We are hoping for a short stay week/10 days in Ireland in August next year. We have visited Ireland before and done Dublin and flying visits to other areas but want advice on which area to base in to see the most of real Ireland.
We want to fish, hire a boat, see castles,scenic villages etc. I have looked at Adare village which seems to be pretty central and from which we can venture out into the surounding areas both inland and coastal. There are not many recommendations for rentals on this site, so we may consider a hotel/inn or small complex with facilities for our 10 yr old.

Any help/ideas appreciated.

My daughter and her family are considering a vacation in Ireland next year, so if we can get a cheap flight with Ryanair we might meet up with them for a few days....esp if they'll let us bring our grandson back to Italy with us for a few weeks.

I too am beginning to do research, and will be following this thread for recommendations.

We spent a week in June hiking on the Kerry Way, which is in southwest Ireland. We flew into Shannon on Delta. At the end of our week we flew Ryanair to France. I thought the countryside was just beautiful and you could do all the things you mentioned-- fish, boat, castles, villages... also spectacular mountains.

We spent our first and last night in Kilarney and decided we could have enjoyed a whole week based there, even without the walking. You could take a look at some of our photos on my blog here. Our 12 year old daughter enjoyed the area a lot.

Kathy

I don't think you can go far wrong just about anywhere on the south or west coasts. One thing we've done a couple of times is fly into Dublin and take a lazy route around the southern side of the island to end up at Shannon (or the other way around).

For slower travel, I'd strongly consider the Cork coast (Kinsale to Bantry Bay) or the Dingle peninsula (try Heaton's Guesthouse in Dingle for the best breakfast in Ireland). I like the park around Killarney though the town itself is a little touristy. It still would make a good base, though. Adare is pretty (almost too pretty?) but also full of tourists. You could also try the west coast north of Limerick - Clare and Galway are very nice.

I found a great looking cottage in Garrykennedy which judging from the guest comments looks as if it is well advertised in the US. Has anyone on the board stayed there?, my concern would be if it was a little too remote.