Introducing Ireland
Few countries have a tourist image so plagued by cliché as Ireland. From shamrocks and shillelaghs to leprechauns, lovable rogues and 40 shades of green, there’s a plethora of platitudes to wade through before you scramble ashore on the real Ireland.
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But it’s well worth looking beyond the tourist tat, for the Emerald Isle (oops, there we go again) is one of Europe’s gems, a scenic extravaganza of lake, mountain, sea and sky that’s still gorgeous enough to make your jaw drop despite the best efforts of developers to scar some of the most beautiful bits with serried ranks of holiday homes. From the lonely, wind-lashed wilderness of Donegal to the picture-postcard harbour villages of County Cork, there are countless opportunities to get outdoors and explore, whether it’s surfing the beach breaks of Bundoran, cycling the coast of County Antrim, or hiking the hills of Kerry and Connemara.
There are cultural pleasures too, of course, in the land of Joyce and Yeats, U2 and the Undertones. Dublin, Cork and Belfast all have top-notch restaurants, party-on pubs and a foot-stomping live-music scene, while you can track down impromptu pub sessions of traditional Irish music in places like Galway, Doolin and Killarney. And there’s a wealth of history to discover, from the countless medieval castles and early Christian monasteries to the powerful political murals of Belfast and Derry, and one of the biggest concentrations of prehistoric monuments in Europe.
So enjoy your Guinness by all means, but push aside the forest of shamrocks for a bit and try to get a glimpse of the real Ireland.
Last updated: Jan 17, 2011
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Ireland
Things to do
- All things to do (2,420)
- Activities (303)
- Entertainment (506)
- Restaurants (633)
- Shopping (319)
- Sights (652)
- Tours (7)
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Our Top Picks For Ireland
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1 Connemara
Traverse its wild and barren hinterland and skirt its dramatic coast
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2 Aran Islands
Stroll or cycle these small magical islands
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3 Brú Na Bóinne
Walk the dark tunnel into prehistory at these magnificent Neolithic passage graves
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4 Derry
Ancient history, and terrific pubs in one of the country’s most fascinating cities
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5 Glen Gesh Pass
A generous slice of alpine magic in the wilds of Donegal
Fast Facts about Ireland
- Irish adults who have satellite TV
25%
- Mobile phone subscriptions in Ireland
4.3 million for 86% of the population
- Number of visiting tourists per year
7.3 million (more than there are residents)
- Territory size
70, 300 sq km
- Annual earnings from tourism
€5 billion
- Biggest no-no
Don’t say ‘begorrah’ – they’ll just laugh at you
- Inflation
4.5%
- Unemployment rate
12.6%
- Population
4.2 million (Republic), 1.7 million (Northern Ireland)
Our favourite Ireland Blogs (beta)
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Trim, Ireland Wishes You Were Here
Blog: Suzy Guese - 27 January 2012
When I reach the last few days of a trip, I tend to look at these remaining destinations with finality. On my way to the Dublin Airport, I decided to spend that finality in Trim, a place where many spent their own end. The small town just west of Ireland’s capital used to be a [...]
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Written in Dublin
Blog: Aerohaveno: A Travel Blog - 25 January 2012
As part of my trip to Ireland last year (hosted by Aer Lingus and Tourism Ireland), I investigated the famous literary heritage of Dublin.
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Songs of Love from the Celtic World: A Stor Mo Chroí
Blog: Music Road - 14 January 2012
Love: subject of eternal questions, eternal answers, and loads and loads of songs and tunes. Love from many directions is the focus of A Stor Mo Chroi, a two disc collection of thirty tracks. Artists from the varied worlds of Celtic music contribute music, among them Niamh Ni Charra, John Spillane, Capercaillie, Damien Dempsey, Loreena McKennitt, and Grada.
