Both. Staying in Galway for one night and Dingle for two.
That would be great,
@8893
Cool. Good call on Dingle
@nomar , especially at that time of summer, as it should be much less crowded than the Ring of Kerry. We did the Ring of Kerry because my grandfather was from Cahersiveen and I wanted to visit there, see my cousins and show my kids where he lived, etc. It was also still the end of the "shoulder season," and we set out early (around 9:00 a.m.) from Kenmare and did it clockwise (whereas the tour buses go counter-clockwise), detouring for the Skelling Ring, so we missed 95% of the bus traffic, which can get pretty hairy. If you are doing the Ring of Kerry, I definitely recommend doing it that way, as well as doing the Skelling Ring. There is a stunning turnoff from Skelling Ring for "the best cliffs in Kerry." Pay the fee and do it. They aren't lying. Also, Skelling Michael is the island on which they filmed the end of
The Force Awakens, as well as apparently much of the next
Star Wars installment, and it's pretty cool to view from the coast (you can also take a boat ride out there). Skelling Chocolate Factory is a nice stop near there.
Otherwise I don't have much for you in Dingle, as we did a night in Kenmare and a night in Cahersiveen because of our focus on that area of Kerry. If you plan a stop in Kenmare and/or Cahersiveen let me know and I'll give you the pubs and restaurant we liked.
As for Galway, we spent three nights there so we really dug in and loved it. If you will be there on a Saturday morning, definitely plan to spend a couple hours and a couple hundred dollars at the
Galway Market. We bought lots of souvenirs and gifts there, and ate a ton of great food. My wife also fell in love with several fine woolen items at a store called Designs of Ireland, that proved to have among the best selection and quality (and fairest prices, given the quality).
The most interesting sites there imo were the St. Nicholas Church, the various viewpoints of the River Corrib (including the Salmon Weir Bridge) and the Galway Cathedral. But really the most interesting thing in Galway is simply the street scene all throughout the day and night, particularly the Latin Quarter. Really high quality busking and people watching. By far the best street performers we saw anywhere.
For food, the best fish and chips we've ever had were at McDonagh's. They were really excellent. Blew away anything we had in England.
Martine's, owned by the sister of the guy who owns McDonagh's, is right across the street and is a very good choice for lunch or dinner, with a wide variety of appetizers and mains. We all loved our meals there.
The Salt House, owned by Galway Bay Brewing, is a nice place to grab a pint or three. Their IPA and double IPA were surprisingly good.
If you are a foodie and will be eating with others who are as well, consider a really fine, really different dinner at Loam, for which you will need a reservation well in advance. This is a "Michelin Star" restaurant, and it was an indulgence for me (although pricey by Ireland terms, it was about half what you'd expect to pay for a similar meal in NYC). I dragged my wife, who is not a foodie, there and we left the kids at the room. We did the seven course tasting menu, with wine pairings, and I loved it; and my wife grudgingly admitted that even she liked it a lot, although there were a couple items like beef carpaccio and monkfish liver that she wouldn't eat. The chef's philosophy is to use
only ingredients he can get in the west of Ireland, which obviously presents some limitations (e.g., spices, lemons, olives), but also some very interesting combinations and things I'd never had, and in some cases never even heard of before. Highly recommend it if you and those with whom you're going are adventurous eaters in that way.
If you are a coffee freak like I am, go to Coffewerk + Press for the best coffee you will find anywhere, made by people who are even more obsessive about it than I am. Even my teen daughter admitted it was the best coffee she ever had, and it was a daily stop for us.
As for the most important part, the music, the best we saw was at Tigh Coili, as well as a fantastic traditional session at Rabbit's, where at least a dozen musicians were playing the night I stopped in there. Also caught good sessions at Taafees, Tigh Fox and Sonny's/Front Door. If you're a whiskey fan, the selection at Tigh Neactain is pretty amazing, including several rare Irish whiskeys that you can't find in the States.
Otherwise, the Guinness really is better and goes down like milk. I couldn't resist at least a few pints of it every day. If you are a cider fan, look for Stonewell Cider from Cork, which was our favorite and available in many places in Galway; and Bulmer's is everywhere and also very good.
And if by chance you get sick of pub food and are looking for something different (which was the case with us by the third night), Tuco's Taqueria was surprisingly excellent, owned and run by Mexicans who could not have been nicer or more accommodating.
