Help needed: Two week August selfdrive tour of Ireland itinerary

We did a similar tour in 12 days a few years back, we did skip Cork, so it should be doable.

One thing I enjoyed a lot was Newgrange between Belfast and Dublin, it doesn't take long to reach on the motorway from eigther city.
Also we liked the singing pubs in Doolin, very touristy but the bus tours are usually gone by 9pm and then it's nice again, from there you can take a boat tour along the Cliffs of Moher and to the Aran islands.

We travelled in June and in one town we had a hard time finding a bed for the night, otherwise no problems, but you will be there during high season so some pre booking might be a good idea, even if you only call ahead a day or two.
The hostel in Belfast had free parking, in Dublin we stayed at a hotel between the airport and the city which also had parking, but don't know if it was free because we dropped the car off as soon as we got to Dublin.

Pre-book ferry tickets. There is usually availability but it'll be cheaper.

Belfast is safe and while I might recommend avoiding mid-July it is largely safe even then.

If you do decide to do Donegal and Sligo then go Belfast-GC-Derry-Donegal-Sligo and continue the counter-clockwise loop around the coast.

You might be pushing yourself timewise and it is important to remember than off the larger roads on the island of Ireland your speeds will be about 60-70km/h at times.

August is probably a time of the year you'll want to book ahead for accom.

I think you'll end up doing a lot of driving, and not much time looking, and only get little glimpses. I once spent 10 days in Connemara, Sligo and Donegal, driving in and out via Dublin, and my wife was annoyed we only had time for the south of Donegal.... But if seeing the Wicklow mountains means an hour at Glendaloch and driving your car over Sally Gap and goodbye, then maybe for someone of that level of attention it's OK.

In August there will be festivals in a couple of the places you mentioned (i.e. Galway oyster festival). So reservations will be a challenge if you are going to wait until arrival. Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula are similar experiences with the exception that you'll encounter a lot of traffic on the Ring.

I agree that while this is doable, you will be doing a lot of driving and not much exploring and getting to know the country. I'd skip Blarney (but would go to Kinsale). Unless you really like to encounter lots of tourists (esp in July/August) you might want to look at other interesting alternatives.