A tale of two itineraries

Some thoughts:

If you visit Glendalough, you can probably skip Clonmacnoise - or vice versa. I'm pretty sure they're roughly the same experience.

I've only been on the Ring of Kerry. If I had to do it over, I'd choose Dingle and maybe make it two days with a night in Dingle. If you visit Dingle peninsula, you aren't adding much by also driving around the Ring of Kerry.

Maybe use the time spent on those to either slow down slightly or see a different type of sight. It may be hard to plan for in March but an island ferry, if the weather is good enough, to either Skellig Michael or Inishmore would be a good addition.

I'm going for my second trip in May and focusing on the north this time.

I would not ever consider option 2.

Option 1, in my opinions trying to for far too much in. You will basally not see much of Dingle or Galway.

You cannot do it all in the time you have. Decide what is a must and keep the rest for next time you go to Ireland.
The beauty of Ireland is spending time taking things in, stopping in unexpected places, spending 3 hours in the pub speaking with the locals etc.

We have visited Ireland several times. What draws you to Ireland? If it is the scenery, then I would suggest that you limit your visit to the southern half of Ireland and don't spend much time in Dublin.

This itinerary is only six hundred miles, so quite doable over a week: Glendalough, Dingle (stop for a break in Adare), Kenmare, Kinsale, Rock of Cashel, Dublin. Specifics: 2 hours is enough to explore Glendalough, you need one full day to enjoy Dingle (so 2 nights), you can drive the ROK the day you drive from Dingle to Kenmare, detour to drive the north side of the Beara Peninsula enroute to Kinsale (the one place here that we have never visited), two hours is enough time for Rock of Cashel.

Other random suggestions: The Gap of Dunloe is spectacular. You will have limited daylight in March - pack picnic lunches so you aren't wasting your daylight hours sitting in restaurants. We had one trip to Ireland in April - it rained frequently. I imagine March would be similar.

Okay. I'd skip #2 altogether. #1 is way way too much driving and too many one nights stays. One example ......you want to adequately explore the Dingle Penninsula then drive to Doolin ??? That is listed as a 3 hr 20 minute drive which - at best- is 4 1/2 hour in reality without considering stops. To even contemplate that you will have to skip or race through much what makes Dingle special. It can be "done" in a full day but we spent a week there and didn't exhaust all the treasures of that one place.

You need to ask what you want out of the trip. Our first trip we fell into the trap of trying to see everything possible because we wanted to see as much of Ireland as possible. What a mistake that was. We saw a lot ....but raced past treasures...spent far too much time in a car and were exhausted. My memories of that trip have little to do with real Ireland.

The goal should be to truly experience Ireland as much as one can in the time allotted. Less is DRASTICALLY more there. Multi night stays SO much better than flying from one stop to another on one night stays. I wouldn't care if I only had one trip in a lifetime there I'd with only really 8 days available pick two, at most three reasonably close locations. Linger, explore, allow time for your own discoveries.

A couple of examples....why go to the beautiful but touristy, tour bus filled Cliffs of Moher wasting the better part of a day in travel to get there when you would be on the ROK and have the far more wild, non touristy and beautiful Cliffs of Kerry right there. They are BETTER, right there and give you time instead of driving 4-5+ hours.....to instead visit the Abbey and Castle Ruins at Ballinskellig, have some world class chocolate at Skellig Chocolates, see Skellig Michael....stop in at Cafesiveen in Cahersiveen for incredible Irish baked goods and amazingly friendly folks, enjoy incredible seafood chowder at the Lobster Bar or eat fantastic food at An Corcorans in Waterville. All right there. Then finish off the night at The Blind Piper pub in Caherdaniel relaxing for a few hours with some if the warmest, funniest people on the planet. FAR better than racing around from one tourist spot to another like Killarney (ugggh) or Moher.

Another example on Dingle just on a one day drive, we stopped at a home based bakery outside of Dunquin - we had the time since we weren't racing somewhere - to spend 45 minutes or so with two awesome ladies who took us into their kitchen talked about recipes, history, taught us some additional Irish, teased me and enriched our lives.....then when stopping to take some photos were approached by a farmer moving his sheep....We ended up talking, sharing tea from the largest thermos I've seen and made a friend.

Ireland is a small country but you can't begin to see it in 8 days. So don't try. There is literal magic around almost every corner and you'll mss it in a car. Believe me eating a sausage roll with a very proud local woman who brings them in each day to a tiny market is a better life memory EXPONENTIALLY to seeing the Cliffs of Moher.

Pick a couple or a few spots. If your committed to Dublin....then enjoy the east...Newgrange, Glendalough the Wicklow Mountains and if you must go west pick one spot like Castlemaine which is great for access to the ROK, Dingle and the sights around (not in) Killarney. Pause and experience real Ireland - it's scenery, it's history and its incomparable people. Learn from our mistakes and enjoy one of the best spots in the world.

"Pick a couple or a few spots. If your committed to Dublin....then enjoy the east...Newgrange, Glendalough the Wicklow Mountains and if you must go west pick one spot like Castlemaine which is great for access to the ROK, Dingle and the sights around (not in) Killarney. Pause and experience real Ireland - it's scenery, it's history and its incomparable people. Learn from our mistakes and enjoy one of the best spots in the world."
Couldn't agree more. This paragraph encapsulates some of the best advice you're likely to get regarding a 1st visit to Ireland.
Both of your proposed itineraries are too busy by half. Take the advice you've received from the others to heart and resist the urge to try to "see everything" - it's really self defeating if your goal is to experience Ireland rather than just seeing parts of it from behind the wheel of your car.
If there's a country that's meant to be savored at a slow pace it's Ireland.

Saturday (Dublin)
• Arrive in Ireland
• Temple Bar
• Musical Pub Crawl

Sunday (Kilkenny)
• St. Canice’s Cathedral
• Dominican Black Abbey
• Rothe House
• Smithwick’s Experince
• St Mary’s Cathedral
• Kilkenny Castle

Monday (Killarney)
• Ross Castle
• Ross Island
• Muckross House and Abbey
• Torc Waterfall

Tuesday (Killarney)
• Ring of Kerry Bus Tour

Wednesday (Doolin)
• Burren Way
• Cliffs of Moher

Thursday (Doolin)
• Aryan Islands

Friday (Galway)
• St Nicholas Collegiate Church
• Lynch’s Castle
• Eyre Square
• Galway Cathedral
• National University
• Galway City Museum
• Spanish Arch

Saturday (Dublin)
• General Post Office
• Guinness Storehouse
• Kilmainham Goal
• Trinity College
• St Stephens Green
• Glasnevin Cemetery