Things to do in Ireland

25 things to do in Ireland

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Walk the Cliffs of Moher

  Stand at the edge of these sheer 214-metre cliffs plunging into the Atlantic in County Clare. On clear days you can see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, with puffins nesting on the grassy ledges below.

  County Clare

• Explore the Book of Kells at Trinity College Dublin

  View the lavishly illuminated 9th-century Gospel manuscript in the Old Library's Long Room, surrounded by 200,000 of the library's oldest books beneath a barrel-vaulted ceiling.

  Dublin

• Drive the Ring of Kerry

  Circle the Iveragh Peninsula on this 179-km coastal route through rugged mountains, past lakes, sandy beaches, and colourful villages like Kenmare and Waterville.

  County Kerry

• Visit the Giant's Causeway

  Walk across roughly 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed by an ancient volcanic eruption along the Antrim coast. The hexagonal stones step down into the sea like a natural staircase.

  County Antrim

• Drink a pint at the Guinness Storehouse

  Tour the seven-storey brewery building shaped like a giant pint glass, learn how the iconic stout is made, and pull your own pint in the Gravity Bar with panoramic views over Dublin.

  Dublin

• Kiss the Blarney Stone

  Lean backwards over a gap in the battlements of Blarney Castle to kiss the legendary stone said to grant the 'gift of the gab.' The 15th-century castle sits amid sprawling gardens.

  Blarney, County Cork

• Hike Croagh Patrick

  Climb Ireland's holy mountain where St. Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days. The 764-metre peak offers sweeping views over Clew Bay and its hundreds of drumlin islands.

  County Mayo

• Wander the Rock of Cashel

  Explore the dramatic cluster of medieval buildings perched on a limestone outcrop, including a round tower, a Gothic cathedral, and a Romanesque chapel with some of Ireland's oldest frescoes.

  Cashel, County Tipperary

• Listen to trad music at The Cobblestone

  Crowd into this Smithfield pub where nightly sessions of fiddles, bodhráns, and tin whistles happen organically in the front bar. It's Dublin's most authentic traditional music venue.

  Dublin

• Kayak through Killarney National Park

  Paddle across the serene lakes of Killarney, passing beneath the wooded slopes of Mangerton Mountain and stopping at Innisfallen Island's ruined 7th-century monastery.

  County Kerry

• Visit Newgrange passage tomb

  Enter the 5,200-year-old Neolithic passage tomb, older than both Stonehenge and the Pyramids, where a narrow corridor leads to a corbelled chamber illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise.

  County Meath

• Eat fish and chips from Leo Burdock's

  Queue at Dublin's oldest chipper, operating since 1913, for crispy battered cod and thick-cut chips. Grab your paper-wrapped portion and eat on the steps of nearby Christ Church Cathedral.

  Dublin

• Cycle the Great Western Greenway

  Ride 42 km along a traffic-free greenway from Westport to Achill Island through bogland, farmland, and mountain passes, with views of Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick along the way.

  County Mayo

• Explore Dún Aonghasa on Inishmore

  Climb to the prehistoric stone fort perched on the edge of a 100-metre cliff on the largest Aran Island. Three concentric stone walls encircle the settlement, facing the open Atlantic.

  Inishmore, County Galway

• Stroll through Galway's Latin Quarter

  Wander the cobblestoned pedestrian streets busked by musicians, lined with colourful shopfronts and overflowing pub doorways. Stop for oysters at a stall during the annual Galway International Oyster Festival.

  Galway

• Drive the Wild Atlantic Way

  Tackle sections of the world's longest defined coastal driving route at 2,500 km, weaving from Kinsale to Malin Head past surf beaches, sea stacks, and windswept headlands.

  West Coast of Ireland

• Visit Kilmainham Gaol

  Walk the cold corridors of this former prison where leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by firing squad. The Victorian panopticon architecture is as chilling as the history.

  Dublin

• Sample artisan cheese at the English Market

  Browse Cork's covered market dating from 1788, tasting Gubbeen, Milleens, and Durrus cheeses alongside local charcuterie, fresh fish, and drisheen (traditional blood pudding).

  Cork

• Discover the Skellig Islands

  Take a boat from Portmagee to Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where 6th-century monks built a monastery on a jagged pyramidal rock rising 218 metres from the Atlantic.

  County Kerry

• Walk the Dingle Peninsula

  Hike the Dingle Way or drive Slea Head past ancient beehive huts, early Christian stone crosses, and the dramatic cliffs of Ceann Sléibhe, with the Blasket Islands shimmering offshore.

  County Kerry

• Tour the Jameson Distillery Midleton

  Walk through the original 1825 distillery buildings and learn the triple-distillation process that defines Irish whiskey, finishing with a comparative tasting of Jameson, Scotch, and bourbon.

  Midleton, County Cork

• Cross the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

  Walk the swaying 20-metre rope bridge strung 30 metres above the churning sea between the mainland and a tiny rocky island once used by salmon fishermen.

  County Antrim

• Explore Galway's street art and Busker scene

  Wander from Shop Street to the Spanish Arch, discovering large-scale murals on gable walls and catching impromptu performances by fiddle players, jazz bands, and sean-nós singers.

  Galway

• Visit the Burren landscape

  Walk across the eerie limestone pavement of the Burren, a karst landscape dotted with Arctic, Mediterranean, and Alpine wildflowers growing in the same cracks. Poulnabrone dolmen stands as its centrepiece.

  County Clare

• Have a pint at Sean's Bar in Athlone

  Drink at what the Guinness Book of Records lists as the oldest pub in Ireland, dating to 900 AD. The walls still contain sections of wattle and daub from the original structure.

  Athlone, County Westmeath