Ireland Travel Guide

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Top Things to See

Visit the world heritage sites
Brú na Bóinne, of the Palace of Boyne, in County Meath is an important prehistoric sites with henges, tombs, and standing stones dating back to the 35th century BC. There is a good visitor center in Donore where the guided tours begin. Skellig Michael, Michael's Rock, on an island in County Kerry is one of the most remote Celtic monasteries in Europe. The Giant's Causeway, is however, Ireland's most famous World Heritage Site. The natural wonder is an area of around 40,000 basalt columns, mostly in hexagon shapes.

A fine stout
Visit the Guinness Storehouse (www.guinness-storehouse.com), part of the world-renowned brewery and Dublin's most visited attraction. It may be a bit cheesey, but the free pint of perfectly kept stout in the rooftop Gravity Bar at the end makes it worth sitting through the history.

Read at Trinity College
Visit Trinity College (www.tcd.ie), an oasis of Elizabethan elegance in the heart of Dublin and home to the world-famous Book of Kells. It is also the alma mater of such notables as Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker and Samuel Beckett.

Have an ephinany
Investigate the rich traces of Ireland's monastic heritage, from the stunning ruins of Clonmacnois in County Offaly to the pastoral beauty of Glendalough in County Wicklow. Other monastic highlights include the hilltop remains of Cashel in County Tipperary and the windswept, desolate beauty of Glencolumbcille in County Donegal.

Chester Beatty Library
Wonder at the breathtakingly beautiful rare books and artifacts of the Chester Beatty Library (www.cbl.ie) in Dublin, whose collection include some of the most outstanding examples of decorated Qu'rans in the world as well as one of the world's oldest biblical fragments.

Kilmainham Gaol
Get to grips with the hard edge of Irish history with a visit to Kilmainham Gaol (www.heritageireland.ie), Dublin, where most of the rebels against British rule were incarcerated and where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed.

Killary views
Admire the stunning western wilderness of Connemara, including Ireland's only fjord at Killary Harbour and the network of scenic roads and trails through the Twelve Bens, the mountain range that runs through the heart of the region.

The Cliffs of Moher
Marvel at the majestic Cliffs of Moher (www.cliffsofmoher.ie), one of Ireland's top visitor attractions. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in County Clare, visitors can take in the superb views of the Aran Islands, Galway Bay and the Mountains in Connemara.

Forts, flora and fauna
Clamber about the 2,000 stone forts that litter the landscape of County Clare, a county that would be virtually unknown were it not for The Burren (www.burrenbeo.com), a beautiful limestone landscape overlooking Galway Bay and formed around an ancient barony of that name.

Kiss the Blarney Stone
If you are in Cork, its going to happen, so step up to the Blarney Castle (near Cork) and kiss that stone. This tradition says that it proffers the gift of elequence - it worked for Sir Walter Scott and (most) other preeminant world leaders. It is a cliché, but the surprisingly vertiginous experince is still fun. Spend time to explore the surrounding countryside, imaganing what life was like when Blarney Castle was built more than 600 years ago (Blarney in County Cork; www.blarneycastle.ie).

Kilkenny festivals
Visit the medieval city of Kilkenny, whose fabulous pubs and nightlife are best enjoyed during one of the yearly festivals, which include the superb Cat Laughs (www.thecatlaughs.com) comedy festival and the Kilkenny Arts Festival (www.kilkennyarts.ie).

Bunratty Castle & Folk Park
Explore the acclaimed 15th century Bunratty Castle and 19th century Bunratty Folk Park. The Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland and features 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art. The Folk Park is in the grounds of the castle and is an impressive 10 hectares (26 acres), with over 30 buildings in a ‘living' village and rural setting.

Top Things to Do

Enjoy the craic
Except perhaps the hotel room, chances are you'll be spending most of your time in a pub. And quite rightly. The pub is the center of Irish social life, and there can be few things more enjoyable than drinking a pint of Guinness, one of the most famous, popular and distinctive drinks in the world, while indulging in some craic or chat.

Consume calories
The culinary offerings of County Cork, beginning in Clonakilty - home of the best black pudding in the world - but not forgetting the myriad local cheesemakers, are one of the highlights in the south of Ireland. Take more than a taste home by enrolling in a cooking course: Darina Allen's Ballymaloe House (www.ballymaloe.ie) offers the most famous.

Go Coastal
Explore the magnificent Ring of Kerry, a stunning, 180km (112-mile) scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula, with numerous diversions along coastal roads and out to islands like Skellig Michael, one of the most rugged corners of Ireland.

Learn a new sport
Endemic to Ireland are several great sports, attending a game of which will offer an insight into an often missed part of Irish culture. See curling (a highly dangerous game that involves hitting a hard ball with a hard stick) and Gaelic football (a highly dangerous mix between rugby, football and American football - without pads) are unmissable experiences.

Island hop
Travel to Ireland's offshore islands, which range from the genteel Italianate gardens of Garinish in County Cork to the wild and wonderful Tory, off the shores of Northwestern Donegal. The Aran Islands off Galway are the most popular, but visiting the (inevitably) windswept islands, are a good way to find even more remote areas.

Party with St Patrick
On 17 March, Ireland stops what it is doing, and parties, hard. St Paddy's Day, celebrating Ireland's principal Patron Saint, sees festivities around the world, from New York to Buenos Aires, but nothing is better than enjoying it on the Emerald Isle. And not content with merely one day, the St Patrick's Festival has comandeered six days of comedy, music, film and lots of fun.

Waymarked walks
Explore Ireland on foot, by walking one of the country's 31 designated long-distance paths - more than 3,000km (1864 miles) of paths. The most famous is the Wicklow Way, which runs from the Dublin suburbs to County Carlow. For info on walks, try the National Waymarked Ways Advisory Committee (www.walkireland.ie). Don't forget a jacket.

Ride Ireland
If walking is a little pedestrian, pedal the highways and byways of Ireland on a cycling holiday. Although parts of the country are mountainous, the sheltered valleys and the gently undulating central plain are excellent for easy biking. In the west, prevailing winds mean it is easier to cycle from south to north.

Join the twitchers
Go bird-watching in a country famous for its variety of winged creatures. There are more than 70 reserves and sanctuaries in Ireland, as well as some of the largest breeding seabird colonies in the world, with huge flocks of wintering waders and wildfowl. Birdwatch Ireland (www.birdsireland.com) has all the details.

Get horsey
Enjoy Ireland's renowned equestrian pursuits, from racing, for which the country is justifiably famous, to horse riding, at centers throughout the country. The principal racecourses are at Leopardstown, Fairyhouse (Irish Grand National every year), The Curragh (Irish Sweeps Derby) and Punchestown (an international riding course).