5 weeks by public transport

Hi all, 
         Next April (2025) I am planning a 5 weeks visit to Ireland. I will be arriving and leaving from Dublin. The towns that I want to visit are Kilkenny, Dingle, Westport, Sligo and Donegal. I visited Ireland about 15 years ago and these are the towns I enjoyed most of all. I plan to do a circuit with Kilkenny as the first town from Dublin and Donegal as the last town. I plan to break up the journey between these towns with stopovers at other places so that I am not travelling for more than 4 - 5 hours between places and I am looking for suggestions for other places to stop on my trip. I plan to spend about 4 nights in each town. I don't want to drive because I will be by myself and I am 78 years old so I want the trip to be fairly stress free. I am pretty fit so I plan to backpack the trip as I don't mind a bit of walking from bus/train station to my hotel although I have no problem with taking taxis for hotels that are a bit further away.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Steve.

Hi Steve, 

Your trip sounds great so far! 

Irish Rail and Bus Éireann have extensive networks that will cover your trip. I would recommend checking out our page on public transport for more information about this. 

Your planned 5-week visit to Ireland includes stops in Kilkenny, Dingle, Westport, Sligo, and Donegal, with an emphasis on manageable travel times between these towns. To break up longer journeys, consider visiting Kildare between Dublin and Kilkenny, where you can explore the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens. From Kilkenny to Dingle, a stop in Killarney offers beautiful lakes and national parks. On the way from Dingle to Westport, a visit to Galway provides a vibrant cultural scene and scenic waterfront.

Continuing from Westport to Sligo, the journey is relatively short and direct, allowing you to enjoy Sligo's stunning landscapes like Benbulben and the Wild Atlantic Way. Traveling from Sligo to Donegal is also quick, and in Donegal, you can explore the town, coastline, and Glenveagh National Park. To ease the return to Dublin, a stopover in Cavan, known for its lakes and outdoor activities, can be a pleasant break. This itinerary balances revisiting favorite towns with exploring new attractions and areas of interest. 

Let me know if you have any other questions, or if you want further inspiration, be sure to check out some of our trip ideas.

Cathaoir  

Hi Cathaoir,

Thanks for the feed back. Cavan was on my radar as a stop on the way back to Dublin, so, I will add that to my trip.
The problem with the stop in Killarney on the way to Dingle is that most of the bus trips are 6 hours plus with the only sub 6 hour trip having a 15 minute interval between bus changes so it wouldn't take much to miss the second bus. Likewise the bus trip from Dingle to Galway is 6 hours plus. I guess I would be looking for an interesting place to stay to split these 2 sectors into a bit more manageable time-frames. 
As an aside, the last time I was in Ireland (I was driving) I stayed in a great B&B at a place called Camp which had a fabulous view and a small pub across the road and in Donegal town one night when I was in the pub I asked the bar-man what time they shut. He said "When you go home". I liked that town!
Regards,
Steve

Hi Stephen, 

Have you considered a stop at Tralee in between Kilkenny and Dingle?

Alternatively, you could stop at Limerick between Dingle and Westport. These are shorter journeys for you to consider. 

Cathaoir