I don't agree with ignoring the East and southeast.
If you stay at the Ritz Carlton powerscourt in north Wicklow, you'll be in a beautiful base for exploring the Wicklow mountains.
Head up to Glencree, across the sally gap,down into glendalough, Laragh and glenmalure .
There's a lovely pub Guesthouse, the glenmalure lodge that you could use as a base for climbing lugnaquilla for instance, Ireland's third highest mountain. The scenery in that area is breath taking with many small mountain lakes,streams and mini water falls.
The accomadation at the lodge is very basic but does the job but the pub end is great with good wholesome local food.
I'd stay there if you do the mountain hiking but its doable in full day if based in the beautiful powerscourt R-c either.
You could even do your Dublin day from there too as its just 12 miles south of the city but you'd never know as you are in the hills and rural Ireland there already even though you are that near Dublin.

So I'd do 2 nights in powerscourt as a base for touring Wicklow on day one ,calling into the glenmalure lodge for a bite to eat,and Dublin on day 2 .

That's just another suggestion