planing a holiday to the Republic of Ireland in August?

Here I searched it for you that you may want to consider:

The Connemara Countryside

Covering 2,000 hectares of Connemara mountain countryside, this beautiful area is one of Ireland's five national parks.

Two short signposted nature trails, which start at the Visitor Centre in Letterfrack, allow views of Ballinakill Harbour, Inishbofin and Inishark. The Connemara countryside is located in Letterfrack, Galway county.

The Cliffs of Moher

Just north of Lahinch, on the coast of West Clare, are the Cliffs of Moher... one of the most breathtaking tourist attractions in Ireland.

Boldly facing the Atlantic, the Cliffs of Moher are the highest cliffs in Europe. The cliffs are also the site of ancient buildings once used as watch towers to warn of invading Vikings.

From its vantage point you can view the Clare coastline, the Aran Islands and mountains as far apart as Kerry and Connemara.

Even though the kids may find it a little boring, anyone who appreciates majestic scenery is sure to be awed by the Cliffs of Moher.

The Burren

The Burren, situated in South County Clare and North County Kerry, is a huge area covered in lime stone. Sound boring? On the contrary!

The Burren is another tourist attraction in Ireland shrouded in mystery. Plants grow at the Burren that won't grow anywhere else in the world.

It's quiet here, but if you can give the Burren Outdoor Pursuit Center a try if you're seeking excitement. You can rock climb its spectacular rock faces, canoe its lakes, or crawl through its caves.

Far be it from me to get my knickers in a twist (I'm not even Irish) but in case you didn't realise it 3 of the counties in the Republic of Ireland are actually in the province of Ulster (Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan) so your comment about differentiating makes little sense. If you know the use of the word "South" is going to rile people why use it? You already stated Republic of Ireland clearly in your question so people are not likely to guide you towards visiting the Giant's causeway or Belfast.

To answer your question it really depends which part of Ireland you are visiting, its a big enough country, how long are you coming for? Do you prefer cities or the countryside? If you intend visiting the SW there will be quite enough to keep you occupied for a week but if you are coming for 2 weeks you may want to divide your holiday in to 2 or 3 different locations and explore as much as you can from each base, say 3 days in Dublin, 4 days on the West coast maybe around Connemara and 7 days in the SW. Nothing worse than driving, unpacking, sleeping then moving on the next day. All you will see is what you can glimpse from your car window.

Perhaps if you could add information about which area you intend visiting people can advise you further. This website has some basic information http://www.discoverireland.com/int/ireland-things-...