Travel


The ten greatest places to visit in Ireland - SEE PHOTOS

Where dreams and desire do come true - some favorite spots around the country


Shannon River

SEE PHOTOS - Greatest spots in Ireland

Read more: Solis Lough Eske Castle, Donegal - why cant all hotels be like this?

1.     Dublin can be heaven….especially on a sunny summer’s morning in Stephen’s Green, or a stroll down Grafton Street, the main shopping fare, and breakfast in Beweley’s coffee shop where you will feel like you have stepped back in time.

2.     The fishing boats at Dingle.. the Gaelic speaking town at the heart of the West Kerry Gaeltacht is a wondrous place to be. Tiny cobblestoned streets, beautiful Atlantic scenery, wonderful pubs and craic. ..and the soft tones of  the oldest language in Europe…perfect.

3.     Sun going down on Galway Bay.... Galway City is the jewel of the West of Ireland, with the liveliest social scene in the whole country. Be there for Galway Races or the Arts Festival and watch the city come to life with a million musicians, gamblers, actors and entertainer sin one of the great scenes of life

4.     I will arise and go now.. Yeats country, essentially County Sligo, awash in memories of the greatest poet in the English language.
He name checked every little town and village river and and pools that could ‘ scarcely bathe a star.’ Go see his grave at Drumcliffe under the majestic Ben Bulben mountain and visit Rosse’s Point and Strandhill. Earth has nothing to show more fair

5.     To see old Shannon’s face again…. John F.Kenendy was captivated by the beauty of the Shannon region during his visit to Ireland in 1963 and it easy to see why. It encompasses both Limerick and Clare and stretches from glorious beaches like Lahinch and  Kilkee to the rugged grandeur of the Cliffs of Moher and inland to wonderful little towns and villages.

6.     Tara of the Kings.. The Hill of Tara was the center fo the old civilization in Ireland, where kings were crowned and battles fought  and won and tribes made merry. It’s in County Meath, just twenty miles or so from Dublin , take a giant step back into the past.

7.     I wish I was in Carrickfergus….. and the beautiful Northern Ireland coastline north of Belfast. Unspoilt and untouched because of the former Troubles, the road North from Belfast is a magical mystery tour of the Giants Causeway, quaint little towns and wonderful beaches. You can spy Scotland in the distance

8.    You take the high road.. to the Donegal highlands, again impossibly remote and almost inaccessible, but well worth the effort. Towering mountains, wild seas, and gorgeous scenery, perhaps Ireland’s best-kept secret.


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21 Comments

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Aliciarose. Not sure which pub you lunched in, but William Butler Yeats is buried in Drumcliffe, Sligo just north of Sligo town. The Grave is a stones throw from N15. By the by, I would add Ben Bulben and all of Donegal. And certainly its not just the Mayo Diaspora who cling to Croagh Patrick.
Donegal is not that remote. It is beautiful! I would say that the area around Malin Head is pretty remote. I was looking forward to a nice warm lunch up there after all the wind off the sea, but there wasn't a restaurant in sight.
At first I thought the pic above was the village of Graiguenamanagh in Co.Kilkenny, very alike. There are so many more beautiful places like that if you get off the motorways.
Again, why is Donegal "impossibly remote" and "almost inaccessible"? Does James O'Brien ever travel to these places he writes about because to me, he seems pretty darned clueless. I travel Dublin to Donegal (by car and bus) at least twice a year and it is easy as pie and beautiful to boot! Well worth the "impossible" journey.
I've been fortunate enough to have seen 8 of the 10 places listed and many others' not listed. It is all so beautiful. So much so I named my son after Connor's Pass a truly breath taking place. My heart is there and I can't wait to return!!
I WANT TO GO BACK!!!!!
I think I want to cry. For I haven't had the chance to see all your glory. My ancestors were from County Kerry so that is the place I wish to see most of all and you paint a most beautiful picture of all of Ireland.One day, God willing, I shall make a venture there.
Perhaps Pres. Kennedy was under an ancestral spell when he visited Clare-Limerick-Tipperaryy along the Shannon. That's where his ancestors originated before they were driven out by kin to another area of Ireland. I am surprised you did not include the Wicklow hills and Glendalough where you can climb the heather covered hills and look down on on an unspoiled bowl of a valley. ... And the deep green glens amid amid the stony Burren.
Good info. However, we found some great places when we were in Ireland Dec 2010 for a 2 week visit. Finally were able to visit the land of my ancestors.
We have been to the majority more than once and look forward to seeing the rest.
Hi James, can I say after reading this that I have been to all those places and loved every minutes. I had my honeymoon in Dingle long before it became a tourist haven. Lunched in the pub not far from Yeats Grave, Dublin, the best city I was ever in, Donegal, beautiful, wonderful shop there that sells tweed, Killarney, well what can you say about the lakes, Stayed on Inishere and Galway, Carrickfergus and the beautiful old castle and walked the Giants Causeway. Lived in Belfast and married there before coming back to OZ. Many happy memories.
except the parts that are in NI, which is part of the uk
All of Ireland is AWESOME !!!~
James-not a bad itinerary for the Tour Bus People who want to 'feel'their ancestry must take the 'roads less travelled where Ireland's soul is... How about that list next? some introductory lines to get you started!... 'Oh to be in Dunnaree....Lovely Leitrim ...Among the Wicklow Hills.... The Midlands once again... 'and as the hare whom hounds and horns pursue pants to the place from whence at first she flew, I still have hopes ,my toils and troubles past, there to return and die at home at last... Alas poor Padraic never did make it Beannacht Luimh go leir.
Ardara, Donegal perfect town to visit "Slieve League" & "The Poisin Valley" History & beauty!! the people are so friendly and welcoming, SLAINTE !!




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