Itinerary in Ireland

Hi,

I would tweak your plan a bit. If you are planning on doing the ring of Kerry from Kenmare, I would save Muckross House until after the ring, otherwise you will be backtracking. Stop in Killarny on the way to Dingle.

We spent 2 nights in Dingle, It is such a cute town, you may want three. That being said, we were there in Sept, the boats were unable to go to the Blasket Islands because the sea was too rough. Don't count on being able to make it there.

Seeing all that Galway has to offer and making it to Northern Ireland with the remaining six days, might be a stretch. You may want to add the other night in Dingle, 3 in Galway ( I like salt hill), 2 in Westport or Belmullet.

You could fly out of Shannon.

Mary

Mary is right - that's a lot of ground to cover in only 10 days.
Flying into Dublin and out of Shannon would sure simplify things.
To address some of your specific questions: Kinsale is beautiful. If the weather permits, walk the scenic harborside path to Charles Fort. Many pretty vistas and photo ops along the way. Stop to refuel (for a pub lunch and a Murphy's) at the Bulman in Summercove along the way. Sit next to the fire, have a 2nd pint, start chatting with the locals, have a 3rd pint, then call a taxi to take you home.
The side trip off the ROK to Valencia Island is a good idea. Know that the Skellig Michael trip is highly weather dependent, however. They won't know for sure whether the boats are running until that morning. If you're unable to make it out then a pleasant Plan B would be to just drive around the island and along the ocean front to the east of the island. The tour buses don't go there so it makes for especially pleasant driving.
Likewise the Blasket trip. Might be safer to take the ferry over to the Aran Islands for a most pleasant excursion. Can even pick up a functional souvenir by purchasing an Aran sweater directly from one of the ladies who's knitting them.
Dingle and Doolin are always good ideas. Possible day trip from Galway would be up to the village of Cong...about 45 minutes north of Galway. It's where "The Quiet Man" was filmed, and the village and its surrounds are still as picturesque as the were 60 years ago.
Our particular favorite area in Ireland is Connemara. Many spectacular drives & hikes if you're into that sort of thing.
Shame to miss Derry and the Causeway Coast but you'd really be stretching it to try to include a trip up there, IMO.
One publication we wore out while we were there was "Back Roads Ireland" - lots of detailed info on scenic drives and off-the-beaten-track locations. Can find on Amazon if you're interested.

Thanks for the suggestions. We will allow 1 day to drive the Dingle Peninsula and if not able to go to the Blasket Islands we will definitely visit the Blasket Center. If we want to leave Dingle town on Day 10 is it better to drive to Doolin and visit the Cliffs of Moher or should we stay in Ennis and go to the Cliffs. We also plan to visit the Aran Islands and the Steves book says it is better to take the ferry from Galway? and not from Doolin. Can the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands be visited on the same day or is that too much territory to cover. Would it be a good idea to take the ferry from Doolin to the Aran Islands and then a ferry to Galway at the end of the day. Thanks for your help.

Not sure why you're staying in Ennis, but if it's going to be a travel day anyway I'd suggest taking the Tarbert ferry across the Shannon (takes about 60 seconds for the crossing, and is first come first served)- will save you a bit of time rather than going all the way around via Limerick. The drive to Doolin from Kilrush will be much more scenic too.
We've only taken the ferry to the Aran Islands from Galway and can't comment on how it works from Doolin. As I recall it's a longer trip to get to Inishmore from the Doolin side due to stops along the way, whereas the ferry from Galway is a straight shot both ways.
We enjoyed Inishmore very much and would recommend a full day to explore the island and poke around Dun Aengus. It's an easy place to linger, especially if you fall into conversation with one of the nice ladies making one of those Aran sweaters. Had the feeling that we were just talking with a neighbor on her back porch while she tended to her knitting.
Believe that the Aran ferry is pedestrian only, fyi. see http://aranislandferries.com/

We will be staying in Westport on the 13th night of our Ireland trip. We plan to tour the next day in that area then begin to drive across Ireland to NewGrange. We will need to stay overnight on the way. Does anyone have a suggestion on where to stay and what to see as we travel from the west over to the east? Thanks

You will get to the Cliffs before reaching Doolin if you are coming from Dingle. We stayed in Liscannor, and passed the Cliffs while driving to Doolin for dinner. I second the suggestion to take the ferry, but it's not quite as fast as Robert suggests. Once the boat is loaded, it takes about 20 minutes. You can get out of your car, though, and walk up top while you cross.

Thanks for the reply. We will plan to take the ferry at Tarbert and drive up the coast to Doolin where we will visit the Cliffs of Moher that day or after spending the night in Doolin. We are staying one night in Doolin and then on to Galway where we will visit the city and get a tour to the Aran Islands . Any ideas on what to see around Westport? We plan to drive to Cong after Westport and then to NewGrange before ending our trip. Any ideas on whether we should stop to visit any place in the Midlands? Thanks again for all the suggestions.

The monastic settlement at Clonmacnoise (near Athlone) would be a good enroute stop if the weather permits.
We also enjoyed the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Center near Newgrange - an especially evocative place if you're at all into Irish history.