14-Day Full Irish Loop: Self-Launched Small-Group Free Version

Arrive and check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in the city centre (Smithfield, Temple Bar fringe or near Connolly Station all work well). Pick up a Leap Card for discounted city transport, then use a 24-hour hop-on hop-off bus pass (about £18, bookable on GetYourGuide or Klook) to orient yourself. Self-book Guinness Storehouse entry online in advance (about £22–26) and take a self-guided wander round Dublin Castle's state apartments (about £8). Evening: pint and trad music in Temple Bar — pricey, so consider The Cobblestone in Smithfield instead.

🚌Dublin Airport to city: Airlink/Dublin Express bus ~£7, or public bus 16/41 ~£2.50 with Leap Card

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Dublin city centre (~£28–40/night)

• →Hop-on hop-off bus 24hr pass (~£18)
• →Guinness Storehouse self-booked ticket (~£24)
• →Dublin Castle state apartments (~£8)
• →Optional: Book of Kells / Trinity College (~£19)

Take the Enterprise train from Dublin Connolly to Belfast Lanyon Place (about 2h10, roughly £20–30 if booked ahead on Irish Rail/Translink). Drop bags at a hostel in the Cathedral Quarter or Queen's Quarter. Self-book the Titanic Belfast experience online (about £22–25) and book a Paddy Campbell-style Black Cab political murals tour directly or via GetYourGuide (about £20–25 per person sharing). Note you're now spending pounds sterling — keep some cash for smaller spots.

🚌Enterprise train Dublin–Belfast ~£20–30 one way

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Belfast (~£22–32/night)

• →Titanic Belfast self-booked ticket (~£24)
• →Black Cab murals tour (~£22)
• →Evening wander of Cathedral Quarter

Base yourself in Portrush or Bushmills (hostel or B&B, about £25–35). The most economical route is the Ulsterbus 218 or the seasonal Causeway Coaster bus, or take the train to Coleraine and bus onward (combined roughly £10 each way from Belfast). Self-book National Trust combined entry for Giant's Causeway visitor centre (about £13, though the stones themselves are free to walk to) and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (about £12, book a timed slot online in summer). Optional: Bushmills Distillery tour (~£12) and a free look at Dunluce Castle ruins from the cliffs.

🚌Train Belfast–Coleraine + bus 402/218 to Causeway ~£10–12 each way

🛏Hostel or B&B, Portrush/Bushmills (~£25–35/night)

• →Giant's Causeway (visitor centre ~£13, stones free)
• →Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (~£12)
• →Optional Bushmills Distillery tour (~£12)
• →Dunluce Castle clifftop walk (free)

Bus or train to Derry/Londonderry (about 1h15 from Portrush area, roughly £7), spend a couple of hours walking the walls (free) then continue by Bus Éireann/Expressway into Donegal (about 2h, roughly £10–14). Settle into a hostel or family-run B&B in Donegal Town, or push to Killybegs if you want the harbour village vibe. Evening trad music in a Donegal Town pub (many have free sessions).

🚌Bus Portrush–Derry ~£7; Derry–Donegal Town ~£12

🛏Hostel or B&B, Donegal Town (~£25–35/night)

• →Derry city walls walk (free)
• →Donegal Town and Diamond
• →Free trad music session in a local pub

Donegal's sights are scattered and public transport is thin, so the smart backpacker move is either a shared/local tour (a Slieve League and Donegal day tour runs about £35–45 via GetYourGuide or local operators) or a hired bike for the day (~£15). Walk the Slieve League cliffs (free; the viewing path is steep but short), swing by Killybegs fishing village and optionally Glenveagh National Park (free entry, small shuttle fee to the castle). If you want a proper hike, Mount Errigal is a 3–4 hour return climb with no public transport — arrange a taxi share from Dunlewey or join a guided hike.

🚌Local day tour share ~£40 or bike hire ~£15

🛏Hostel or B&B, Donegal Town (~£25–35/night)

• →Slieve League cliffs (free)
• →Killybegs fishing village
• →Glenveagh National Park (free, shuttle ~£4)
• →Optional Mount Errigal hike (guide/taxi share ~£20–30)

Long transit day: Bus Éireann route 64/Expressway from Donegal to Galway via Sligo takes around 3.5–4.5 hours and costs roughly £15–20. Break the journey in Sligo to see Rosses Point or Strandhill beach (local bus, ~£3) if you fancy a leg-stretch. Arrive Galway, check into a hostel in the Latin Quarter or near Eyre Square (about £25–35), and eat your way round the West End — Galway is Ireland's best food city for budget travellers.

🚌Bus Donegal–Galway ~£15–20 (with optional Sligo stop)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Galway (~£25–38/night)

• →Sligo stop: Rosses Point or Strandhill beach
• →Galway Latin Quarter wander
• →West End food crawl

No train reaches Connemara, so join a small-group Connemara day tour (about £45–55 bookable via GetYourGuide or Klook) covering Kylemore Abbey & Gardens (entry ~£15 included or separate), the Killary Sheep Farm (sheepdog demo ~£10), Leenane and the Sky Road at Clifden. Alternative: take the public Bus Éireann 923 to Clifden (~£10 each way) and explore the Sky Road on foot or by bike. Aran Islands day trip from Rossaveal (ferry ~£25 return plus bus ~£8) is a great swap if the weather is kind.

🚌Connemara day tour ~£50 or bus 923 to Clifden ~£20 return

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Galway (~£25–38/night)

• →Kylemore Abbey & Gardens (~£15)
• →Killary Sheep Farm demo (~£10)
• →Sky Road, Clifden
• →Optional Aran Islands ferry day trip (~£33 with bus)

Bus to Ennis (~£8), then to Limerick (~£5) and onward to Tralee (~£10), then a local bus down to Dingle (~£7) — total roughly £28–30 and a solid 4–5 hours. Alternatively base in Killarney (more hostel choice, about £22–30) and day-trip Dingle. In Dingle, drop bags, walk the harbour and enjoy a pint in one of the famous music pubs (Dick Mack's, Foxy John's) — free entertainment most nights.

🚌Bus chain Galway–Ennis–Limerick–Tralee–Dingle ~£28–30

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Dingle (~£25–35/night)

• →Dingle harbour walk
• →Dick Mack's and Foxy John's trad pubs
• →Optional Dingle Distillery tour (~£15)

Hire a bike in Dingle (~£18 for the day) and ride the Slea Head Drive loop — about 40km of cliff-road with Iron Age beehive huts, the Blasket Centre (entry ~£5) and strand beaches. If cycling isn't your thing, join a Slea Head minibus tour (~£30). Food tip: order fish and chips from a harbour van and eat on the pier.

🚌Bike hire ~£18 or Slea Head minibus tour ~£30

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Dingle (~£25–35/night)

• →Slea Head Drive by bike
• →Blasket Centre (~£5)
• →Beehive huts and Coumeenoole Beach

Bus from Dingle to Killarney (~£10, about 1h15). From Killarney, the cheapest Ring of Kerry option is a public Bus Éireann 280 loop bus (seasonal, ~£15 for a day hop-on pass) or a small-group Ring of Kerry tour (~£35–45). Walk to Torc Waterfall from Muckross House (free, about 45 minutes each way) and explore Killarney National Park on foot or by hired bike (~£12). Evening in Killarney town: free trad music in several pubs.

🚌Bus Dingle–Killarney ~£10; Ring of Kerry bus pass ~£15–45

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Killarney (~£22–32/night)

• →Ring of Kerry drive (bus pass ~£15 or tour ~£40)
• →Torc Waterfall walk (free)
• →Killarney National Park by bike (~£12)
• →Muckross House grounds (free)

Train Killarney–Cork (~£14, 1h30). Base in Cork city (hostel in the centre, ~£25–32). Bus 215 to Blarney (about 20 min, ~£3 each way) and self-book Blarney Castle & Gardens online (~£17 — go early to beat the stone-kissing queue; give it a miss if crowds bother you and enjoy the gardens instead). Alternative: bus to Kinsale (~£5) for the harbour, Charles Fort and a self-guided walking route using a free map from the tourist office.

🚌Train Killarney–Cork ~£14; local buses to Blarney/Kinsale ~£6–10 return

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Cork city (~£25–32/night)

• →Blarney Castle & Gardens (~£17)
• →Kinsale harbour and Charles Fort (~£5 entry)
• →Cork English Market (free)
• →Optional Blarney Woollen Mills browse

Bus from Cork to Cashel (~£13, about 1h45) for the Rock of Cashel (entry ~£10) and the ruined Hore Abbey across the fields (free). Continue by bus to Waterford (~£8). Check into a hostel or budget B&B (~£25–33), then self-book the House of Waterford Crystal tour (~£14) and wander the Viking Triangle — Reginald's Tower, Christ Church Cathedral and the Medieval Museum (combined heritage pass ~£15).

🚌Bus Cork–Cashel ~£13; Cashel–Waterford ~£8

🛏Hostel or budget B&B, Waterford (~£25–33/night)

• →Rock of Cashel (~£10)
• →Hore Abbey (free)
• →House of Waterford Crystal tour (~£14)
• →Viking Triangle heritage pass (~£15)

Bus or train back towards Dublin, stopping in Meath. Brú na Bóinne/Newgrange requires a booked slot at the visitor centre (about £7 for the centre, £15 for the passage-tomb tour — book well ahead via Heritage Ireland, it sells out). The Hill of Tara is free and reachable by local bus from Navan or by taxi share. End the day in Dublin (hostel near Connolly or Heuston, ~£28–40) for an easy airport run tomorrow. Allow roughly £20–25 total in intercity travel.

🚌Bus/train Waterford–Dublin with Meath stop ~£20–25

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Dublin (~£28–40/night)

• →Newgrange / Brú na Bóinne visitor centre (~£22 combined)
• →Hill of Tara (free)
• →Last-night pint in Dublin

Airport bus from the city centre (~£7, 30–40 min). If your flight is late, stash bags at the hostel and do a final free walk — the Grand Canal, St Stephen's Green or the Chester Beatty library (free entry) all fit nicely.

🚌Dublin Express/Airlink to airport ~£7

🛏—

• →Chester Beatty library (free)
• →St Stephen's Green walk (free)