Crazy to skip Dingle?

Generally not a great idea to come off a redeye flight, exhausted and jetlagged, jump in a car and drive off in a foreign country. Doubly so if it's a country where they drive on the "opposite" side from what you're used to -- extremely dangerous. If you insist on doing this, be very, very careful. A better plan: instead, consider taking public transportation on your arrival day, and give yourself a chance to get a good night's sleep before attempting to drive on those narrow roads.

Reality check: You don't have 10 days, so stop kidding yourself. A more honest description of your trip is 8 days in Ireland (you shouldn't count your arrival nor your departure days as full, usable days). With just 8 days, it's going to be tough to include the far west of the country if you also plan to spend a couple days in Dublin. Dingle requires a lot of time (more than one might think just from looking at a map) to get to/from it. If you want to include Dingle (and have time to enjoy the town and surrounding areas) you would need to cut other stuff.

Agree with David, especially the advice about hitting the road immediately upon arrival. Rather than driving to Westport why not take the train (about 3 hrs) and pick up your car there once you've had a chance to get a good night's sleep. You could then work your way back to Dublin per the itinerary you've mapped out.

Adding to David’s input, depending on from where you’re flying, the arrival untimely could be rough. If you’re coming from the USA, to your bodies, 5AM in Dublin is somewhere between 6 in the evening and midnight, so staying up all day on your arrival could be a real challenge!

On our two trips to Ireland, both landing in Dublin, we caught a bus at the airport and headed to Galway, getting a nap each time. We collected our vehicle (bikes on Trip 1, car on Trip 2) when we were ready to leave Galway.

And we had several days/nights in Dingle on Trip 1, so it deserves at least a couple. It’s one of Rick Steves’ “back doors,” so hopefully you can get there on your next trip. Lots of people have never been, and never will, so you’re not crazy - just have something to add to your bucket list.

So I don’t know if a bus would be viable for you, if the bus schedule to Westport works. And from the airport, the bus passes thru downtown Dublin, so (if the sun is up by then) you get a mini tour of Dublin on the way!

EDIT: Robert’s post got logged while I was just wrapping up mine - so the train’s an option, but the 4-hour bus worked well for us. It even has a restroom onboard!

In answer to your question, there are many wonderful places you have to miss. It is just about choices and what your priorities (and time frame) have to be on this trip. So miss Dingle and enjoy all the other wonderful places you are going to see!

Thousands of tourists, even RS followers, visit Ireland every year and do not go to Dingle. They're not crazy to skip it and neither are you. Everyone sets their itinerary based on their time, budget, personal needs, and wishes. I've been to Ireland twice for a total of 4 weeks and have yet to go to Dingle. There are also many other sites/places in Ireland that I've not been able to fit into my itineraries and I don't feel any the less fulfilled for missing them. I love Ireland and maybe I'll get back there some day, then maybe I'll go to Dingle and maybe I won't but I won't be totally disappointed if I never get there.

You are not crazy. Ireland is better enjoyed slow. And if you were going to Dingle simply to check it off the list you’d be missing the point of going to Ireland.

After a long flight, I’m good for about 3 hours of driving before I have no business being on the road, driving on the left. Westport is about at 137 miles from Dublin, so you should be ok, especially if you can get a couple hours sleep on the flight. Most of the drive is via motorway, but the last 42 miles is 2-lane with no shoulder. To me, the rest of the itinerary looks fine.

To be honest, I've watched travel videos of Dingle and of numerous other places in Ireland, and I really have yet to understand why Dingle seems to stand out so much. Am I mistaken to think of it as a scenic peninsula, similar to the Ring of Kerry but not so full of tour buses? (Geographically it is the northernmost of four peninsulas at Ireland's southwest corner.) Maybe you just have to be there to "get it"?

As someone who loved Dingle (so much that we visited there again on our second trip) I agree that it doesn't make sense to try and squeeze it in on this trip, especially since you are flying into Dublin rather than Shannon. You've done the right thing to prioritize what is most important to you and I'd advise sticking to it. You'll be much more relaxed and can better enjoy the time you spend with your daughter!

Scenery wise, there are other locations that easily compete and perhaps beat Dingle, although Slea Head drive around the tip is quite scenic. We did it once on our own and once with the Sciuird Archelogy Tour (which was great!). Dingle Town itself is very cute and you can easily find trad (traditional) music in the many pubs.
Your days seem a little mixed up and I'm assuming Day 2 and Day 3 should be switched around. If that's not your intent, they should be!
Day 1-2) Westport area - I understand that some of your locations are due to family towns. As for ourselves, we have driven immediately after a long flight but we make sure to get some shuteye. (No movie watching or book reading!) Westport has it's charms. We actually happened to catch Matt Molloy in his pub. Achill Island is quite beautiful and the Atlantic Drive on the southern part of the island is gorgeous.
Day 3 aka 2) The Sky Drive out of Clifden as well as the drive to Roundstone are spectacular. Clifden is a cute town. We had intended to see Kylemore Abbey, but when we pulled into the parking lot and saw what seemed like hundreds of tour buses, we bagged any thought of a tour. There's a nice shop and cafe there, though. Most of the well-known photos of the Abbey are literally taken from the parking lot area.
Day 4 - this looks good. Keep in mind that there is a ferry crossing from Killimer to Tarbert (weather permitting, I suppose) that will save a lot of time. It is fast and easy although driving to Adare and then down to Kinsale is a straight shot.
Day 5-6: Consider taking Don and Barry's Historic Kinsale walking tour. It is excellent.
Day 7: This looks good. Consider the option of stopping at Glendalough and driving through the Wicklow Mountians over the Old Military Road through Sally Gap. After Rock of Cashel, you might not really have enough time, though.

Have fun!