Ireland in April

You're trying to do too much. Slow down.

If you want to visit the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher, go from Doolin on Doolin Ferries. That cuts out a drive and from the Ros A' Mhil ferry port in Conamara.

Be aware that lots of places, especially in Dingle, only open for the season at Easter. As you'll be there the week beforehand, make sure that you ring ahead and check that they are open.

I see you start with Fri & Sat nights in Dublin. Having done the same, I caution you to check whether your intended hotel often has noise from late-night partying. Our hotel & street seemed perfectly quiet in daytime, but from 1 AM to 5 AM it was bedlam outside, horns honking, people yelling and singing and arguing. At breakfast it was actually kind of pathetic / hilarious (depending on your POV) because some were bleary-eyed from partying, some still partying having never been to bed, and others extremely grumpy from having been kept awake by the noise. A taxi driver clued us in that people come from all over Europe to party in Dublin, especially "hen" and "stag" (bachelorette / bachelor) parties.

To plan how much driving is realistic, see the RS guide. Pages 8-9 outline a 3-week trip which you can adjust to your 2-week plan. One caution, though: you intend to drive from Galway to Dublin to catch your flight? I'd really try to turn in your car and stay the night in Dublin. You never know if some kind of road closure, car trouble, or other snafu could make you miss your flight, which would not be a happy conclusion to your trip. Alternatively, are you able to book open-jaw flights (arrive Dublin, depart Shannon)?

Provided that your flight doesn't leave at some ungodly hour, it is perfectly fine to drive from Galway town to Dublin Airport. It is motorway all the way, and takes a little over two hours.

With only 7 full days at your disposal I agree that you're trying to cram too much into your itinerary.
Am guessing that your flight from Boston is a red-eye, putting you into Dublin in the early morning of your first day...sleep deprived and jet lagged.
Since you won't be able to check into your hotel until mid-afternoon anyway, you might consider reversing your proposed circuit and catching the train from Dublin Heuston over to Galway (about 3 hours) to spend your first 2 or 3 nights. You could collect your rental car there and explore Galway and the Connemara area at your leisure, to include the ferry out to the Aran Islands and scenic drives exploring one of the prettiest parts of Ireland. Note that the Aran Ferry has a pickup point right in Galway so you wouldn't necessarily have to drive out to Rossaveel yourself. Might make for a much more relaxing day that way.
While Doolin is a pretty little place I think that in your case it's probably an outlier on your proposed itinerary and could be skipped this trip. Instead drive down to Dingle or Killarney by way of the Cliffs, then spend 2 or 3 nights exploring the ROK and/or Slea Head.
You could then stop by Cashel on your return to Dublin (skipping the overnight in Youghal), turn in the car, and enjoy your last couple of nights in the city before flying out on the 14th.
There are a lot of other places worth seeing, but I'd really suggest saving them for a future trip rather than running yourself ragged trying to do too much your first time out.
We've been in Ireland a couple of times in April and the weather was rather "changeable" ...to put it mildly. Point being that weather will likely be a factor for at least one or two of your days in the country, all the more reason (I think) to streamline your itinerary a bit so that you're not battling both the rain and some self-imposed timeline trying to fit everything in.
Safe travels.

Hi Friends,

Thank you very much for the feedback.

Here's some answers:

Yes, we will be in Dublin Friday and Saturday. I figure we will see the city ay our own pace, recover from jet lag and start driving on Sunday morning when we are fresh.

My flight back is at 2:30pm on the following Friday. I'll be fine getting from Galway back in time. I've travelled to China about 25 times for work from the US, I'm pretty good at making flights.

It seems like most of the "Real Ireland" I want to see is on the West Coast, so really, after the Rock of Cashel on Sunday, I'd like to spend most of my time after leaving Dublin Sunday monrning seeing the West Coast before heading back to Dublin on the last day. Should I simply drive to the Rock of Cashel Sunday morning and then head west and plant myself around the Dingle for a couple of nights before heading up to the Clifs and Galway?

Mark

Thanks everyone for the feedback, here's where I am right now.
Need some more help:

6 Arpil Thursday - leave Boston
7 April Friday - Arrive Dublin, spend day/night
8 April Saturday - Spend day/night in Dublin
9 April Sunday - rent car, hit the road early, see Rock of Cashel, make our way to Kilarney, stay at McSweeny's. I know this is a heavy driving day, but my goal is get get a full 4 days on the west coast
10 April Monday, Ring of Kerry or Dingle. WHERE SHOULD I STAY THIS NIGHT? Tralee?
11 April Tuesday, head north toward Doolin. Any recommendations on things between dingle area and Doolin...my father in law likes history, castles, old stuff, don't see many specifics online? Stay in Doolin. Find some music in a pub.
12 April Wednesday, Aran Island Tour, stay in Doolin again
13 Arpil Thursday, head toward Galways, stay over in Galway
14 April Friday - drive to Dublin and fly back to Boston at 2:30pm in the afternoon.

Thank you
Mark

You might find this website helpful in planning your driving time. To get more accurate driving times, add about 25% to their time estimates, and remember that these drive times do not allow for ANY stops. Any photo ops, lunches, sightseeing tours (like at Rock of Cashel, or time to spend at the Cliffs of Moher visitor center) will add to this time.

www.viamichelin.com

Just to make things more complicated. And also way less complicated. The first Rick Steves tour of the season for the Heart of Ireland begins on April 16. It visits many of the places on your list, and would allow you to enjoy the view and leave the driving to someone else. Like all RS tours, it will definitely give you a greater depth of information and personal connections than doing it on your own. Read the reviews and judge if it works for you.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/ireland/heart-ireland

Thank you so much for the information, I appreciate it. However, my flights are long booked for the times mentioned above.

Mark Adamowicz
Sutton, MA USA

It is unfortunate your flights are already booked....flying into Dublin and out of Shannon would reduce your driving significantly. I would always recommend more time in Dingle!