel free to give it a go. 

If you do run into an error or have any problem uploading your PDF, just let us know and we'd be happy to take a look.

Thank you for your time and for sharing this peek into your future trip!

~Rochelle

Hi again,
Well I think I have 'finished' putting together my itinerary for next June's two-week trip to Ireland - as much as anyone ever really finishes these things! I've researched all I can - using the really great material on the ireland.com website, following all the helpful links provided by this Community, pouring over my favourite travel guides - the Michelin Green Guide and the Lonely Planet Guide - and talking at length to friends and relatives who have travelled in Ireland recently. Inevitably, there are many things that we should have liked to include in the itinerary which didn't make it, and we may even find that we shall have to cut some things out on-the-fly if we find we are running out of time or energy, as the resulting programme is really quite full for a couple of 80-year-olds! But in the 40-page document I have prepared, I have identified a few places where such reductions could be easily accommodated should they become necessary. Now flights, hotels and rental car are booked (thanks for the heads-up on car rental conditions in Ireland for the over-75's - noted and will be complied with!). Now we shall put everything aside and look forward to next June. A big THANK-YOU to all those on the Community who have provided  hints and help. I won't attempt to share the entire 40-page document (not least because I have included extracts from the various sources I have used and I would be guilty of breaching copyright if I attempted to publish it). But I attach a summary itinerary.
Many thanks again. I'll report back next year on how we get on!
Best regards
Ron

Hi Ron,

It has been an absolute pleasure to be involved in your plans for next year! 💚

Plans are a wonderful part of the process and time with us, there will be days when you stop and let it slip and days when you find yourself reflecting on a job well done. June is a great time to visit with our days being at their longest, it doesn't really get dark till after 10 pm.

The summary of the itinerary is super helpful to your fellow traveler as well as for you both.

We will love to hear about your time with us when you are here and wish you a perfect Irish vacation.☘️

Martin