Ireland’s top ten most popular tourist attractions for 2011 named - PHOTOS

Some of these places may be nice, but are not unique: a zoo, botanical gardens, a water park, museums, even breweries. Every American city has those things, and probably better examples. Not really worth crossing an ocean to see.

A little bit over the top..Towngate, every country had its days of loin cloth pants, bows and arrows, cowboys and indians. No way did Britain ifluence the irish brain in medicine , science blah blah, they wanted no schooling for the irish at all. The irish gave thier sweat to put England and America where it is today. Yes our country is in a financial mess just now, but the ordinary irsh man did not do this, big time billionaire gamblers ruined us as well as our then government. We irish are a proud people, no low self esteem here boyo.

What garbage, towngate. Who the hell do you think built the Georgian squares, the castles etc? They were Irish workers and craftsmen, you idiot! Take your low self esteem elsewhere.

Bunkerhill: Good stuff! and points well made on Cathy's splendid Post. I wonder if the kink in the Irish psyche about not 'strutting their stuff' is the fact that they would have to bite the bullet and accept that many of its achievements in arts,literature,architecture,medicine, science, etc.,were made under British influence. The building of the Cities, towns,Castles,harbours,waterways roads and railways and Civic, Education and Judicial systems established by them are retained by the current Masters of Ireland. ~ ~ ~ Of course it would be marvellous for us to be able to claim these things as our own - but we can't. We are wearing a coat that belongs to someone else! We will never know what Ireland would have achieved in the last 800 years left to its own devices and without interference from abroad - but my quess - based on the shenannigans that went on before the 'English' arrived - is that they would have carried on their murderous internicine wars ... (as in N.I.) ...until there was virtually nobody left standing, ... and then some foreign power would have walked straight in anyway! ... and the country would be a reflection of Spain,France,Holland, China, India... or whoever! ~ ~ ~ But here we are today; stupified and confused by our British Identity Crisis,unsure of our standing in the world,waking up to the Horror of owing 100 billion euro to our foreign friends - for which we can blame nobody but ourselves and which we despair of ever being able to pay back. ~ ~ Tragically ... No strong powerful and visionary leaders stepped forward in the last Election and the present cobbled occupants of The Dail are beginning to behave exactly like the last ones. "God Save Ireland,cried the Hero!".

what about the giants causeway?

I wish there were more places listed outside of Dublin... Dublin is too metropolitan for me.

I really commend Irish Central for this article and information. I can see that while you keep in touch with current events affecting the younger generations, and rightly so, you are also very interested in Ireland's historic past which actually has been lost to the world to a large degree. It seems when most people, not of Irish descent, think of Ireland they think of the potato famine and all the dreadful images. In actual fact it was not a famine as there was plenty of food, but no one ever seems to say that. There is never a mention of Ireland's glorious historic past in every endeavor. I feel this contributes to low Irish self esteem. The neighbors next door strut their stuff to Hollywood and the world always dressed in their most magnificent finery, at commoner's expense of course. While Ireland always seems to dwell on the worst of times with no mention of castles, literature, megaliths, seafaring and everything else they have accomplished back to time immemorial. There is something wrong with this picture. However you are publishing their history and that will be so enlightening to so many. Again many thanks.

Queen VICTORIA visited Farmleigh this May??!!??