4 Best Sights in Ireland

At the King Sitric restaurant on the East Pier, a 2½-km (1½-mile) cliff walk begins, leading to the white Baily Lighthouse, built in 1814. In some places, the cliff path narrows and drops close to the water, but the views out over the Irish Sea are terrific. Some of the best views in the whole Dublin area await from the parking lot above the lighthouse, looking out over the entire bay as far south as Dun Laoghaire, Bray, and the north Wicklow coast. You can also see quite a bit of the city.

After Sirius, the first vessel to cross the Atlantic completely under steam, sank off Ballycotton Bay on a foggy night in the mid-19th century, the lighthouse was constructed in its wake. Tours starting at 10 am in season take in 360-degree panoramic views of the bay, as far as Kinsale Head. The 90-minute tour includes a visit to one of Ireland's rare black lighthouses and the recounting of legends that surround the local maritime community.

Few would believe that the modest, sandstone lighthouse on the southeast tip of the Mullet Peninsula could have had a pivotal role in history, but a weather report issued by the lighthouse keeper on June 3, 1944, convinced General Dwight D. Eisenhower to delay the D-Day invasion of Normandy by 24 hours. This delay saved the Allies from a catastrophic fate. Blacksod Lighthouse dates from 1864 and embraces the full brunt of the Atlantic Ocean's extreme weather.

Loop Head Lighthouse has kept navigators on the right watery path since its construction in 1670. The current, pint-size white tower house was built in 1854 and is open for tours. On a fine day, views from the balcony encompass the Blaskets in the south to the 12 Pin Mountains in Connemara. There's a lighthouse exhibition in the lightkeeper's cottage.