Ireland attractions

A compact cluster of crowded cobbled lanes, Temple Bar is an urban playground known for its nightlife. Once a rundown slum before artists and bohemian types—drawn by cheap rents—moved in, Dublin’s so-called cultural quarter has since been revamped. It is now home to galleries, vintage shops, cafés, cultural institutions, and a high concentration of pubs.

Flowing in from the Atlantic Ocean on Ireland’s west coast, Galway Bay laps the shores of some of the country’s most picturesque stretches of coastline. With the three windswept Aran Islands at its periphery, the bay meets land at the artsy city of Galway and numerous fishing villages, coastal cliffs, and beaches.

Once a common used for sheep grazing and public executions, St. Stephen’s Green became public park in 1877. This popular 22-acre (9-hectare) park offers benches and green lawns for relaxing, beautiful flower beds, a lake full of ducks, children’s playgrounds, and busts of prominent Irish historical figures.

Once the home of Jameson Irish Whiskey, the Bow St. distillery operated for nearly 200 years before production moved to County Cork in the 1970s. Today, the restored site serves as an interactive visitor center where travelers can explore the brand’s history through guided tours, tastings, and blending sessions. It’s a must-visit if you're interested in Irish craftsmanship, storytelling, and a taste of one of the country’s most famous exports.

Killarney National Park, with idyllic lakes and ancient woodlands backed by the serrated MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountains, is an area of stunning natural beauty. The 24,710-acre (10,000-hectare) park is also historically significant, with two heritage buildings in situ: Ross Castle, a 15th-century fortress that’s also available for group bookings, and Muckross House, a stately Victorian estate.

The fifth-century home of the kings of Munster, the Rock of Cashel—or St. Patrick’s Rock, as it’s also known—is now home to a collection of religious monuments, including a roofless medieval cathedral and a 12th-century chapel. Set atop an elevated knoll, the site commands excellent views over the green, grassy Irish countryside.

Situated on Dublin’s Northside, O’Connell Street is one of the city’s main thoroughfares. As well as being home to shops, bars, and restaurants, this broad boulevard is also the setting for several statues, the 390-foot-high (120-meter-high) Spire monument, and the bullet-pocked General Post Office (GPO)—a key site in Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising.

Closed to prisoners for more than a century, this formidable looking ex-jail in Dublin is now a museum that offers a walkthrough of modern Irish history. Visitors can learn about the common prisoners, jailed for stealing food during the Great Famine, along with political prisoners who spanned events from the late 18th-century rebellions, to the Easter Rising, to the Irish Civil War. There’s also an exhibition of political prisoner stories from around the world.

Standing along the edge of Kylemore Lake, the neo-Gothic Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden is every inch a storybook castle. Built in 1868, the abbey’s construction employed grateful locals still reeling from the Irish Potato Famine. Today, the resident Benedictine nuns welcome the public into parts of the abbey and the grounds.

The General Post Office (GPO) is intricately connected to Ireland’s battle for independence, having been attacked by Republican rebels during the 1916 Easter Rising, and also damaged by crossfire during the Irish Civil War. Still a working post office, the GPO also houses the GPO Witness History Visitor Centre, featuring interactive exhibits.

Wild, beautiful, and sparsely populated, Connemara, extending from Galway to the Atlantic Ocean, is Ireland at its most rugged and elemental. The indented Atlantic coastline is interspersed with beaches and seaside hamlets, while the interior encompasses bog, mountains, lakes, and empty valleys where sheep outnumber people.

At 1,752 acres (709 hectares), Dublin's Phoenix Park is one of the largest urban parks in Europe. This is the home of the Dublin Zoo, as well as the Victorian People’s Flower Garden, Áras an Uachtaráin (the official residence of the president of Ireland), and a herd of about 300 deer, which roam freely around the woodland areas and grassy lawns.

Founded in 1864, the National Gallery of Ireland holds works spanning the 13th to 21st century. In addition to its comprehensive collection of Irish art, including paintings by Jack B. Yeats (brother of poet W.B. Yeats), the gallery also has pieces by European artists such as Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, and Picasso.

Flowing through the center of town and dividing Dublin in two, the River Liffey is the waterway around which the city first grew and developed, and it remains at the heart of city life. Originating in the Wicklow Mountains, the river flows through Wicklow, Kildare, and Dublin, before emptying into the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay.

A Galway landmark on the banks of the River Corrib, the Spanish Arch is the remains of a late 16th century bastion designed to protect the city. Located in the heart of Galway, the Spanish Arch is a short walk from other city landmarks including the Claddagh and the Galway City Museum.

Dating from 1788, The English Market is among Ireland’s finest foodie destinations. Set inside a Victorian heritage building with a vaulted ceiling, the market is filled with vendors selling the finest and freshest of local produce, from grass-fed beef and smoked salmon to homemade jam, duck eggs, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Grafton Street, a stretch of pedestrianized road in Dublin’s city center, connects two top landmarks: Trinity College and St. Stephen’s Green. Both a main thoroughfare and a destination itself, Grafton Street is lined with shops and restaurants, and is known for its groups of musicians called buskers. Wander into the adjoining side streets to order a pint at a classic Dublin pub.

A family favorite, the 69-acre (28-hectare) Dublin Zoo has been around since 1831. Over 400 animals from about 100 different species can be seen across its various sections. In the African Savanna, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and ostriches roam, while the Asian Forests exhibit is home to lions, snow leopards, and crested black macaques.

Experience the natural beauty of County Kerry with a visit to the Torc Waterfall. Located a short walk from the Killarney–Kenmare road, in Killarney National Park, Torc Waterfall is part of the River Owengariff and flows into Muckross (Middle) Lake. The site is a popular spot on the area’s scenic drives and hiking routes.

This scenic lookout takes its name from Queen Victoria and her ladies-in-waiting, who were bowled over by the views when they visited here in 1861. These days, the vista remains as spectacular as back then, with visitors lingering at the lookout to soak up the magnificent lake and peak landscapes of Killarney National Park.

The Irish Whiskey Museum is dedicated to one of Ireland’s most beloved tipples: whiskey. With multimedia exhibits and Irish whiskey memorabilia, the museum looks at the distilling process, the origins and history of Irish whiskey production, and the rise, fall, and current revival of the Irish whiskey industry.

Built in the late 18th century as Dublin’s Royal Exchange, this grand Georgian building was designed by renowned architect Thomas Cooley. Nowadays, it hosts Dublin City Council meetings and a multimedia exhibition in the basement, which follows the development of the Irish capital over the centuries.

Set in a Georgian townhouse, the Little Museum of Dublin looks at 20th-century life in the Irish capital. Featuring an eclectic collection of items—many of which were donated by Dubliners themselves—the exhibits cover everything from the 1916 Easter Rising to JFK’s 1963 visit to Dublin to the meteoric rise of Dublin rock band U2.

A vision on the shores of Lough Leane, the 15th-century Ross Castle was built as a medieval fortress for an Irish chieftain named O’Donoghue, and was said to be one of the last strongholds to fall to the brutal English Cromwellian forces in the mid-16th century. The ruin has been restored, and features lovely 16th- and 17th-century furniture.

Founded in 1877, the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology branch houses a vast and varied collection of precious archaeological finds. See well-preserved Iron Age bog bodies, Celtic gold jewelry, and other ancient treasures such as the eighth-century Ardagh Chalice, which was used to dispense altar wine, and the intricately detailed Tara Brooch.

At the Midleton Distillery Experience (formerly the Jameson Distillery Midleton), travelers can enjoy the Jameson Experience Tour—this includes a look into the distillery in East Cork, where the well-known whiskey was produced until the 1970s. In the company of a guide, visitors explore the preserved distillery interior, and view old kilns, mills, and distilling equipment, as well as a restored 19th-century warehouse.

Founded in 1990, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is located in a former royal hospital on 48 acres of land with a formal garden and medieval cemetery. In addition to its substantial collection of artworks, special exhibitions, educational programs, lectures, workshops, and studio tours draw visitors to the museum.

This quaint fishing village on the Howth Head peninsula draws Dublin day-trippers with its rich seafaring history, dramatic cliffs, and medieval landmarks. Highlights include Howth Castle, St. Mary’s Abbey, the National Transport Museum, and a bustling market stocked with souvenirs and fresh produce.

Home to two golf courses, a luxury hotel, a Palladian-style country house, and Ireland’s highest waterfall, the 25-square-mile (64-square-kilometer) Powerscourt Estate has no shortage of attractions. The landscaped gardens, with their cascading terraces, lakes, and follies, are, however, the greatest draw to this sight in County Wicklow.

One of Ireland’s most-photographed ancient sites, the Poulnabrone Dolmen—comprising a long slab of rock placed horizontally on top of several upright slabs—has stood on this lonely limestone plateau for 5,000 years. It marks the site of a mass grave containing the remains of ancient people buried here between 3800 and 3200 BC.