Must-see attractions in Ireland

  • Newgrange Megalithic Passage Tomb

    Newgrange

    County Meath

    Newgrange is one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Europe, famous for the illumination of its passage and tomb during the winter solstice sun…

  • DUBLIN, IRELAND - FEB 15: The Long Room in the Trinity College Library on Feb 15, 2014 in Dublin, Ireland. Trinity College Library is the largest library in Ireland and home to The Book of Kells.

    Old Library & Book of Kells

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Trinity's greatest treasures are found within the Old Library and the incredible Long Room is one of the most photographed rooms in Dublin, for good…

  • Coastal cliffs near the Slieve League in County Donegal.

    Sliabh Liag

    Southwestern Donegal

    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,…

  • August 2019: A tour group on the floor of the Victorian main hall in the Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison which is now a museum. 

    Kilmainham Gaol

    Dublin

    If you have any desire to understand Irish history – especially the long-running resistance to British colonial rule – then a visit to this former prison…

  • Dublin, Ireland - August 3, 2013: Visitors under the Campanile of the Trinity College

    Trinity College

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's most prestigious university, a collection of elegant Georgian and Victorian buildings, cobbled squares and nature…

  • DUBLIN, IRELAND - 10th June, 2017: the beautiful architecture of the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin city centre

    National Gallery

    Dublin

    A magnificent Caravaggio and a breathtaking collection of works by Jack B Yeats – William Butler Yeats' younger brother – are the main reasons to visit…

  • People at Slane Castle, Slane, Ireland

    Slane Castle

    County Meath

    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…

  • DUBLIN, IRELAND - APR 1: The Guinness Storehouse Brewery at St. James Gate, Dublin Ireland on April 1, 2013.  Guinness brewery  was founded in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland, by Arthur Guinness.

    Guinness Storehouse

    Dublin

    The most popular attraction in Dublin is this multimedia homage to Guinness. An old fermentation plant in the St James's Gate Brewery has been converted…

  • Mossy and leafy forest floor in Slieve Bloom Mountains.

    Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve

    The Midlands

    A 2300-hectare nature reserve with a mountain range in the middle, full of walking and biking trails. A visit to Slieve Bloom is the perfect excuse to…

  • Stone wall at Dun Aonghasa Aran Islands

    Dún Aonghasa

    Aran Islands

    Dún Aonghasa is one of the largest prehistoric stone forts in Europe and stands guard over Inis Mór on the edge of a 100-metre sheer cliff drop.

  • A replica of a tenement room from the early 20th century, 14 Henrietta Street.

    14 Henrietta Street

    North of the Liffey

    Explore behind the facade of one of Dublin's famous Georgian townhouses, carefully restored to gently peel back layers of complex social history over 250…

  • St Patrick's Park, Dublin City, Ireland

    St Patrick's Cathedral

    Dublin

    Ireland's largest church and the final resting place of Jonathan Swift, St Patrick's stands on the spot where St Patrick himself reputedly baptised the…

  • A stag stands in front of a herd of deer under a beautiful summer sunset in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland, on a grassy plain with clumps of trees in the distance

    Phoenix Park

    Dublin

    The hugely impressive 707 hectares that comprise Dublin's Phoenix Park are not just a magnificent playground for all kinds of sport—from running to polo…

  • Archway leading into Dublin Castle

    Dublin Castle

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    As the stronghold of British power in Ireland for more than 700 years, Dublin Castle has played a central - and often adversarial - role in the history of…

  • Museum of Natural History

    Dublin

    Affectionately known as the 'Dead Zoo', this dusty, weird and utterly compelling museum is a fine example of the scientific wonderment of the Victorian…

  • Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin City, Ireland

    Christ Church Cathedral

    Temple Bar

    Its hilltop location and eye-catching flying buttresses make this the most photogenic of Dublin's three cathedrals, as well as one of the capital's most…

  • Tayto Park

    County Meath

    At Ireland’s only permanent theme park you can ride Europe's largest wooden inverted roller coaster, Cú Chulainn. Just 45 minutes from Dublin city center,…

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    Powerscourt Estate

    Wicklow Mountains

    Wicklow's most visited attraction is this magnificent 64-sq-km estate, whose main entrance is 500m south of Enniskerry. At the heart of it is an elegant…

  • Rock Of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland

    Rock of Cashel

    County Tipperary

    The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland's most spectacular historic sites: a prominent green hill, banded with limestone outcrops, rising from a grassy plain…

  • View of Little Skellig from Skellig Michael

    Skellig Michael

    Skellig Ring

    The jagged, 217m-high rock of Skellig Michael (Michael's Rock; like St Michael's Mount in Cornwall and Mont St Michel in Normandy) is the larger of the…

  • Knocknarea Cairn

    County Sligo

    Sligo's ultimate rock pile sits atop a magical mountain hike. Knocknarea Cairn is popularly believed to be the grave of legendary Queen Maeve (Queen Mab…

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    Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery

    County Sligo

    With a bird's-eye view of the county from high in the Bricklieve Mountains, it's little wonder this hilltop site was sacred in prehistoric times. But for…

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    Glendalough Monastic Site

    Glendalough

    Nestled between two lakes, haunting Glendalough (Gleann dá Loch, meaning 'Valley of the Two Lakes') is one of the most significant monastic sites in…

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    Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery

    County Sligo

    One of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe, Carrowmore is finally receiving the renown it deserves and is Sligo's must-see attraction. Some 30…

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    Killarney National Park

    County Kerry

    Sprawling over 10,236 hectares, this sublime park is an idyllic place to explore. Ross Castle and Muckross House draw big crowds, but it's possible to…

  • Close-up of the wavy sand at Maghera beach at ebb tide, County Donegal, Ireland; Shutterstock ID 2286569939; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other:
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    Maghera Strand

    Southwestern Donegal

    This astonishing beach is a dream come true, especially if you are rewarded with a gorgeous sunset. Get here during lowish tide to explore the caves in…

  • The monastery of Clonmacnoise is lighting golden in the evening sun.

    Clonmacnoise

    The Midlands

    Gloriously placed overlooking the River Shannon, 7km northeast of Shannonbridge, Clonmacnoise is one of Ireland’s most important ancient monastic cities…

  • From Glencolumbkille a road heads inland towards Ardara, through the Glengesh Pass.
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Mountain Pass, Sheep, County Donegal, Outdoors, Road, Ardara, Cloud - Sky, Majestic, No People, Green, Green Color, Horizontal, Grass, Light, Glencolumbkille, Light - Natural Phenomenon, Photography, Republic of Ireland, Idyllic, Uncultivated

    Glengesh Pass

    Southwestern Donegal

    On a narrow road from Glencolumbcille to Ardara, past remote mountain bogland, magnificent Glengesh Pass (Glean Géis; meaning 'Glen of the Swans'),…

  • Streedagh Strand

    County Sligo

    Curving, dune-backed, 3km-long Streedagh Strand occasionally sees parts of the Spanish Armada washing up on its shores from three wrecks offshore: La…

  • Dun Briste

    County Mayo

    An astonishing sea stack that's lashed by foaming sea, Dun Briste is Mayo's top natural sight. Legend attests that St Patrick drove all the vipers from…

  • Corlea Trackway

    The Midlands

    Don't miss the extraordinary Corlea Trackway, an Iron Age bog road built in 148 BC. An 18m stretch of the pavement-like oak track has been preserved in a…

  • Lackan Strand

    County Mayo

    Lackan Bay's beach is a stunning and vast expanse of golden sand – it's particularly beautiful as the sun goes down, making it one of Ireland's most…

  • St canices cathedral round tower and churchyard

    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…

  • Moon over Kilkenny Castle

    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…

  • 1st August 2019, Drogheda, Ireland. The historic ruins of Monasterboice, an early Christian settlement near Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland.

    Monasterboice

    Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan

    Crowing ravens lend an eerie atmosphere to Monasterboice, an intriguing monastic site down a leafy lane in sweeping farmland, which contains a cemetery,…

  • Dublin City Gallery.

    Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

    North of the Liffey

    Whatever reputation Dublin has as a repository of world-class art has a lot to do with the simply stunning collection at this exquisite gallery, housed in…

  • Koran at Chester Beatty Library.

    Chester Beatty Library

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    This world-famous library in the grounds of Dublin Castle houses the collection of mining engineer Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875–1968), bequeathed to…

  • Ireland, County Kildare, Celbridge, Castletown House, 18th century Rococo stuccowork

    Castletown House

    Counties Wicklow & Kildare

    Magnificent Castletown House is Ireland’s single-most imposing Georgian estate, and a testament to the vast wealth enjoyed by the Anglo-Irish gentry…

Not Ireland... but still worth the visit