County Donegal
This stunner of a Blue Flag beach is the main draw in town, with the Atlantic surf rolling onto its broad expanse of sand. You can drive your car straight…
Must-see attractions in Ireland
County Mayo
Just beyond Cong Abbey, the village abruptly ends and the woodlands surrounding Ashford Castle begin. First built in 1228 as the seat of the de Burgo…
County Wexford
Soft white sand, gentle surf and lack of development are the big draws of the 11km-long, Blue Flag–rated Curracloe Beach. Families flock here on sunny…
Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre
Cliffs of Moher
Covered in turf and cut into the hillside, the cliffs' state-of-the-art visitor centre has engaging exhibitions covering the fauna, flora, geology and…
Cork City
Cork's public gallery houses a small but excellent permanent collection covering the 17th century through to the modern day, though the works on display…
County Mayo
Take a fascinating tour of this restored castle, built between 1825 and 1831 on the site of a medieval abbey. The castle was bought in the 1960s by fossil…
Vale of Avoca
Engaging hour-long tours at this craft brewery guide you through the brewing process, from milling local grains to mashing, whirlpooling, fermenting,…
Ring of Kerry
Some 3km northwest of Cahersiveen, two extraordinary stone ring forts situated 600m apart are reached from a shared parking area. Cahergal, the larger and…
The Midlands
Between Mullingar (16km northeast) and Althone (31km southeast) on the R390 is Uisneach, the centre of Ireland during neolithic times when sea levels were…
The Midlands
The largest building at Clonmacnoise, the cathedral was originally built in AD 909, but was significantly altered and remodelled over the centuries. Its…
County Mayo
Built in 1730 on the ruins of Grace O'Malley's 16th-century castle, this charming Georgian mansion 2km west of the centre retains much of its original…
Inishowen Peninsula
Set in a reconstructed village of thatched cottages, this open-air museum is packed with interesting tidbits about the tragic Famine of the mid-19th…
The Midlands
Located in an 1829-built canal-side warehouse, this famous whiskey producer's visitor centre has engaging exhibits that spotlight the role of the Grand…
County Sligo
A 10-minute walk from a car park leads through pine-scented forest to this enigmatic court tomb. Dating from around 3000 BC, the crumbling structure is…
Inishowen Peninsula
The intricate 7th-century Donagh Cross (also called St Patrick's Cross) stands under a shelter by an Anglican church at the west end of town. It's carved…
Southwestern Donegal
This artisan gin distillery produces An Dúlamán using a 500L hand-hammered copper still and five Donegal seaweeds that can only be harvested during a full…
County Meath
Triple-cask-matured whiskey made on-site at Slane Castle was first released in 2017. The castle's 18th-century horse stables are home to a visitor…
The Midlands
The small churches at Clonmacnoise are called temples, a derivation of the Irish word teampall (church). Tiny Temple Ciaran is reputed to be the burial…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Housed within the ruins of a 13th-century abbey, the unusually tall and slender Moone High Cross – Ireland's second-highest, at 5.3m – is a masterpiece…
The West Cork Coast
The Victorian country estate of Liss Ard is home to the remarkable Sky Garden, a piece of landscape art created by American artist James Turrell in 1992…
County Wexford
Tucked behind Courtown harbour, 35km northeast of Enniscorthy off the M11, this volunteer-run centre rescues orphaned, lost and injured seals and…
County Mayo
Bursting at the seams with worshippers on Sundays, this small church has a magnificent stained-glass window depicting a girl being lowered in a lifeboat…
The Midlands
The impressive ruins of the town's Norman castle stand alone in a field to the north of town, beautifully framed by the landscaped lawns and small lake of…
County Sligo
The poet WB Yeats is among those who've fallen for this 15m tumbling torrent, set in the most beautiful area of Lough Glencar – it features in his poem…
County Sligo
Immortalised by Yeats in 'The Fiddler of Dooney' (1899), this fissured limestone knoll bulges awkwardly upward by the lough's southern shore. There's a…
County Kerry
The Gap of Dunloe is a scenic valley squeezed between Purple Mountain and the eastern summits of MacGillicuddy's Reeks. In summer it can be a bottleneck…
The Midlands
Overlooking the River Shannon is the 19.3m-high O'Rourke's Tower. Lightning blasted the top off the tower in 1135, but the remaining structure was used…
County Sligo
Although you can't visit this photogenic neo-Gothic turreted pile, views of it against a dramatic backdrop of mountains and sea make for a terrific sight…
Southwestern Donegal
The best beach in the Killybegs area is at secluded Fintragh Bay, about 3km west of town, a gorgeous stunner of a Blue Flag beach and a must-see. Go down…
County Mayo
From a distance, the eerie shell of this wind-battered 1470-built Dominican abbey near the water is quite a sight. Leaving Newport in a northwest…
County Sligo
Just down from Ballymote train station, the immense shell of Ballymote Castle is a classic, imposing ruin. It was from this early-14th-century redoubt,…
Southwestern Donegal
Though mechanised in the 1960s, there has been a hand-weaving tweed mill here for more than a century. Visitors are often invited upstairs to see spinners…
County Sligo
Big-wave tow-in surfing competitions are regularly held off Mullaghmore Head. The area is becoming known as one of Ireland's premier big-wave surf spots…
County Mayo
Right at the centre of things and at the heart of Killala, the town's gorgeous 12th-century limestone round tower is perfectly preserved, although it was…
County Sligo
This gorgeous 5km stretch of sand is the real reason to visit Enniscrone, especially as the sun goes down. Cars can drive straight on to the beach; a…
Southwestern Donegal
The scenic drive from Dunkineely to St John's Point takes you past a ruined castle tower and tantalising views. It's around a 15km journey to the tip…
County Donegal
Reaching Dunfanaghy's loveliest beach, Tramore, requires hiking through the grassy dunes to the west of the village for about 2km. It's not safe to swim…
County Wicklow
Magnificent Russborough House is one of Ireland's finest stately homes, a Palladian palace built for Joseph Leeson (1705–83), later the first Earl of…
County Cork
If you need proof of the power of a good yarn, then join the queue to get into this 15th-century castle, one of Ireland's most popular tourist attractions…
Dublin
The tombstones at Ireland's largest and most historically important burial site read like a 'who's who' of Irish history, as most of the leading names of…
