10 hidden tourist gems in Ireland | Ireland Vacations

The Cooley Mountains
The view from the Gap of North in South Armagh
Bettystown beach
The Ring Gaeltacht is near Dungarvan in County Waterford
Slieve Bloom
The Cavan Lakes
The Glen of Aherlow
Birr Castle
New Ross in County Wexford
The verdant banks of the River Boyne near Newgrange

- Published

February 8, 2010

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Posted by sissybiff on Feb 10, 2010, 09:44 PM EST

Awesome photography of an awesome Ireland.

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Posted by suzy Feldenzer on Feb 08, 2010, 06:30 PM EST

Loved the Cooley Peninsula, Carlingford was a wonderful surprise. Great restaurants.

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Posted by harper213 on Feb 08, 2010, 02:51 PM EST

Beautiful, my husband and I have seen some of these choices on our trip to our beloved Erin. We want to return!

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One possible itinerary for an Ireland vacation is a trip along the Causeway coast from Belfast to Londonderry. Start off in Belfast, where you can visit the new entertainment complex, Waterfront Hall, as well as the Cathedral Quarter featuring St. Anne’s Cathedral. Want a little history in your Ireland vacation? When you leave Belfast, you can stop at Newtownabbey’s Loughshore Park, which is where the Titanic first sailed from the shipyards of Harland & Wolff. On an Ireland vacation, you can see sights almost a millennium old. Carrickfergus has a 12th-century Norman Castle. If you would like your Ireland vacation to have a literary theme, head to Kilroot, where Jonathan Swift, who would go on to write Gulliver’s Travels, worked as a minister. At the Glens of Antrim. Admire the waterfalls and be sure to take the Antrim Coast Road. If you are looking for some culture during your Ireland vacation, the village of Glenarm has both a castle and traditional folk music sessions. Cushendall features the red sandstone Curfew Tower, which is four stories high. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge spans a 24-meter chasm. Some Ireland vacations revolve around pubs. But on this itinerary, you get to go to the village of Bushmills, which is home to the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery. One of the most spectacular sights on your Ireland vacation will be the famous Giant’s Causeway, which is outside of Bushmills. Ireland vacations may also include history from other countries. Ships from the Spanish Armada sank along the rough coastline near the Giant’s Causeway. At Port na Spaniagh, divers recovered treasure from the Girona, one of the galleons of the Armada. The Mussenden Temple may have been inspired by Rome’s Temple of Vesta. Downhill, Benone and Magilligan Beaches are so long that you may find yourself alone on these dramatic beaches. Finish your Ireland vacation in Londonderry, which is the only completely walled city in the British Isles. The walls date from the 17th century.

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