Must-see shopping in Ireland

  • Avoca Handweavers

    Vale of Avoca

    Ireland's oldest working mill is the birthplace of Avoca Handweavers, a company that is now famous across Ireland and the world. The mill has been turning…

  • Scéal Eile Books

    County Clare

    A delight to explore, this emerald-green-painted bookshop overflows with new and secondhand literature, including rare titles across all genres from…

  • Donegal Craft Village

    County Donegal

    You won't find any canned leprechauns or Guinness T-shirts here. Instead this huddle of craft studios showcases pottery, ironwork, handwoven fabrics,…

  • Charlie Byrne's Bookshop

    Galway City

    A civic treasure, the rambling rooms at Charlie Byrne's are crammed with over 100,000 new, secondhand, thirdhand, discounted and out-of-print books,…

  • Kilkenny Design Centre

    Kilkenny City

    Top-end Irish crafts and artworks from artisans county-wide are sold at this design centre. Look for John Hanly wool blankets, Cushendale woollen goods,…

  • A close-up of Claddagh Records sign, Temple Bar

    Claddagh Records

    Temple Bar

    An excellent collection of good-quality traditional and folk music is the mainstay at this centrally located record shop. The profoundly knowledgable…

  • Avoca outside sign from across the road

    Avoca Handweavers

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Combining clothing, homewares, a basement food hall and an excellent top-floor cafe, Avoca promotes a stylish but homey brand of modern Irish life – and…

  • Gutter Bookshop

    Gutter Bookshop

    Temple Bar

    Taking its name from Oscar Wilde's famous line from Lady Windermere's Fan – 'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars' – this…

  • The shopfront of the Irish Design Shop

    Irish Design Shop

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Beautiful, imaginatively crafted items – from jewellery to kitchenware – carefully curated by owners Clare Grennan and Laura Caffrey. If you're looking…

  • Cniotáil Inis Meáin

    Aran Islands

    One of the island's main employers was founded more than 40 years ago and today exports fine woollen garments – including iconic Aran sweaters – to some…

  • Rathcormac Food & Craft Market

    County Sligo

    Held in the Benbulben Craft Village, this market is worth scheduling your trip around. Although small, the best producers in the region sell ready-to-eat…

  • Sheridan's Cheesemongers

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    If heaven were a cheese shop, this would be it. Wooden shelves are laden with rounds of farmhouse cheeses, sourced from around the country by Kevin and…

  • Liber

    County Sligo

    The section on local literary legend WB Yeats at this fabulous bookshop is extensive; staff are also happy to advise on books about County Sligo's history…

  • Irish Hand Weaves

    County Clare

    You’ll likely find weaver Jean Moran behind her loom in this studio-workshop, surrounded by her creations. Browse local craftspeople's work, or learn the…

  • Chupi

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Exceptional modern jewellery inspired by the Irish landscape and worn by all the city's style fiends. The pretty shop also stocks Irish-designed clothing…

  • Eddie Doherty

    Southwestern Donegal

    You can usually catch Eddie Doherty hand-weaving here on a traditional loom. He'll cheerfully explain every step of the process.

  • The quayside sign for Village Hall

    Village Hall

    Cork City

    This Aladdin’s cave is stuffed to the brim with unusual vintage clothing, vinyl records, eclectic furniture and assorted oddities. Despite being full of…

  • Truffle Fairy

    Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny

    Ethically sourced single-origin cacao and local, organic ingredients are used to make truffles (varieties include strawberry and whiskey, cinnamon mulled…

  • Sheridans Cheesemongers

    County Meath

    Renowned cheesemongers Sheridans, with shops in Dublin and Galway, has its warehouses and HQ here in County Meath. A former train station now houses a…

  • Louis Mulcahy Pottery

    Dingle Peninsula

    One of Ireland's most acclaimed potters, Louis Mulcahy produces a wide range of contemporary and traditional designs. To learn how to create them yourself…

  • Truffle Fairy

    Kilkenny City

    Truffles (such as cider or almond and mint), caramels (eg pecan) and other chocolates sustainably made in nearby Thomastown, where it has a second shop,…

  • Hazel Mountain Chocolate

    Galway City

    Truffles using Burren-produced Hazel Mountain chocolate are made on-site daily at this airy, contemporary shop behind a duck-egg-blue facade. It doubles…

  • Kildare Village

    Counties Wicklow & Kildare

    Shoppers come from all over the country to buy discounted designer brands at this village-like outlet mall, the biggest of its kind in Ireland – more than…

  • Nephin Whiskey Emporium

    County Mayo

    This start-up distillery is creating peated single malt Nephin whiskey employing local barley and locally cut turf; it's triple distilled in traditional…

  • Brian de Staic

    Dingle Town

    This renowned local designer's exquisite modern Celtic work includes symbols such as the Hill of Tara, crosses and standing stones, as well as jewellery…

  • On the Pig's Back

    Cork City

    This famous deli stall in the English Market groans beneath serried ranks of French and Irish cheeses, charcuterie, homemade pâtés and pastries.

  • Little Cheese Shop

    Dingle Town

    Swiss-trained cheesemaker Maja Binder's tiny shop overflows with aromatic cheeses from all over Ireland, including her own range of Dingle Peninsula…

  • PLUGD Records

    Cork City

    Stocks all kinds of music on vinyl and CD and is the place to keep up with Cork's ever-changing music scene.

  • Vibes & Scribes

    Cork City

    Stocks a vast selection of new, secondhand and remaindered books, including lots of Irish interest titles.

  • Vintage joy at Lucy's Lounge

    Lucy's Lounge

    Temple Bar

    Go through the upstairs boutique and you’ll find a staircase to an Aladdin’s basement of vintage goodies. You can easily while away an hour or two here…

  • Pinocchio's wooden mascot., Pinocchio's Toys & Gifts

    Pinocchio's Toys & Gifts

    Cork City

    Forget your plastic playthings, explore this little gem full of ethically sourced and good quality toys. Most are traditional creations made of wood and…

  • George's Street Arcade

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Dublin's best nonfood market is sheltered within an elegant Victorian Gothic arcade. Apart from shops and stalls selling new and old clothes, secondhand…

  • The entrance inside George's Arcade

    Barry Doyle Design Jewellers

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Goldsmith Barry Doyle's upstairs shop is one of the best of its kind in Dublin. The handmade jewellery – using white gold, silver, and some truly gorgeous…

  • Shelves of rare books, including James Joyce's death mask in the corner

    Ulysses Rare Books

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Our favourite bookshop in the city stocks a rich and remarkable collection of Irish-interest books, with a particular emphasis on 20th-century literature…

  • The colourful entrance to Jam Art Factory, Temple Bar

    Jam Art Factory

    Temple Bar

    This quirky little shop is a good bet for souvenirs. ICrammed full of Irish art and design, you can expect everything. Look for nostalgic gifts from Irish…

  • Fair Alternative Market is in the Unitarian Church every week.

    The Fair Alternative

    Cork City

    Shop for some local crafts in this charming market every Saturday, held in the local Unitarian church. Expect handmade jewellery, cosmetics, knitwear, art…

  • The interior of Article

    Article

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Beautiful tableware and decorative home accessories all made by Irish designers. Ideal for unique, tasteful gifts that you won't find elsewhere.

  • Cow's Lane Designer Mart

    Temple Bar

    A real market for hipsters, on the steps of Cow's Lane, this market brings together over 60 of the best clothing, accessory and craft stalls in town. It's…

  • Clare Jam Shop

    Doolin

    Jams (such as wild blueberry; strawberry and champagne; and blackberry and apple), marmalades (including Irish whiskey), jellies (such as rose petal),…

  • Bear Essentials

    Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan

    Teddy bear fans will adore this rural studio-showroom, which handcrafts its own bears on-site. It also runs 2½-hour teddy bear–making workshop (€200 for…

More destinations you need to see