Places you most see in Ireland

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Explore Galway's Wild Atlantic Way

Just 13 miles south of Galway, in neighboring County Clare, lies a sparse and unique rocky landscape known as the Burren. On your way south, stop at Moran's Oyster Cottage, an old-fashioned thatched restaurant, for fresh seafood. Near Dunguaire Castle, a huge 16th-century stone fortress in Kinvara, overlooking Galway Bay. It is lit up at night and hosts medieval parties to explore the castle's literary connections.

 Kinvara itself is worth a visit. This pretty little harbor is home to many 'hookers', traditional Irish wooden boats originally used to transport fish and grass, which now cross the bay every summer during the regatta Cruinniú na mBad. Nearby Flaggy Shore inspired one of Seamus Heaney's best-loved poems, "Postscript". The Burren begins on the coastal road south of Kinvara and extends inland.

Surf the booming surf scene in Sligo

Sligo County 

Once not known as a surfing destination, Ireland is finally being put on the surfing map thanks to two developments in County Sligo. First, wave enthusiasts around the world were shocked by footage from 2020 showing an Irishman riding a giant 60ft wave at Mullaghmore Head, just north of Sligo town. Second, Sligo is set to open a major new surfing attraction by the end of 2022. The National Surfing Center of Excellence will offer virtual surfing experiences, a surfing museum and other tourist facilities. It will be located at Strandhill, a beach popular with swimmers and domestic holidaymakers, and unlike the challenging Mullaghmore, it has gentler waves, perfect for beginners . So put on a thick wetsuit, dive into the sea and learn from one of Strandhill Surf School's professional instructors.

Follow in the footsteps of James Joyce in Dublin

Dublin

Blooming Day is celebrated on June 16, the day on which James Joyce's epic novel Ulysses was set. It is named after the book's main character, Leopold Bloom, whose experiences are described in detail from 9am until the early hours of the next day.

 In 1954, the 50th anniversary of the novel's events was marked by half a dozen writers visiting the locations mentioned in the novel, sipping whiskey as they went. Nowadays, Dublin's Bloomsday Festival takes place over six days in June.

 Hundreds of Irishmen donned straw hats and Edwardian costumes to visit locations associated with the novel and eat Bloom's breakfast of roasted lamb kidneys. A program of readings, performances and guided pub walks ensure lively entertainment. At other times of the year, visit the James Joyce Center.

 Hike the rugged Trails of the West of Ireland

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County Mayo

Extremely narrow and winding, many roads in Ireland are extremely dangerous for cycling. This is a real shame as they enter the quiet rural environment which would make a great companion for cyclists. Luckily, in recent years the Irish government has created a series of 'greenways' - easy and safe walking and cycling routes through some of the country's most beautiful landscapes. The best of them is the Great Western Greenway, a 27-mile stretch through County Mayo, stretching from the pretty town of Westport to majestic Achill Island. This route can easily be covered in a day, even by amateur cyclists. Backpackers can split their trip into two days by spending a night in the picturesque riverside town of Newport.

 There are six main greenways in Ireland, including the Waterford Greenway, Old Rail Trail, Limerick Greenway, Royal Canal Greenway and Suir Greenway. The weather in Ireland is unpredictable 12 months of the year, so even when the weather is nice, bring a well-insulated raincoat.

Party and shop in Galway

Galway

Ireland is truly world-famous for its nightlife and in Ireland, Galway is considered by many to be the best place for a night out. Thanks to its young population (it's a big student town), talented street performers, thriving music scene, more than a dozen annual festivals and charming scene is Galway's Latin Quarter, a neighborhood ancient with cobbled streets with ancient and typical roads. Irish pub.

Head to the 150-year-old Taaffes Pub to enjoy live Irish music every evening. The Latin Quarter is also a busy shopping area and has many shops selling high-quality Irish goods, from ceramics and glassware to extremely warm Aran sweaters, sourced from Galway.

 Admire Ireland's towering sea cliffs from above and below

County Clare

Ireland's west coast is dotted with dozens of majestic cliffs that stretch from farmland to the choppy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Two of these cliffs are among the most spectacular in Europe. The second most visited tourist attraction in Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher are 700 feet high and stretch five miles along the coast of County Clare.

 Tourists can admire the dramatic views from walking paths that run south along the cliffs, away from the site's impressive visitor center. They can also admire this wonder from its base, on one of the regular boat trips to the Cliffs of Moher, which depart from the port town of Doolin, just north of there.

 Meanwhile, hidden in little-visited County Donegal are the highest accessible cliffs in Europe, around three times higher than those at Moher. This natural wonder, the Slieve League, underwent a €5m renovation in 2020, including a new visitor center and 2.5km of new cliff-top walking tracks. Visitors can hike to the top of the cliffs or take boat tours with stunning sea-level views as well as swimming and fishing opportunities below the cliffs.

Marvel at the Giant's Causeway

Created 60 million years ago, Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a mass of nearly 40,000 basalt columns stretching hundreds of meters into the sea. shoreline and crystallized into a mass that resembled a giant honeycomb rising from the ocean.

Folklore has it that the giant Finn McCool, in an attempt to reach a giantess he loved on the Scottish island of Staffa (where the causeway reappears), created columns as stepping stones. Unfortunately, the giantess's boyfriend found out, and in the ensuing battle, Finn flew a giant land mass towards Scotland. The crater then became Lough Neagh and the landing grasslands created the Isle of Man. During the peak summer months, the Causeway can be very crowded, so arrive early or wait until late afternoon, when the weather is generally calm. To get there, you can walk 1 mile up the scenic long hill or take the Causeway Coaster minibus. Both of these journeys begin with a tourist experience at the Giant's Causeway, made of basalt quarried locally from the same lava flow that formed the causeway.

 Discovering a 6,000-year-old wonder challenges scientists

Flanked by giant cliffs and sheep-filled meadows, lies a six-millennium-old archaeological wonder that challenges scientists and delights tourists, and has recently become even more attractive. thanks to the renovation. The Ceide Fields are considered the largest Stone Age ruins in the world. Five square miles of megalithic tombs, houses, fortifications and agricultural structures are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If located near Dublin, instead of a 3.5-hour drive west in the remote countryside of County Mayo, Ceide Fields would be one of Ireland's top tourist attractions. Instead, few people outside of Ireland know about this gem, the debates surrounding its origins or the increasingly dense Irish legends associated with this sacred site, much of which remains buried (reinforcing its mystery). All this fascinating context is explained inside the Ceide Fields Visitor Center, reopening in mid-2022 after a major renovation.