well wednesday is not only a ton of driving it gives you zero time to "see" any of the places you will be driving through....then thursday again you are going to spend the entire day driving, with very little time to stop and "see" where you are....and then friday again, the morning in cork, and then the drive to dublin....no time to really "see" anything....you will accomplish nothing but to burn a good bit of petrol....

sorry but this is just way too much for so short a time.....you say the driving doesn't concern you, so if you just want to say "we were in bla bla bla" then go for it...if you want to "see" anything of ireland other than from the windshield of the car, rethink your plans and really "see" a small portion of ireland.....

reebs77

". . are we going to miss anything??" Yes, I'm afraid you will!

Just to give you an idea: Galway (city)-via Ballyvaughan (on the edge of the Burren)-Cliffs of Moher-Dingle is just over 240km and will take approx 5hrs to drive . . . . and that will just get you to Dingle town! (If you're driving down from somewhere in Connemara, you probably need to add another hour onto your journey). So much to see in the Burren (one of my favourite areas in Ireland):

http://www.burrenbeo.com

http://www.theburrencentre.ie

http://www.burrenpage.com

http://www.birdofpreycentre.com

You need at least a full day to see just a little of the beauty of the Dingle Peninsula: Slea Head Drive, Conor Pass, Dingle town (and there's so much more to enjoy). Have a look at my profile for reviews, photos and suggestions of what "not to miss" when visiting Dingle.

http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie

Dingle to Kenmare is an additional 2hr-drive . . .

Generally, people take a full day to tour the Ring of Kerry, usually starting in Kenmare or Killarney, returning to the same place that night (or possibly moving on a short distance . . ). If you wish to drive from Kenmare to Kinsale, then allow 2hrs for this drive.

Cork-Dublin is approx 253km, and will take very minimum 3.5hrs . . .

All times, routes taken from the following site - but bear in mind that the journey-times are "bare minimum" it will take to complete the route:

http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes/

I highly recommend you rethink your itinerary, decide what you really "must see", as your current plans give you no time to get out of the car and "see" or experience any of the delights of Ireland: the stunningly beautiful scenery, historic sites, music in the pubs (you'll be too tired after a day in the car!!), lovely friendly people . . . .

Maybe consider visiting either Dingle or Ring of Kerry, then heading up to Kilkenny rather than Kinsale/Cork (although even that's still quite a busy itinerary!).

http://www.kilkennytourism.ie

A far more leisurely approach which would give you more time to see and enjoy various places would be to spend one/two nights in co. Clare after leaving Connemara (maybe Doolin??), and one/two nights in Dingle or Kenmare/Killarney, then fly from Kerry airport up to Dublin on Ryanair, who offer cheap flights if you book far enough in advance:

http://www.ryanair.com

Doing this would give you time to fit in a trip to one of the Aran islands (boats leave from Doolin):

http://www.aranislands.ie

http://www.aranislandsfastferries.com

and maybe think about taking a guided walk through the Burren - the best way to appreciate the area:

http://www.burrenwalks.com

http://www.heartofburrenwalks.com

And when you get to Dingle, consider taking the short ferry ride from Dunquin across to Great Blasket Island, which is possibly my favourite place in the whole of Ireland:

http://www.greatblasketisland.com

Apologies for sounding negative, but unless you're happy spending whole days just driving around Ireland, you do need to rethink! Ireland is best enjoyed at a slow and leisurely pace.

:-)

I would second what the other responders said about your extensive driving plans.

Howwever, if you are determined to that, I would suggest Dingle over Kenmare for Wed night. Thurs would then be Dingle, Ring of Kerry, Kenmare, Kinsale which is do-able in one day, and in a logical flow. If you stay in Kenmare, and travel to Kinsale via the Ring of Kerry then you will not be travelling in a logical flow and will have to double back on yourself - check a map to see what I mean.

Wow, I am blown away by the amount of driving you intend to do in such a short time.

As the others have said, you will have not time to enjoy what you are seeing.

The Burren and Cliffs of Moher are do-able from Connemara and you could head towards Kerry after that.

Bear in mind that on the drive from Clare to Kerry, you may encounter some hold-ups in traffic.

I would be inclined to stay in Dingle rather than Kenmare as it makes more sense.

Then you could set off on Thursday morning for ROK.

Reebs: Please take the very good advise you have been given by the other posters!

You have chosen well by spending 2 days in Connemara. You will certainly need 2 days there.

You need at least 1 FULL day in Co.Clare.

I know the region pretty well (being a local) and during July we drove family relations to Connemara from Co.Clare (Bear in mind it was bright until 10.15pm).we did not stay overnight, we did alot of stopping to take photos. We did not get back home until midnight. WE were all sorry we did not book B&B for the night. I think you would be better served by spending one night B&B in Doolin then travel onto Dingle or Kenmare and perhaps leave Kinsale for another time. It will be worth your while to stop your car, take a deep breath and see Ireland :-)

If you are still eager to head straight to kerry from Connemara then I suggest you get on the road as soon as sun rises and head off but I think it's crazy idea. You will be passing such hidden gems such a s pretty towns,pubs,castles etc. Also the Burren Region has the biggest concentration of castles and Neolithic sites that you will not actually see if you just drive through.