Things to do in Ireland
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Kearney's Castle Hotel
Although it looks like a grand old castle (part of the building does comprise a medieval fortified tower), inside it's dungeon- dark and modernised, but there's a good range of meat, fish and poultry dishes.
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John Murray
Also organises fishing and birdwatching trips from May to September, along with pleasure cruises. Book in advance.
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John Cleere
One of Kilkenny's finest venues for live music, this long bar has blues, jazz and rock, as well as trad music sessions.
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John Benny's
A toasty cast iron woodstove, stone slab floor, memorabilia on the walls, great staff and no intrusive TV make this one of Dingle's most enjoyable traditional pubs. An influx of local musos pours in most nights for rockin' trad sessions. The bar menu, including creamy seafood chowder, is hands-down the best in town.
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Jim Edwards
If Fishy Fishy has a serious rival, it's 200m away in this unassuming pub, where the bar food is way above standard and the restaurant exceptional. A very traditional ambience belies the high quality of the menu, which doffs a cap to meat-eaters but specialises mostly in all kinds of locally caught fish.
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Jacques Bistro
The region's best produce and seafood is prepared with French flair at this lively and contemporary bistro. By day you can enjoy a coffee at a table outside or a lunch special. At night the kitchen prepares dishes such as luscious local crab claws, cassoulet and more.
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Jacksons
The top spot to eat in town, this modern restaurant is run by an award-winning chef keen to make the most of seasonal local produce. The menu features local meat, fish and game in interesting combinations. Upstairs there are 10 big, modern rooms with warm wood furniture and plenty of light.
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Jack Burtchaell's Guided Walking Tour
Jack's 'gift of the gab' brings Waterford's nooks and crannies alive, effortlessly squeezing 1000 years of history into one hour. Tours leave from near the tourist office (confirm the exact location there), picking up walkers from the Granville Hotel en route.
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Irish Adventures
The Mountain Man Outdoor Shop is a shopfront for Irish Adventures, which offers guided trips including rock climbing, mountain climbing, biking, and kayaking with Fungie (half-day or sunset trip €50).
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Inishcruiser
The Inishcruiser offers 1½- to two-hour cruises on the lough leaving from the Share Holiday Village, 5km southwest of Lisnaskea.
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Inisfallen Island
The first monastery on Inisfallen Island (at 22 acres, the largest of the national park's 26 islands) is said to have been founded by St Finian the Leper in the 7th century. The island's fame dates from the early 13th century when the Annals of Inisfallen were written here. Now in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, they remain a vital source of information on early Munster history. On Inisfallen are the ruins of a 12th-century oratory with a carved Romanesque doorway and a monastery on the site of St Finian's original.
You can hire boats (around €5) from Ross Castle to row to the island.
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Indigo
A table on the fabulous riverside deck overlooking the Lee is the ideal spot at this relatively new brasserie, but should you be forced inside you'll find consolation in the menu, which offers up excellent burgers, steak sandwiches, salads and sandwiches, all made with locally sourced ingredients. They have a pretty decent wine list too.
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Hunter's Bakery & Oven Door Café
If you fancy a quick snack, this homey bakery has a comfy cafeteria at the back, serving good coffee, cakes and light meals. It's a local institution, patronised by a broad cross-section of the community, with a pleasantly old-fashioned feel.
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Howth Fishermen's Farmer's Market
One of the best in Dublin, this is the place to come for fresh fish (obviously) but also for organic meat, veg and homemade everything else, including jams, cakes and breads. A great option for Sunday lunch.
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House of Waterford Crystal
The city's famed Waterford Crystal is almost an icon in name only. A symbol of Irish success during boom times in the 1980s and 1990s, the company fell on hard times after a disastrous series of ownership changes and management decisions that saw debt piled on amid unwise expansion. (The first Waterford glass factory was established at the western end of the riverside quays in 1783 but closed 68 years later because of punitive taxes imposed by the British before its revival last century. It was reconstituted in the 1940s.) In 2009 the company's operations in Waterford County were suddenly closed – as many as 3000 skilled workers had been employed just a few years before.…
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House
Wonderful spot on the main street leading away from the harbour where you can feast on dishes like crunchy Bellingham blue cheese polenta or wild Wicklow venison stew as well as a fine selection of fish.
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Horn Head
The towering headland of Horn Head has some of Donegal's most spectacular coastal scenery and plenty of birdlife. Its dramatic quartzite cliffs, covered with bog and heather, rear over 180m high, and the view from their tops is heart-pounding.
The road circles the headland; the best approach by bike or car is in a clockwise direction from the Falcarragh end of Dunfanaghy. On a fine day, you'll encounter tremendous views of Tory, Inishbofin, Inishdooey and tiny Inishbeg islands to the west; Sheep Haven Bay and the Rosguill Peninsula to the east; Malin Head to the northeast; and the coast of Scotland beyond. Take care in bad weather as the route can be perilous.
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Home, Field & Stream
Has a wide range of fishing tackle and also sells fishing licences and permits.
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Historic Buildings
The Mall, a wide 18th-century street built on reclaimed land, was once a tidal inlet. From the river end, its stateliest buildings are John Roberts' City Hall (1788) and beautifully refurbished Theatre Royal, arguably Ireland's most intact 18th-century theatre.
Crumbling fragments of the old city wall include Beach Tower at the top of Jenkin's Lane and Half Moon Tower (both are just off Patrick St). One impossible-to-miss building in Waterford is its landmark 1860s clock tower.
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Hillside Bar & Restaurant
This is a homely pub serving real ale (and mulled wine beside the fireplace in winter), with live jazz Sunday evenings and a dinky wee beer garden in a cobbled courtyard out the back. The upstairs restaurant offers formal dining, with crisp white table linen and sparkling crystal, and a menu offering French/Irish cuisine.
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Hillsborough Courthouse
A fine old Georgian building, the courthouse exhibits various displays describing the working of the courts in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Hill of Slane
About 1km north of the village is the Hill of Slane, a fairly plain-looking mound that stands out only for its association with a thick slice of Celto-Christian mythology. According to legend, St Patrick lit a paschal (Easter) fire here in 433 to proclaim Christianity throughout the land. Patrick's fire infuriated Laoghaire, the pagan high king of Ireland, who had expressly ordered that no fire be lit within sight of the Hill of Tara. He was restrained by his far-sighted druids, who warned that 'the man who had kindled the flame would surpass kings and princes'. Laoghaire went to meet Patrick, and all but one of the king's attendants – a man called Erc – greeted Patrick…
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High Crosses
Kilfenora is best known for its high crosses, three in the glass-covered cathedral ruins and a large one from the 12th century in a field about 100m to the west. Most interesting is the 800-year-old Doorty Cross. It lay broken in two until the 1950s, when it was re-erected. A panel in the ruins does an excellent job of explaining the carvings that adorn the crosses.
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Hibernia Adventures
In the summer months (usually July and August) Hibernia runs guided tours departing from Tralee and Killarney to the Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry with various adrenalin-charged options like high-speed rib boat rides, rock climbing, mountain biking, horse trekking and kayaking. Trips start from €95.
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Heart of Burren Walks
Local Burren author Tony Kirby leads walks and archaeology hikes.
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