I lived in Ireland for twenty five years and return at least once a year. We have never been prevented by the weather from doing the things we wanted to do. Variable weather is very much part of the character of Ireland and you should be prepared to work with whatever it brings. Summer showers bring rainbows, gloomy skies make for great long exposures, partial clouds bring great sunsets. Clear blue skies are a relative rarity. It is not unusual to have two or three different layers of clouds moving at different speeds in different directions. Anecdotally, most of my acquaintances seem to recall doing their 'Leaving Certificate' school exams during the best weeks of the Summer. The exams are held in the first two weeks of June. There is usually a nice 'Indian Summer' late September / early October. The Summer months bring long evenings which can be bright until nearly 11:00 pm.

For sheep, stone walls, fishing harbors etc you want the 'Wild Atlantic Way'. Google it. My favorite is the western tip of the Dingle Penninsula. Connemara in Co. Galway would be another spot. Achill Island in Co. Mayo has some very dramatic coastline and hasn't been overdone. As mentioned above, the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland - 'The Causeway Route' is spectacular and not to be missed.'

B&B are the best places to stay if you want to get a flavor of Ireland. Hotels go out of their way to present an 'International' business personality. Best way to see Ireland is by self drive. Ireland drives on the left and automatic transmission cars are very expensive. There are very few places more than 3 or 4 hour drive from Dublin. Can't help on the tours. CIEtours is the big tour operator, but I don't think you will get much opportunity for photographs beyond the quick stop. . If you want a dedicated photo tour check with your local camera clubs.

I have posted several 'Mini Themes' from my travels to Ireland here on UHH. Click on my avatar and check my topics to get some idea of what you might find. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Post your pics when you get back.

I went in the first two weeks of June and brought mostly shorts... Big mistake! I had to buy jeans and sweater. Nearly every day we had rain and sun. Our record was it rained 4 times and was sunny 5 times in the same day! You'll get so you don't care about getting rained on. The Irish knit sweaters have a lot of lanolin in them, we discovered, so throwing one on was almost like a rain jacket, which I didn't bring either! If you want to get an early start in the mornings and you're in the countryside, be prepared for sheep in the road. If your camera isn't weather friendly, bring some protection for it. If it is, cut off a small piece of a Shamwow (I know you fell for it at some home show) and stick it in your bag for wiping down temporarily until you can do a more thorough job. DO NOT get the Shamwow anywhere near lenses, viewfinders, etc.