Places to visit in Ireland?

We're flying into Dublin the second weekend of June and renting a car from there, can anyone recommend places to visit while we're there?  Thanks.

Whereabouts in Ireland will you be planning on travelling to? There are lots of places but it all depends. Kerry is probably my favorite place but is a bit out of the way in the southwest corner of Ireland. Galway and Donegal are lovely for scenery. Clare is another great county in the southwest. Dublin's city has lots of history and character. If you come up north, there is always Belfast and the Giant's Causeway. Derry has history as well. Lots of places...just depends on what you want to see and how far you want to go

There are some nice spots away from the more traditional tourist areas as well.  Leitrim and Cavan have some lovely places where you can just drive down quiet backlanes and enjoy the scenery.   The coastal strip around Co. Mayo is also well worth a visit if you like the rugged landscape, lots of little craggy inlets, etc.

Paul is right on the mark with those tips as well. There really is so much to see here so you really can't go wrong no matter where you go.

County Limerick has some lovely places! I lived there for two years and always found things to do.  King John's Castle in Limerick is a great place as is the Cathedral down the street (can't remember the name but it is the oldest in Ireland).  Adare is close to Limerick and is a very nice little town with thatched roofs and great little pubs. 

The Burren has beautiful landscape and is on the West Coast.  Since you have a car, you will have loads of options!

How long are you going to be there? If you're only there for the weekend, you'll probably need to stay closer to Dublin and of course there's loads to do there. Galway is about a 4-5 hour drive from Dublin, Connemara and the Burren are a bit further. My favorite place is Beara, just south of Kerry. Not touristy at all. But quite far as it was about 7 hours from Waterford.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!  We'll be there 5 days (Thur - Mon).  Long distances from Dublin are no problem because we haven't made our hotel reservations yet.

If you make it up to the North, I second the Giant's Causeway!  It is sooo cool!

Cork is a nice city to visit, then if you want to go see the Blarney Castle and stone you are quite close!

I went to Dublin for a Hen's Night in 2003.

A bus service ran around the city and went to every major attraction. Limerick Castle, Guiness Museum, military monument I can't remember the name of, the cathedral, among other places. The cost for an all day ticket was 10 Euros. The service was prompt and very easy to use, not to mention some of the drivers were hysterically funny. It was a bargain, and we didn't have to worry about parking.

I was hesistant about spending time at the Guiness museum, but it was much better than I thought it would be. When you buy your admission pass you automatically get a free coupon for a pint of Guiness, to be enjoyed at the Gravity (?) Bar. It's the museum's circular bar that offers a 360 degree view of the city, and that alone is worth visiting Guiness Land.

A word of caution. Before I visited Dublin I had no idea bartenders tended to ask ladies if they wanted a squirt of Ribena in their pint. My reaction then and now was ewwww ewww and double ewwwwwww.

Have a great time!

head to doolin in the far west. there are three great pubs in the village, all with phenomenal traditional musicians & seisuns. i've played bodhran in all of them.

it's about an hour or so away from galway by road.

you can catch the ferries out to the aran islands from doolin, too. the arans are my version of heaven.

head to doolin in the far west. there are three great pubs in the village, all with phenomenal traditional musicians & seisuns. i've played bodhran in all of them.

My friend named her Kerry Blue Terrier 'Doolin' after that village! 

I'm going to Ireland too...August 5-13!  I can't wait   We'll be staying in Dublin the entire time, so we plan to get to know the city up close and personal...anyone have absolute must-do's for Dublin and the immediate area?

anyone have absolute must-do's for Dublin and the immediate area?

Two words....Temple Bar

Two words....Temple Bar

I second that!  Also, they do a city bus tour and a Ghost bus tour that runs in the evening that is a blast!