Hiking in Ireland
 

I'll be traveling to Ireland this summer the last part of August and first part of September and want o do a bunch of hiking.
I will be staying 7 places, Dublin, Portrush, Dunfanaghy, Sligo, Clifden, Dingle and Kenmare.
I'm just starting to explore different hikes around these towns to do so any suggestions would be welcome. Hikes from 2-6 hours long. I'd like to stay away from the hot tourist spots.

So far I see that Benbulben near Sligo and Croagh-Patrick near Westport look like cool hikes. What are some other "don't miss" hikes?

Any others?

If you want to research walks in areas away from tourist hotspots, you should check out walkingroutes.ie, a site where walkers log their own personal favourite hikes.
Croagh Patrick is a very popular hike, one you can fit in when travelling between Sligo and Clifden.
Ben Bulben does not have a defined pathway to the summit unlike Croagh Patrick and ways up can involve walking over private land.
A pleasant walk in County Clare starts in Fisher Street (Doolin)and follows the shoreline to the Cliffs of Moher.

Thanks SeeDee ... any good hikes you know of down in Dingle?

http://www.discovernorthernireland.c...n-Island-P8209

We did a day tour and our guide told us all about this island. We could see it from the coast. It has peaked my curiosity and think it would be a great walk. I can't wait to go back to Northern Island. It is just beautiful.

Diamond Hill in the Connemara NP handy from Clifden but there are a number of Options, I used to like the Devils Mother just round by Leenanne. http://mountainviews.ie/summit/202/?...ece4pvqq28ajf7

Some good walks from Castlegregory http://www.castlegregorykerry.com/ac...y-walking.html not sure why u'd go to Dingle if avoiding the tourist hotspots

Get a look at Walking in the West of Ireland by Mike Harding, lots of walks we used to do in there.

There's nothing like the advice of a local however, as a traveller to Dingle (last summer) I can attest to how beautiful the scenery is. We saw people who were walking the Dingle Way, along the Slea Head portion of the route. We also saw some terrific trails up on Mount Brandon and the Conor Pass area. Perhaps the following website would be of use to get specific trail maps:

walkingroutes.ie

We hired Diarmuid Begley of Dingle Shittle Bus to drive us around the Slea Head. He is a walker and spoke to us of some excellent walking trails, but I didn't record any specifi information unfortunately.

Haha! Meant to say, Dingle SHUTTLE Bus!

I just looked at my trip notes from 2012 for the hikes we enjoyed. We were there for 4 weeks from mid-May. If you are interested in our photos - which include some hikes, here is the link. https://plus.google.com/photos/11441...969?banner=pwa

<b>Glendalough N.P.</b> - while there seemed to be a lot of tourists at the center, we had the trail to ourselves. Go in a counterclockwise direction.
<b>Sheep's Head</b> nice walk out to a lighthouse
<b>Kerry Way</b> - from Kenmare (my favorite town) into Killarney N.P.
<b>Gap of Dunloe</b> - touristy, but fun. We found a bus/boat combination from Killarney which took us to the trailhead, then picked us up in a boat to complete the circle. If the weather is cold/windy, skip the boat ride and walk back down.
<b>Dunmore Head</b> out of Dingle
<b>Eagle Mountain</b> out of Dingle
<b>Benlettery</b> - out of Clifden, no real trail
<b>Diamond Hill</b> - out of Clifden, somewhat short