West side of Ireland

With 4 days if you want to see Galway and Dingle with two nights in Galway, it makes sense to spend the other two nights in Dingle. DIngle is a 3 ½ to 4 hour drive from the Cliffs of Moher, so if you drive from Galway to the Cliffs, then to Dingle, that will take up a good part of the day.

There is more than enough to see and do in and around Dingle for a two night stay. The Slea Head Drive is beautiful, and there are side trips to explore back roads off the main drive. Also, if you get cloudy rainy weather one day, you can explore Dingle and hope for clearer weather on the second day.

All the best,

Raymond

Remember that 2 nights is only one full day. I agree with spending 2 nights in Dingle. Where will you be before and after these 4 nights?

No, you don't need ankle boots. It sounds like you will mostly be in cities or on paved or graveled paths. Assuming that is the case, water resistant shoes, sandals or footwear you don't mind getting moist will be fine. While it may rain, it is unlikely to be a day long deluge.

Honestly, Galway is nice enough, but Dingle and the area around it is way more special. I'd consider one night in Galway, then head straight for Dingle and spend the rest of your time there/around there. Worth considering: It's a long way back from Dingle to Dublin (or most of Ireland). You don't specify how you came to your statement of "I have 4 days on the west side of Ireland" or how those days fit into the rest of your plans, but getting there/getting back (where you're coming from, where you need to be next) should influence your plans.

In July, the weather could be fair, dry, even warm (I got a sunburn). But it could also be rainy and soggy, at least at times (I got some of that, too). You just need to be prepared for a variety of conditions.

fcraymond76's suggestions sound wonderful! My siblings did that exact thing and still say it was in their top vacation experiences. That was our initial plan, but it make things wonky for the rest of our trip.

We were looking at something similar and had to realize not every minute of the trip would be optimized. That's how it goes if there are specific things you want to experience. Our plan is to spend two nights in Galway. Not to visit Galway, but as a good stopping point, as I've already been there. We'll drive in night 1, going on an all day outing day 2, and leave day 3. We'll get up super early and head down to the Ring of Kerry for two nights. We're actually going pretty far that day, which sets us up nicely for the rest of the trip. My long point being that yes drive times can eat into your trip as other posters point out, but don't let that derail you. And, sometime staying one night, then moving again is a good thing if it helps with positioning for the next part of the trip.

We've been to Ireland in all the summer months. Ankle boots are not necessary and IMO are overkill. You might want to invest in some waterproof hiking shoes. I won't leave home without mine. They were helpful the day it poured while we were in the Burren and I tromped thru the field, in the rain, to see poulnabrone Dolmen. My feet stayed dry.

Good advice from the others about making your second stop in or near Dingle.
Question is: if your main interest is the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren then why stay in Galway at all? Suggest staying in Doolin instead - a cute little town from which you can book a late afternoon/evening boat trip to view the cliffs from the perspective of the water when they're illuminated by the setting sun. From Doolin the coastal drive south towards Dingle would be a lot shorter and you'd be able to enjoy one of Ireland's great scenic drives at your leisure, with perhaps a stop for lunch in Kilkee where there's another cliff walk. Can stretch your legs there before crossing the Shannon on the Tarbert Ferry and continuing on your way.
Unless you plan to do serious hiking well off the beaten path you don't need ankle boots, in fact you probably don't need specialty footwear at all except for comfortable walking shoes.

Hello from Wisconsin,
Not to be too hard on Galway. Skip it. DIngle/Beara/Slea head. And inland from there. Very nice.

wayne iNWI