Kinsale
Based in the 17th-century courthouse that was used for the inquest into the sinking of the Lusitania, this eclectic museum contains local curiosities as…
Must-see attractions in Ireland
Temple Bar
This small gallery devoted to the photograph is set in an airy three-level space overlooking Meeting House Sq. It features a constantly changing menu of…
Temple Bar
Anyone with an interest in Irish contemporary music must visit the CMC’s national archive where you can hear (and play around on an electronic organ) 10…
Temple Bar
Fishamble St, Dublin's oldest street, dates back to Viking times. Brass symbols in the pavement direct you towards a mosaic, just northeast of the…
The Midlands
The 1851 St Paul’s Church, on the site of the original 17th-century French church, was built for the Huguenots, some of whose tombstones stand in a corner…
Beara Peninsula
On a lonely hill 2km northwest of Castletownbere, the impressive Derreenataggart Stone Circle, consisting of 10 stones, can be found close to the roadside…
County Clare
Set on a soaring column, a statue of Daniel O'Connell (aka the 'Great Liberator') presides over the Square.
Dublin
A gorgeous swathe of green lawns, ponds and flower beds near the Royal Dublin Society Showground. Sandwiched between prosperous Ballsbridge and Donnybrook…
Dublin
If you fancy picking up a piece of local art directly from the artist, the Sunday art market, where the work of 100 odd artists is hung on the railings of…
Limerick City
The 18th-century Bishop’s Palace was once home to the city's Protestant bishops, and now houses the offices of Limerick Civic Trust, a conservation body…
Adare
The dramatic tower and southern wall of the Church of the Holy Trinity date from the 13th-century Trinitarian priory that was restored by the first Earl…
Dublin
Francis Johnston's impressive Georgian gate was designed in 1812 as the Richmond Tower and located on the quays, near the Guinness Brewery. It was moved…
The Midlands
On the banks of the River Barrow, 4.3km east of town, the ivy-covered ruins of 13th-century Lea Castle include a fairly intact towered keep with two outer…
County Clare
A long, sweeping 2km stretch of golden sand, Doughmore Bay is 4km north of the village. There's often good surf here; rent equipment in Lahinch.
County Galway
Watch potters, painters, jewellers and weavers plying their crafts at the Ceardlann an Spiddal Craft & Design Studios. Two-day basket-weaving workshops…
Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green
Trinity College's oldest existing building dates from around 1700. It was originally part of a quadrangle of similar buildings designed to enclose New Sq,…
Temple Bar
The archive of photographs taken from the mid-19th century onwards are part of the collection of the National Library, and so are open by appointment and…
Kilkenny City
This is the only gate from the old Norman city walls still standing, albeit with the help of metal bracing these days. Crumbling sections of the old walls…
Cork City
Housed in an old church, this cultural centre and gallery space houses a heritage display charting the history of Cork as well as changing exhibitions of…
County Tipperary
On the way down to Watergate Bridge from Main St is a fine sheila-na-gig (a sexually explicit medieval depiction of a woman) embedded in the old town wall…
North of the Liffey
Looking about with a bemused air from the corner of pedestrianised North Earl St is a small statue of James Joyce sculpted by US sculptor Marjorie…
Dublin
Attached to the medieval St Audoen's Church of Ireland is the bigger, 19th-century Catholic St Audoen's, which since 2006 has been home to the Polish…
Wexford Town
The only survivor of the six original town gates is the 14th-century Westgate. It was originally a toll gate, and the recesses used by the toll collectors…
Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny
The former Church of Ireland in the heart of the St Mullins monastic site houses an exhibition on the life of St Moling, and on the history of the…
Limerick City
This bronze statue of Daniel O'Connell, depicting the hero of Catholic emancipation as a Roman senator complete with toga, was unveiled in 1857. It stands…
North of the Liffey
Next door to the Dublin Writers Museum, which focuses on the dearly departed, the Irish Writers Centre provides a meeting and working place for their…
County Tipperary
The 1840 Governor's House is an unusual octagonal stone building that was once at the centre of a 19th-century prison complex. Today it holds the Nenagh…
The Midlands
The sandstone shaft of the 9th-century Kinnitty High Cross from the Augustinian Abbey now stands in the grounds of the Kinnitty Castle Hotel. Adam and Eve…
Glendalough
The stone arch of the monastery gatehouse at the Glendalough monastic site is the only surviving example of a monastic entranceway in the country. Just…
Inishowen Peninsula
Sitting on Friar's Rock, this 16th-century tower is just north of long Pollan Strand and Ballyliffin Golf Club. The ruins are in bad shape so take care…
Killarney
This 1860s Franciscan friary displays an ornate Flemish-style altarpiece, some impressive tile work and, most notably, stained-glass windows by Harry…
Galway City
Guarding the upper side of Eyre Square, this out-of-context doorway (1627) is an imposing, if forlorn, fragment from the home of one of the city's…
County Tipperary
Inside this medieval friary, near the door, is a 1533 Butler tomb depicting a knight and his lady. There's some fine modern stained-glass, especially in…
County Donegal
Artist Ruairí Rodgers has a small gallery of his work at his home. Look for his house next to the An Cloígtheach Bell Tower. It's painted white, green and…
Killarney
Built between 1842 and 1855, St Mary's Cathedral is a superb example of neo-Gothic revival architecture. Designed by Augustus Pugin, the cruciform…
Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan
Dating from the 16th century, the Mint, near the village square, has some interesting Celtic-inspired carvings around the windows. Although Edward IV is…
County Tipperary
The refurbished County Courthouse, south of Parnell St, was designed by Richard Morrison in 1802. It was here that the Young Irelanders of 1848, including…
Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny
This 5000-year-old granite portal dolmen (tomb chamber) is one of Ireland's most famous prehistoric monuments, sporting the largest capstone in Europe (it…
Inisheer
This tiny 9th-century church is named after St Gobnait (locally spelt Ghobnait), who fled here from Clare to escape a family feud. Gobnait is the patron…
Glendalough
The 10th-century St Mary's Church, to the southwest of the Round Tower, stands outside the walls of the Glendalough monastic site and belonged to local…
