Off the beaten track - places of interest for American tourists in Ireland
They may be harder to reach than the average tourist spot, but Ireland will reward you for the effort
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Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans flock to Ireland in search of their heritage, a break away from the familiar, or simply the beauty that Ireland has to offer. Visitors explore well known tourist hotspots such as the Blarney Stone, the Cliffs of Moher, and Newgrange so how about we shake things up a little and talk about those destinations that are that little bit harder to find but definitely worth the trip.
You might need your wet gear while you take a stroll down the Irish roads less travelled on your way to the middle of nowhere but destination ‘middle of nowhere’ is often where the real beauty of Ireland can be seen, so lets take a walk.
1. Take a lighthouse tour of Ireland with professional photographer and author, John Eagle.
In a thrilling 8-day tour of the coastal lighthouses of Ireland, John will take you to rugged and remote scenic locations to view the buildings that have withstood the battering of the Atlantic for more than a hundred years.
The Southern Tour includes travelling across Inisheer Island by pony and trap, by boat to greet the puffins of Skellig Michael and walking over dizzying sea gorge foot bridge at Mizen Head. The Northern Tour will take you through the Connemara hills where John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara filmed ‘The Quiet Man’, to walk in Finn McCool’s footsteps on the Giant’s Causeway and even allow you to stay for 3 nights in Blackhead Lighthouse.
These lighthouse tours are a great way to discover the true Ireland that can often be hidden behind the more promoted places. What better way to get to know Ireland than to dive head first into the rugged beauty of the coastal regions in search of these fort-like buildings, each with a story of its own, that have silently stood the test of time and weather
2. Turn yourself into a glamorous camper by Glamping at Teapot Lane
It sounds like a place from a bedtime story but yes, there is a place called Teapot Lane, and it can be found in the north of County Leitrim in Ireland hidden in the midst of 5 acres of woodland.
The fairytale continues as Teapot Lane hosts a number of out of the ordinary accommodation choices which include glamping in a luxury yurt, a beautifully restored thatched cottage, a vintage caravan, a bell tent, and, wait for it … an actual tree house. The fact that Teapot lane is situated less than 5 miles from the border of Counties Donegal and Sligo certainly doesn’t hurt either as visitors have an abundance of beautiful scenery in every direction with 4 beaches only a couple of miles away.
For those of you who don’t know, Glamping is basically a glamorous form of camping and on Teapot Lane you don’t have to worry about those nightmare camping incidents where you’ve accidently brought your two-man tent to fit six adults because at Teapot Lane, one glamps in a yurt which is a hand crafted round tent, furnished with king size beds, scattered cushions and throws and, to top it all off, a wood burning stove.
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