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Top 10 hidden beauty spots in Ireland

PATRICK COOPER

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Monday, February 8, 2010, 7:00 AM

Updated Monday, February 8, 2010, 10:15 AM

Read more: Europe, Ireland, Dublin, Tourism, Travel and Tourism, County Cavan

The Cooley Mountains

Gallery / 10 hidden tourist gems in Ireland / Click here

We all know the Ireland of Saints and Scholars, Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse and Dublin Castle, not to mention the Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher. But what about a trip to the hidden Ireland, where few tourists go?

Here are the top ten hidden beauty spots that will make your vacation there very special.

1. Cooley Mountains, in County Louth. Towering over the border areas, the Cooley peninsula has been cut off because of The Troubles as a tourism spot. Which has meant that it is incredibly unspoilt, with beautiful views North and South over Carlingford Lough from its peaks. The grandeur and beauty of Kerry without any of the high prices or tourist traps is how our guide described it. Just take your car and drive north to Dundalk and head for the Cooley peninsula.

2. South Armagh. Once known as Bandit Country during The Troubles, it too, like Cooley suffered greatly because of those bad times. It has stunning vistas, beautiful mountain ranges and a wonderful Irish music tradition. Tommy Makem of the famous Makem and Clancy Brothers hails from here and his legacy and that of the South Armagh musical tradition can be found in the pubs. Nearby Slieve Gullion national park is one of the great nature parks of Ireland, North or South.

3. Bettystown/Laytown. Just twenty five miles North of Dublin in County Meath are Bettystown and Laytown, two beautiful little villages with wonderful beaches and a huge expanse of Irish Sea. Many Dubliners take their vacations there but overseas tourists are rare. There is a championship golf course and inexpensive lodgings and restaurants.

4. Ring Gaeltacht. You may be familiar with Dingle, Gweedore and Connemara Gaeltachts or Irish speaking locations, but Ring just six miles from Dungarvan in Waterford is the smallest gaeltacht in Ireland and a beautiful and remote spot. Here you can hear the language of your ancestors, visit the little town and surrounding villages and step back in time.

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Posted by Liamkeyes on Feb 15, 2010, 03:44 PM EST

I would recommend that Claudette stop praying and go right now. I mean, I know hundreds of people who say they are praying to take a trip and it never happens The time is NOW!!!

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Posted by molliepmac on Feb 15, 2010, 06:29 AM EST

Sadly the Irish Government plan to build a new deepwater port nat Bremore about 3 miles south of Laytown Bettystown and a 4 lane bypass within sight of Knowth megalithic tomb at Bru na Boinne - so visit soon before they are spoiled ! http://www.knowth.com/ http://www.nationalmonuments.info/

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Posted by Claudette on Feb 12, 2010, 10:58 PM EST

I pray one day I could visit the county of Tyrone were my Grandmother grew up....

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Posted by debandpete on Feb 10, 2010, 01:25 PM EST

We are counting the days to when we fly back in July! One of our favorite spots was Cruit Island on Donegal Bay...great time in a thatched cottage!

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Posted by SHRAMROCK on Feb 10, 2010, 10:01 AM EST

WRONG SPELLING

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Posted by Stevenator on Feb 08, 2010, 05:33 PM EST

Excellent. I love this kind of "off the beaten path" travel reporting

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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.

Top 10 hidden beauty spots in Ireland

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