400 Best Sights in Ireland

Just 8 km (5 miles) north of Clonakilty, in the "blink and miss it" hamlet of Ballinascarty (it's really just a crossroads) an unsuspecting traveler might pause to inspect the stainless steel, fully-to-scale Model T that's perched on a limestone pedestal on the side of a road. Across the street, the Henry Ford Tavern is open for business---because this is the cradle of a modern-day basic---the car. Henry Ford's father, William, was born in this tiny townland, and fled to the safer shores of America during the Great Famine that decimated Ireland's population. In fact, both of Henry’s parents were of County Cork stock, which is why the European Ford production line for Ford Cars was located in the Rebel City until its fortunes changed back in 1984.

Remodeled interpretation, time lines, and new infographics were added during 2020 at the Heritage House, also known as the former North Boys School. The displays feature a variety of aspects of Laois life as well as the history of Abbeyleix and the de Vescis, an Anglo-Norman family who, in 1699, came to live at an estate nearby. They were instrumental in building and developing the new town of Abbeyleix in 1770. The school was originally constructed for the education of Catholics (at the other end of the town you'll find the South School, built for Protestants). Hour-long guided walking tours of the town are held in the summer while another tour links the center with new boardwalks at Abbeyleix Bog on the southern outskirts of the town that encompasses a 500-acre area of diverse habitats. Both tours costs €7 which includes admission to the house. Check the website for details of tour dates and times.

The 16th-century Hermitage was constructed on the site where St. Erc, a local man converted to Christianity by St. Patrick himself, led a hermit's existence. All that remains of his original monastery is the faint trace of the circular ditch, but the ruins of the later church include a nave and a chancel with a tower in between, and a stroll through them can evoke a little of the atmosphere of medieval Ireland.

The Lutyenses' house, once in the pretty Georgian village of Ballinakill, burned down in 1950 due to an electrical fault, but the gardens, with landscaping most likely attributable to the famed Gertrude Jekyll, are still worth a detour. Guided one-hour tours by prior booking (Monday--Thursday) are available through this gardener's paradise, where a formal lawn flanked by traditional herbaceous borders leads to a sunken Italian garden. Highlights include a rose called Natalie Naples and Johnston's Blue geraniums.

The 6th-century monastic settlement of Holy Island (Inis Cealtra in Irish) sits in the middle of Lough Derg, slightly closer to the western shore. Around the year AD 520, St. Columba, seeking the type of solitude only an island can offer, founded his small monastery here. It was later expanded into a serious seat of Christian learning. The Vikings arrived in 836 and killed many of the monks before making off with most of their treasures, but the monastery survived in different forms until the Reformation. The ruins on the island include a Round Tower, St. Caimin's Romanesque church, and the Saints' Graveyard, which includes 11th-century grave markers in Irish, and one headstone for Cosrach, "the miserable one," who died in 898. Access to the island is via boats that leave from Mountshannon, on the western side of the lake.

The Howth Castle Gardens, next door to the Transport Museum and accessible from the Deer Park Hotel, were laid out in the early 18th century. The many rare varieties in the fine rhododendron garden are in full flower April through June; there are also high beech hedges. The rambling castle, built in 1654 and considerably altered in the following centuries, is not open to the public, but you can access the ruins of a tall, square, 16th-century castle and a Neolithic dolmen.

Designed by architect Davis Ducart---the man who modeled the city's entire Georgian grid---this handsome limestone building was once the Old Custom House. Located on the banks of the Shannon in the city center, the Hunt Museum has the finest collection of Celtic and medieval treasures outside the National Museum in Dublin. Ancient Irish metalwork, European objets d'art, and a selection of 20th-century European and Irish paintings—including works by Jack B. Yeats—are on view. The museum has regular high-profile exhibitions. Free tours are offered and a café overlooks the river.

Despite its diminutive name, Inch is a 5-km (3-mile) stretch of sand and sea that extends as far as Dingle Bay. Its vast and glorious setting created pivotal backdrops for movies like Ryan’s Daughter (1970), Excalibur (1981), and Far And Away (1992)---but in Ireland it’s famous for its summer surf schools and the 3-meter-high waves that can approach its westerly coastline.

The beach is on an island connected to the mainland by causeways, and accessible by car. It consists of two flat, wide stretches of fine white sand divided by a rocky promontory. The east side is the most sheltered and has dunes that can be walked. The slope to the sea is so gentle that at low tide it's a long walk to find deep water. Busy in July and August, its vast expanses offer exhilarating walks the rest of the year. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

Just when you think you've discovered Connemara's final Atlantic frontier, Inis Ní (or Inishnee) Island lures you miles farther into its ocean-fringed wilderness. This is one of the most northerly outposts of the south Connemara Gaeltacht. The trailhead is by a car park close to Roundstone, and from there it's an easy mile of country road to a small causeway. Discarded fishermen's boats bob along a marshy inlet, at the start of the loop walk. The island's color palette varies with the season's blossoms, as you meander past deserted, forlorn graveyards, granite walls caked in lichen and moss, and a pier where fishermen sort their stock from brightly painted boats.

The monastic ruins on Innisfallen Island include a Celtic cross and date from the 6th or 7th century. Between AD 950 and 1350 the Annals of Innisfallen were compiled here by monks. (The book survives in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.) There is a rough walking trail around the island, a wishing stone, and wild deer, but don't expect any facilities. On a sunny day, this is a charming place to take a picnic. From Ross Castle, row yourself over or let a boatman-guide take you out to the island (both options €12), or you can join a cruise (€12) from the castle, in a covered, heated launch.

If someone in your family has ambitions to play sport professionally, this interactive museum will test your budding athlete’s aspiration with an immersive, linear voyage through the steps in that journey. Focused on rugby (it is Limerick, after all) the museum charts the journey from the grass roots of the game, through training and team participation, and culminates in the greatest rugby moments on the global stage. The building has commanding views of the city, a café, and retail---and is bang in the heart of the city.

Separated from Howth Harbour by a channel nearly 1½ km (1 mile) wide is the little island of Ireland's Eye, with an old stone church on the site of a 6th-century monastery, and an early-19th-century Martello tower. In calm summer weather, local boatmen make the crossing to the island from the East pier in Howth Harbour. Check the notice board in the harbor for the number of a boat owner willing to do the trip.

The opening of the IFI in a former Quaker meetinghouse helped to launch the revitalization of Temple Bar. It has three comfortable art-house cinemas showing revivals and new independent films, the Irish Film Archive, a bookstore for cineastes, and a popular bar and restaurant-café, all of which make this one of the neighborhood's most vital cultural institutions and the place to be seen. On Saturday nights in summer, films screen outdoors on Meeting House Square.

Housed in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the Irish Museum of Modern Art concentrates on the work of contemporary Irish artists along with regular international exhibitions. Artists such as Richard Deacon, Richard Gorman, Dorothy Cross, Sean Scully, Matt Mullican, Louis le Brocquy, and James Coleman are included in the collection. The museum also displays works by some non-Irish 20th-century greats, including Picasso and Miró, plus recent hotshots like Damien Hirst, and regularly hosts touring shows from major European museums. The café serves light fare including soups and sandwiches, and has a cool kids' play area. It's a short ride by taxi or bus from the city center and there is a LUAS stop nearby.

If you're a horse aficionado, or even just curious, check out this stud farm, a main center of Ireland's racing industry. The Stud was founded in 1900 by brewing heir Colonel William Hall-Walker. It's here that breeding stallions are groomed, exercised, tested, and bred. Spring and early summer, when mares have foals, are the best times to visit. The National Stud Horse Museum, also on the grounds, recounts the history of horses in Ireland. Its most outstanding exhibit is the skeleton of Arkle, the mighty Irish racehorse that won major victories in Ireland and England during the late 1960s. The museum also contains medieval evidence of horses, such as bones from 13th-century Dublin, some early examples of equestrian equipment, and "Living Legends" or recently retired equine stars of the racing game.

Talk about exclusive—until 1960, the only way to reach this club was by boat. It was about as remote as you could get and still be only 24 km (15 miles) from Dublin. But things have changed. The Island has opened its doors to reveal a fine links course with holes that force you to navigate between spectacular sand dunes toward small, challenging greens.

Few may have read him, but everyone in Ireland has at least heard of James Joyce (1882–1941)—especially since owning a copy of his censored and suppressed Ulysses was one of the top status symbols of the early 20th century. Joyce is, of course, now acknowledged as one of the greatest modern authors, and Dubliners, Finnegans Wake, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man can even be read as quirky "travel guides" to Dublin. Open to the public, this restored 18th-century Georgian town house, once the dancing academy of Professor Denis J. Maginni (which many will recognize from a reading of Ulysses), is a center for Joycean studies and events related to the author. It has an extensive library and archives, exhibition rooms, a bookstore, and a café. The collection includes letters from Beckett, Joyce's guitar and cane, and a celebrated edition of Ulysses illustrated by Matisse. The interactive exhibition James Joyce and Ulysses allows you to delve into the mysteries and controversies of the novel. The center is the main organizer of "Bloomstime," which marks the week leading up to the Bloomsday celebrations. (Bloomsday, June 16, is the single day Ulysses chronicles, as Leopold Bloom winds his way around Dublin in 1904.)

On a tour of the Old Midleton Distillery, you'll learn how this now world-renowned whiskey (uisce beatha, or "the water of life") was made in the old days. The old stone buildings are excellent examples of 19th-century industrial architecture, the impressively large old waterwheel still operates, and the pot still—a copper dome that can hold 32,000 imperial gallons of whiskey—is the world's largest. Tours end with a complimentary glass of Jameson's Irish whiskey (or a soft drink). A gift shop and café are also on the premises. From April to October there is a daily shuttle bus service from St. Patrick's Quay Cork; inquire when booking.

Early in the tour, requests are made for a volunteer "whiskey taster," so be alert if this option appeals.

Adjacent to the Irish National Stud, the Japanese Gardens were created between 1906 and 1910 by the horse breeder's founder, Colonel Hall-Walker, and laid out by a Japanese gardener, Tassa Eida, and his son Minoru. Although quite small and cramped, the gardens are recognized as among the finest Asian gardens in the world, although they're more of an East–West hybrid than authentically Japanese. The Scots pines, for instance, are an appropriate stand-in for traditional Japanese pines, which signify long life and happiness. The gardens symbolically chart the human progression from birth to death, although the focus is on the male journey.

A series of landmarks runs along a meandering path: the Tunnel of Ignorance (No. 3) represents a child's lack of understanding; the Engagement and Marriage bridges (Nos. 8 and 9) span a small stream; and from the Hill of Ambition (No. 13), you can look back over your joys and sorrows. It ends with the Gateway to Eternity (No. 20), beyond which lies a Zen Buddhist meditation sand garden. Spring and fall are when the gardens are at their best.

About 12 km (8 miles) to the north of Ballyhack lies the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, with more than 600 acres of forest, nature trails, and gardens, plus an ornamental lake. The grounds contain some 4,500 species of trees and shrubs and serve as a resource center for botanists and foresters. The top of the park offers fine panoramic views. The arboretum is clearly signposted from New Ross on R733, which follows the banks of the Barrow southward for about 5 km (3 miles). The cottage where the president's great-grandfather was born is in Dunganstown; Kennedy relatives still live in the house. About 2 km (1 mile) down the road at Slieve Coillte you can see the entrance to the arboretum.

The subtropical gardens teeming with ferns and exotic plants date from 1838, and have been fully restored and greatly improved by the present owners, Billy and Penn Alexander. The Skywalk rope bridge is the longest in Ireland and takes half an hour to walk. The front-gate waterfall and the giant Chilean wine palm compete for your attention with carved wooden dinosaurs and giant Dicksonia antarctica (Tasmanian fern trees) dating from the 1890s, so allow at least an hour for the rest of the garden. Penn, a former chef, has opened a Thai restaurant that is very popular locally and opens for lunch, dinner, and takeaway. Do not let the rain put you off visiting: Kells receives more than 60 inches of rain annually, and it actually enhances the plants and the waterfall. But do wear sensible shoes as it is usually damp underfoot.

Located in Kells Town Hall, the office is also home to a brilliant copy of the Book of Kells—it's a more pleasant, less rushed, and less expensive way to see this medieval masterpiece compared with the madness of Trinity College in high season. They also have a diorama of Kells Town around AD 815.

Come to this center in the tourist office to learn about the town's history. They can outline a walking route to Kenmare's places of interest.

Each Wednesday a small group of outdoor vendors offer local organic produce and a few exotic imports to an appreciative local clientele. Look out for Olivier's On the Wild Side's handmade charcuterie and smoked trout from Killorglin, local organic veggies, homemade pâtés, preserves from Caherdaniel, and wonderful duck and quail eggs.

Take the Ballybrit bus (or a 30-minute walk) from the city center to this gallery, which hosts about a dozen shows a year. It's open Monday to Saturday 9 to 5.

Worth a quick look, this museum, between Glenbeigh and Killorglin on the Ring of Kerry, is a cluster of reconstructed, fully furnished cottages that vividly portray the daily life of the region's agricultural laborers in the early 1800s. The adjacent Red Fox Bar is famous for its Irish coffee.

Tralee's major cultural attraction traces the history of Kerry's people since 5000 BC, using dioramas and an entertaining audiovisual show. There is an excellent display on Tom Crean and Roger Casement, the celebrated humanitarian activist whose brief sojourn in Kerry during Ireland's Easter Rising had a huge impact locally and internationally. You can also walk through a life-size reconstruction of a Tralee street of the Middle Ages.

This wide, sweeping, crescent-shape, sandy beach is cradled by the town's rocky contours and slopes down gently to the ocean. It was a favorite of author Charlotte Brontë. The absence of a strong current means that it's one of the safest swimming spots on the west coast. Amenities: none. Best for: swimming, walking.