Kudos for you for realizing you can't see the whole country in 8 days!

Is this your first time to Ireland? Keep in mind that in October the nights get longer very quickly, and therefore there is less daylight for sightseeing and traveling. Many rural Irish roads are not lit, and therefore traveling in unfamiliar areas may be difficult.

Use www.viamichelin.com for travel times, and then ignore them. Take the total mileage and calculate based on 30mph. There are times you will go faster, but also times you will go slower (stopping for breaks, photos, sheep, tractors, construction).

Personally, I would switch the two nights in Galway for some time in the southwest, such as Kenmare or Dingle, unless you have a particular reason for visiting Galway? It's a lovely city, but still a city.

What do you like doing/seeing? Shopping, nightlife, castles, ruined cemeteries, landscapes, charming villages, traditional music, etc.? That will help color and shape your needs/wants for this trip.

Mt. Juliet is a beautiful golf resort, if a bit stuffy. MDH had planned to golf there but changed his mind when we arrived. We had dinner at Kendals which is the more casual restaurant but still way "up there." The food and service was outstanding. Lady Helens restaurant is really, really high end.We weren't that fond of Kilkenny itself but enjoyed the surrounding area.

I'd also stay in Kenmare rather than Killarney and Dingle for the Slea Head and Conner Pass rather than the ROK. To us Kilkenny and Killarney were just rather huge towns and both a traffic mess. Kenmare and Dingle were quite charming and easy to get around. After Dublin I think you would appreciate the smaller towns with their adorable shops and quaint restaurants.

Here's the B&B we stayed in just outside of Kilkenny and it was lovely. There were large fields of sheep just across the road which maybe your 2 yr. old might enjoy.
http://www.newlandscountryhouse.com/

Oct. there will probably be a lot less traffic, but in Sept. the ROK was a traffic nightmare. The Slea Head and Connor Pass were both stunning and much easier to stop and enjoy the views.

IMO, I'd do this:
2 nights Dublin
2 nights Kilkenny
2 nights Kenmare
2 nights Dingle

These will be long drives between the cities so 2 nights is good. Also, if your flight takes off early from Shannon, Dingle might not work for the last night as it's a bit of a drive.

Just one persons opinion after several fantastic trips to Ireland.

As GreenDragon said above, give us more info on what you plan to do.

I'd forget about Dingle, Killarney, or Kenmare for an October visit. They are locations where scenery is the dominant attraction, and the combined effects of the days getting shorter and the risk of unsuitable weather could leave you very disappointed.

Since we are traveling with a toddler, I would say nightlife is the lowest priorty. We do enjoy a good pub though, so I'm sure we will stop in during the day / early evening for some food & hopefully catch some live music (which our daughter would love!).

Our interests are probably more landscapes, ruins/castle, & villages (all while incorporating some animals, play areas for our daughter). We will go in some shops, but we aren't big shoppers either. I visited Dublin about 12 yrs ago but nowhere else in the country and my husband has not been there at all. Most likely we would do the Hop On Hop Off bus there to get from place to place.

I happened to stumble upon Mt Juliet estate in my searches and it looked beautiful. Since they have suites with fully equipped kitchens, bike rides, a playground area, etc. it seemed like a family friendly (and beautiful) place to stay. We probably wouldn't eat in their restaurants, especially if they are as fancy as they sound!

2 nights Dublin
2 nights Kilkenny
2 nights Kenmare
2 nights Dingle

I like the idea of this itinerary above just wasn't sure if it would be feasible to get back to Shannon airport for a 12:45pm flight?

Would you choose Dingle over the Cliffs??