Lough Glencar Waterfall

Ireland

　　The poet WB Yeats is among those who've fallen for this 15m tumbling torrent, set in the most beautiful area of Lough Glencar – it features in his poem The Stolen Child. There are astonishing views over the water, especially towards sunset; it's particularly impressive after heavy rain. There's a...

House of Waterford Crystal

Ireland

　　This large modern complex combines a retail shop and cafe with a factory offering a 90-minute tour that shows how world-famous Waterford crystal is produced. The highlight is the blowing room where you can watch skilled artisans transform blobs of red-hot molten glass into delicate crystalware. The tour ends, inevitably,...

National Leprechaun Museum

Ireland

　　Ostensibly designed as a child-friendly museum of Irish folklore, this is really a romper room for kids sprinkled with bits of fairy tale. Which is no bad thing, even if the picture of the leprechaun painted here is more Lucky Charms and Walt Disney than sinister creature of pre-Christian mythology....

Slane Castle

Ireland

　　Slane Castle is a 300-year-old sprawling estate on the banks of the River Boyne in County Meath. The neo-gothic castle and grounds are open to visitors for tours, where you can see up close the living quarters and exquisite 18th century interiors. It is still very much the private residence...

Sliabh Liag

Ireland

　　The Cliffs of Moher get more publicity, but the cliffs of Sliabh Liag are higher. In fact, these spectacular sea cliffs are among the highest in Europe, plunging some 600m to the ceaselessly churning sea. 　　From Teelin, a road through the stark landscape leads to the lower car park (with...

Newgrange

Ireland

　　Why you should goNewgrange is one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Europe, famous for the illumination of its passage and tomb during the winter solstice sun. Newgrange, together with Dowth and Knowth, are the three main Megalithic passage tombs that make the Brú na Bóinne Unesco World Heritage...

Ardfert Cathedral

Northern Kerry

　　The impressive remains of 13th-century Ardfert Cathedral are notable for the beautiful and delicate stone carvings on its Romanesque door and window arches. Set into one of the interior walls is an effigy, said to be of St Brendan the Navigator, who was educated in Ardfert and founded a monastery...

Crag Cave

Northern Kerry

　　This cave was discovered in 1983, when problems with water pollution led to a search for the source of the local river. In 1989, 300m of the 4km-long cave were opened to the public; admission is by 30-minute guided tour involving 72 steps. The remarkable rock formations include a stalagmite...

Blennerville Windmill & Visitor Centre

Northern Kerry

　　Blennerville, 3.4km southwest of Tralee's centre on the N86 to Dingle, used to be the city's chief port, though the harbour has long since silted up. A 19th-century grain windmill here has been restored and is the largest working mill in Ireland and Britain. Its modern visitor centre houses exhibitions...

Kerry County Museum

Northern Kerry

　　An absolute treat, Kerry's county museum has excellent interpretive displays on Irish historical events and trends, with an emphasis on County Kerry. The Medieval Experience recreates life (smells and all) in Tralee in 1450, while the Tom Crean Room celebrates the local early-20th-century explorer who accompanied both Scott and Shackleton...

Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre

Northern Kerry

　　A 15-minute nature-safari boat ride is the highlight of a visit to Tralee's wetlands centre. You can also get a good overview of the reserve's 3000 hectares, encompassing saltwater and freshwater habitats, from the 20m-high viewing tower (accessible by lift), and spot wildlife from bird hides. A light-filled cafe overlooks...

Banna Strand

Northern Kerry

　　A favourite weekend getaway for Tralee residents, Banna is one of the biggest and best Blue Flag beaches in Ireland, a 6km stretch of fine golden sand backed by 10m-high dunes, with fantastic views southwest to Mt Brandon and the Dingle hills. The beach is 13km northwest of Tralee, signposted...

An Díseart

Dingle Town

　　Set in a neo-Gothic former convent, this Celtic cultural centre has impressive stained-glass windows by Dublin artist Harry Clarke (1889–1931) depicting 12 scenes from the life of Christ (audio guide available). ...

Dingle Distillery

Dingle Town

　　An offshoot of Dublin's Porterhouse microbrewery, this small-scale craft distillery went into operation in 2012, and began bottling its distinctive single malt whiskey in 2016. It also produces award-winning artisan gin and vodka. ...

Dingle Oceanworld

Dingle Town

　　Dingle's aquarium is a lot of fun, and includes a walk-through tunnel and a touch pool. Psychedelic fish glide through tanks that recreate such environments as Lake Malawi, the River Congo and the piranha-filled Amazon. Reef sharks and stingrays cruise the shark tank; water pumped from the harbour fills the...

Bishop's Palace

Limerick City

　　The 18th-century Bishop’s Palace was once home to the city's Protestant bishops, and now houses the offices of Limerick Civic Trust, a conservation body that offers walking tours (11am and 2pm weekdays) of the city's heritage sites, including the elegant apartments of the palace itself. ...

People's Park

Limerick City

　　This lovely wooded park in Pery Sq at the heart of Georgian Limerick is an excellent place for collapsing onto the grass with a chunky novel when the sun pops out. Check out the restored 19th-century red-and-white drinking fountain. The statue on the column in the middle of the park...

St Mary's Cathedral

Limerick City

　　Limerick's ancient cathedral was founded in 1168 by Donal Mór O'Brien, king of Munster. Parts of the 12th-century Romanesque western doorway, nave and aisles survive, and there are splendid 15th-century black-oak misericords (for supporting 'clerical posteriors') in the Jebb Chapel, unique examples of their kind in Ireland and each fabulously...

Thomond Park Stadium

Limerick City

　　From 1995 until 2007, the Munster province rugby team was undefeated in this legendary stadium; it was also the venue for their famous victories over New Zealand's All Blacks in 1978 and 2016. Tours of the hallowed ground include the dressing rooms, dugouts and pitch, and its memorabilia-filled museum. It's...

Limerick City Gallery of Art

Limerick City

　　Limerick's art gallery adjoins the peaceful People's Park in the heart of Georgian Limerick. Among its permanent collection of paintings from the last 300 years are works by Sean Keating and Jack B Yeats. Temporary exhibitions of conceptual and thought-provoking contemporary art fill the other well-lit galleries. The gallery is...

Frank McCourt Museum

Limerick City

　　This museum dedicated to Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, can be found in his former school building in Limerick's Georgian quarter. The museum contains a recreation of a 1930s classroom and of the McCourt household, plus an assortment of memorabilia. ...

Hunt Museum

Limerick City

　　Although named for its benefactors, this museum, opened in 1997, is also a treasure hunt. Visitors are encouraged to open drawers and poke around the finest collection of Bronze Age, Iron Age, medieval and modern art treasures outside Dublin. Highlights include a Syracusan coin claimed to have been one of...

King John's Castle

Limerick City

　　An obdurate and brooding Norman mass looming over the River Shannon, Limerick's showpiece castle, with its vast curtain walls and towers, was built on the orders of King John of England between 1200 and 1212. The massive twin gate towers still stand to their full height. A multimedia experience that...

Courthouse & Regional Museum

Kinsale

　　Based in the 17th-century courthouse that was used for the inquest into the sinking of the Lusitania, this eclectic museum contains local curiosities as diverse as Michael Collins' hurley (hurling stick), and shoes belonging to the 8ft-tall Kinsale Giant, Patrick Cotter O'Brien (1760–1806). ...

St Multose Church

Kinsale

　　This is one of the country's oldest Church of Ireland churches, built around 1190 by the Normans on the site of a 6th-century church. Not much of the interior is original, but the exterior is beautifully preserved. Inside, a flat stone carved with a round-handed figure was traditionally rubbed by...

Old Head Signal Tower & Lusitania Museum

Kinsale

　　This 200-year-old signal tower houses a museum dedicated to the RMS Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915 with the loss of 1200 lives. You can walk to the nearby clifftops for impressive views south towards the Old Head, the nearest point of land to the disaster;...

Desmond Castle

Kinsale

　　Kinsale's roots in the wine trade are on display at this early-16th-century fortified house that was occupied by the Spanish in 1601. Since then it has served as a customs house, a prison for French and American captives, and a workhouse during the Famine. There are lively exhibits detailing its...

Charles Fort

Kinsale

　　One of Europe's best-preserved star-shaped artillery forts, this vast 17th-century fortification would be worth a visit for its spectacular views alone. But there's much more here: the 18th- and 19th-century ruins inside the walls make for some fascinating wandering. It's 3km southeast of Kinsale along the minor road through Scilly;...

Butler Gallery

Kilkenny City

　　The Butler Gallery is one of the country’s most important art galleries outside Dublin. Small exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artists are held throughout the year. At the time of research, the gallery was housed in the basement of Kilkenny Castle (accessible without paying the castle's admission price). It's...

Black Abbey

Kilkenny City

　　Founded in 1225 by William Marshal, this Dominican abbey takes its name from the monks' black habits. Much of what survives dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but remnants of more ancient archways are still evident, and the stained glass is glorious. When services are not being held (check...

Smithwick's Experience

Kilkenny City

　　Until its closure, Smithwick's was Ireland’s oldest working brewery. John Smithwick founded the business in 1710 on the site of Kilkenny's 13th-century St Francis Abbey (the abbey ruins remain within the complex). Smithwick’s is now owned by drinks giant Diageo (Guinness, Harp et al), which moved production to Dublin in...

National Design & Craft Gallery

Kilkenny City

　　Contemporary Irish crafts are showcased at the imaginative National Design & Craft Gallery, set in former stables across the road from Kilkenny Castle, next to the shops of the Kilkenny Design Centre. Ceramics dominate, but exhibits often feature furniture, jewellery and weaving from the members of the Crafts Council of...

Rothe House & Garden

Kilkenny City

　　Dating from 1594, this is Ireland's finest example of a Tudor merchant's house, complete with a restored medieval garden. Built around a series of courtyards, it now houses a museum with a rather sparse display of local artefacts, including a rusted Viking sword and a grinning stone head sculpted by...

Medieval Mile Museum

Kilkenny City

　　Dating from the early 13th century, St Mary's Church has been converted into a fascinating modern museum that charts the history of Kilkenny in medieval times. Highlights include the Rothe Chapel, lined with ornate 16th- and 17th-century tombs carved from local limestone, remnants of the 17th-century timber roof above the...

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny City

　　Rising above the River Nore, Kilkenny Castle is one of Ireland's most visited heritage sites. Stronghold of the powerful Butler family, it has a history dating back to the 12th century, though much of its present look dates from Victorian times. 　　During the winter months (November to January) visits are...

St Canice's Cathedral

Kilkenny City

　　Ireland's second-largest medieval cathedral (after St Patrick's in Dublin) has a long and fascinating history. The first monastery was built here in the 6th century by St Canice, Kilkenny's patron saint. The present structure dates from the 13th to 16th centuries, with extensive 19th-century reconstruction, its interior housing ancient grave...

St Columba's Church

Derry (Londonderry)

　　Outside the city walls to the southwest is Long Tower Church, Derry’s first post-Reformation Catholic church. Built in 1784 in neo-Renaissance style, it stands on the site of the medieval Teampall Mór (Great Church), built in 1164, whose stones were used to help build the city walls in 1609. Long...

Hands Across the Divide

Derry (Londonderry)

　　As you enter the city across Craigavon Bridge, the first thing you see is the Hands Across the Divide monument. This striking bronze sculpture of two men reaching out to each other symbolises the spirit of reconciliation and hope for the future; it was unveiled in 1992, 20 years after...

Museum of Free Derry

Derry (Londonderry)

　　Just off Rossville St, this excellent museum chronicles the history of the Bogside, the Civil Rights Movement and the events of Bloody Sunday through photographs, newspaper reports, film clips, interactive displays and the accounts of firsthand witnesses, including some of the original photographs that inspired the murals of the nearby...

St Columb's Cathedral

Derry (Londonderry)

　　Built between 1628 and 1633 from the same grey-green schist as the city walls, this was the first post-Reformation church to be erected in Britain and Ireland, and is Derry's oldest surviving building. 　　In the porch (under the spire, by the St Columb's Court entrance) you can see the original...

Tower Museum

Derry (Londonderry)

　　Head straight to the 5th floor of this award-winning museum inside a replica 16th-century tower house for a view from the top. Then work your way down through the excellent Armada Shipwreck exhibition, and the Story of Derry, where well-thought-out exhibits and audiovisuals lead you through the city's history, from...

Guildhall

Derry (Londonderry)

　　Standing just outside the city walls, the neo-Gothic Guildhall was originally built in 1890, then rebuilt after a fire in 1908. Its fine stained-glass windows were presented by the London livery companies, and its clock tower was modelled on London's Big Ben. Inside, there's a historical exhibition on the Plantation...

Derry's City Walls

Derry (Londonderry)

　　The best way to get a feel for Derry's layout and history is to walk the 1.5km circumference of the city's walls. Completed in 1619, Derry's city walls are 8m high and 9m thick, and are the only city walls in Ireland to survive almost intact. The four original gates...

People's Gallery Murals

Derry (Londonderry)

　　The 12 murals that decorate the gable ends of houses along Rossville St, near Free Derry Corner, are popularly referred to as the People's Gallery. They are the work of 'the Bogside Artists' (Kevin Hasson, Tom Kelly, and William Kelly, who passed away in 2017). The three men lived through...

Elizabeth Fort

Cork City

　　Originally built in the 1620s, and serving as a garda (police) station from 1929 to 2013, this small star-shaped artillery fort once formed an important part of the city's defences. Newly opened to the public, it offers an insight into Cork's military history, and there are good views across the...