79 Best Sights in Northern Ireland

There's a sense of dreamy loneliness about this spot, rising 8 km (5 miles) offshore beyond the tide rip of Sloch na Marra (Valley of the Sea) and across Rathlin Sound. About 140 people still live on Northern Ireland's only offshore island, amid the twin delights of history and wildlife. The postman doubles as the lighthouse keeper and the school has just eight children. In 1306, the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, took shelter in a cave (under the east lighthouse) and, according to the popular legend, was inspired to continue his armed struggle against the English by watching a spider patiently spinning its web. It was on Rathlin in 1898 that Guglielmo Marconi set up the world's first cross-water radio link, from the island's lighthouse to Ballycastle. Hiking and bird-watching—look out for the Atlantic nomads: thousands of choughs, puffins, guillemots, and razorbills nesting on the cliffs and sea stacks in the summer—are the island's main activities. There are seven separate walking trails leading you through a mosaic of different habitats including mire, fen, and heathlands which in the spring and summer are filled with carpets of wildflowers such as orchids, tormentil, and eyebright. Most of the trails are gentle strolls varying from two to six kilometers. The island also boasts several excellent craft shops, including the Breakwater Studio, specializing in the art of Rathlin selling ceramics, jewelry, paintings, soaps, candles, and diffusers.

The Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre and Lighthouse ( 028/2076–0062) is the best place to head for spectacular close-ups of the birds, an awesome sight, which is known as Northern Ireland's largest seabird city. It is more than 6½ km (4 miles) from the harbor at Church Bay, so it's best to take the privately run Puffin Bus (£5 round-trip). Eight waymarked walking trails covering 45 km (27 miles) have been given quality status, meaning they are among the best available. 

The Boathouse Visitor Centre ( 028/2076–2225) houses a collection of photographs, tools, and implements from the island's past. The center is open from April through mid-September. A high-speed double-decker catamaran, the M.V. Rathlin Express, cuts the 10-km (6-mile) journey time crossing over the Sea of Moyle to 25 minutes; from July to September it runs six round-trips daily (£12; reservations 24 hours ahead essential). Unless the sea is extremely rough, the M.V. Spirit of Rathlin ferryboat also makes four daily round-trips (£12, reservations also essential). This more leisurely trip can take up to 45 minutes; be mindful of the weather to ensure that you can return on the same day. The last return to Ballycastle is at 4:15 pm for the Rathlin Express and 5:30 pm for the Spirit of Rathlin. The Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival is a 10-day annual celebration of the area's rich natural history, culture, and music held at the end of May and beginning of June and offers an inspiring mix of activities including a regatta, talks, and tours.

If you want lunch, the best place is the historic Manor House with outdoor tables by the water's edge. The former residence of the island laird, this elegant, whitewashed, Georgian building is now in the care of the National Trust.

The interactive exhibits here bring the ancient myths and stories of early Christian Ireland to life. You can explore how St. Patrick's legacy developed in early Christian times, examine the art and metalwork that were produced during this golden age, and listen to modern debates about Ireland's patron saint. Interpretative boards outline local sites connected with the saint. Self-guided tours of sites linked with St. Patrick last about 70 minutes and take you across a bridge over the River of Words. If time is short, you can opt to watch the IMAX cinema presentation, a 20-minute, 180-degree audiovisual flight that whizzes you around relevant Irish sites—a highlight of the entire exhibition. The center includes a café, gift store, an art gallery, terraced gardens, and a well-stocked tourist information office.

For a funky afternoon pit stop, try Sandinos, a haunt of radicals and writers (posters of Che Guevara and Nicaraguan writers decorate the walls) as well as artists, musicians and chess players. Sample the dozen or so world beers, or try the Dubliner Irish whiskey, a blend of honeycomb and caramel flavors, or The Pogues Irish Whiskey, named after the famed band. There's traditional Irish music on Sunday from 3 to 9.

Imposing in its Scottish Baronial fortified grandeur, this is a meeting place for the exclusively Protestant organization set up in 1714 to honor 13 Apprentice Boys who slammed the city gate in the face of the Catholic King James in 1688, sparking the Siege of Derry. The Memorial Hall has been renovated, and next door to it stands a £2 million center that tells the fascinating story of the 105-day siege and chronicles the history of the Apprentice Boys. A look-alike sandstone scale model of Walker's Pillar—blown up by the IRA in 1973—has been re-created. During excavation work in 2014, before the new museum was built, archaeologists unearthed Derry's oldest building, believed to date to at least 1602. The brick-and-wood structure perished during the O'Doherty Rebellion of 1608—predating the historic city walls by several years. Excited archaeologists also uncovered musket balls, a cannonball, pottery shards, clay pipes, and even some intact centuries-old wine bottles—although their drinking maturity has yet to be established. Combined guided tours of the museum, Memorial Hall, and city walls with access to the Royal Bastion and Plinth of Walker's Pillar cost £7 and last two hours.

The road to Silent Valley Reservoir Park leads to mountain views and excellent photo ops. Also here is a visitor center with an informative exhibition explaining the history of Silent Valley. Look into the Locals Room, which celebrates the men who worked on the building of the reservoir as well as the Mourne Wall. You can also pick up information on a walking and heritage trail of 1.8 km (just over 1 mile) or the more strenuous Ben Crom Dam Walk, which is 10 km (6 miles).

By the riverfront is one of the most appealing churches, Presbyterian Sinclair Seamen's Church. Designed by Charles Lanyon, the architect of Queen's University, it has served the seafaring community since 1857. The pulpit is shaped like a ship's prow; the bell is from HMS Hood, a Royal Navy battleship sunk in Portland Harbor on the south coast of England in 1914; and even the collection plates are shaped like lifeboats. Tours are offered between March and December on Wednesday from 2 to 4:30 pm.

Looming above Newcastle is Slieve Donard, its panoramic, 2,796-foot-high summit grandly claiming views into England, Wales, and Scotland "when it's clear enough"—in other words, "rarely," say the pessimists. It's not possible to drive up the mountain, so leave your car in the Donard parking lot and follow signs for the Slieve Donard Trail. It should take roughly three hours to climb to the summit and no longer than two hours to descend. Experienced hikers should not find it difficult, but if you prefer an easier trek, follow the trails signposted in Tollymore Forest Park or follow the Mourne Coastal Footpath. Hiking boots are essential and, as the weather can be unpredictable, it's advisable to take an extra layer of clothing, even in summer. The Mourne Wall, at 35 km (22 miles), which runs up and down Slieve Donard, was completed in 1922 by the Belfast Water Commissioners and had fallen into a poor condition. During 2019, it was restored in a £1.6 million community-led project and protects the water catchment which feeds the Silent Valley and Ben Crom Reservoirs. It was given a listed status in 1996 and is owned by Northern Ireland Water.

At the center of the eponymous Cathedral Quarter, St. Anne's is a turn-of-the-20th century edifice in the Irish neo-Romanesque style. Lord Carson (1854–1935), who was largely responsible for keeping the six counties inside the United Kingdom, is buried here by virtue of a special Act of Parliament. His is the only tomb. The 175-foot stainless-steel Spire of Hope atop the cathedral's roof adds to the city's skyline and shines brightly as a beacon of newfound optimism for the future. A multilingual audio guide allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history of the cathedral's walls though speech and music. A new trail, incorporating the history and highlights of the building, was launched for visitors in 2020. The German Luftwaffe bombed this section of Belfast during World War II; on the cathedral's Talbot Street side, at No. 21, the Northern Ireland War Memorial has an interactive exhibit about the war.

This small jewel of a church is wedged just inside the ramparts of the walls. In the ancient graveyard a large board map registers the location of 163 gravestones in alphabetical order. The site was known as "God’s Little Acre," indicating a much larger graveyard, but now sits in an area of a quarter of an acre. It has been a sacred spot since St. Columba founded his first abbey here in AD 546. The oldest gravestone—in the church porch—is that of Richard Carrec, an Elizabethan soldier, dating from circa 1609. Immerse yourself in the serenity of the graveyard under the shadow of the cherry trees, tune into the birdsong, a world away from the tour groups being corralled around the walls. Visitors can tour the church and adjoining graveyard from May to October and are welcome at worship on Sunday or at morning communion on Tuesday at 10:30 am.

Opened in 1844, this is one of the most impressive redbrick Tudor revival churches in Ireland. One of the interior highlights is the densely patterned fan-vaulted ceiling, a delightfully swirling masterpiece of plasterwork—whose inspiration was taken from the chapel of Henry VII at Westminster Abbey in London—that's been tastefully repainted in cream. The painting over the high altarpiece, Journey to Calvary, was carried out by portraitist Felix Piccioni, whose family were refugees from the Austrian region of Italy. In 1868, the largest bell in Belfast was added to the church, but after complaints that its deafening noise was interfering with the maturing of whiskey in the nearby Dunville distillery, it was wrapped in felt to soften its peal and vibration. Along the southeast wall of the church gazing out in contemplative mood with his brown eyes and torn chocolate-brown coat is the delicate statue of the Ragged Saint. St. Benedict Joseph Labre, the patron saint of the unemployed, welcomes visitors into the ethereal elegance of one of Belfast's most architecturally romantic buildings.

Near the city center, a squat battlement tower identifies the cathedral, in simple, early-19th-century low-Gothic style. On the site of much older churches, it contains relics of Armagh's long history. Brian Boru, the High King (King of All Ireland) is buried here. In 1014, he drove the Vikings out of Ireland but was killed after the battle was won. Some memorials and tombs here are by important 18th-century sculptors such as Roubiliac and Rysbrack. The cathedral's atmospheric crypt is also open to visitors by prior arrangement. Dating from the Middle Ages, this sanctuary was where law-abiding citizens safely stored their valuable goods. A few archbishops are buried here, too. And because of its position on a hilltop there are superb views of Armagh city and the surrounding countryside.

The pale limestone St. Patrick's, the seat of a Roman Catholic archdiocese, rises above a hill to dominate the north end of Armagh. The cathedral's rather gloomy interior is enlivened by a magnificent organ, the potential of which is fully realized at services. Construction of the twin-spire structure started in 1840 in the neo-Gothic style, but the Great Famine brought work to a halt until 1854, and it wasn't completed until 1873. An arcade of statues over the main doorway on the exterior is one of the cathedral's most interesting features. The altar is solid Irish granite, and the woodwork is Austrian oak.

After returning to Ireland in the year AD 432, Ireland's patron saint seems to have popped up everywhere on his peregrinations. You can explore places associated with him along St. Patrick's Trail, a 92-mile signposted driving route linking 15 historic and ecclesiastical sites across the beautiful drumlin hills of Counties Down and Armagh. Pick up a trail map at the tourist office in Armagh or Downpatrick, and at major attractions on the route you qualify for two-for-one entry.

The elegant neo-Gothic "twin spires" of St. Peter's Cathedral dominate the skyline of West Belfast. Finding this Roman Catholic cathedral is difficult, but worth the effort. Built in 1866, when the Catholic population was rapidly increasing, St. Peter's acted as a focal point for the community.

Covering 1,300 acres and entered through Gothic gateways, Tollymore Forest Park has been thrust into the spotlight because of its starring role in the TV series Game of Thrones, standing in for the Haunted Forest, the Wolfswood near Winterfell, and the Kings Road near Castle Black. The arboretum at Tollymore has the widest range of tree species of any park in Ireland. Apart from the better-known oak, birch, beech, and Sitka spruce, the eucalyptus from Australia and Tasmania stand out and bring a cheerful note. Game of Thrones fans can book a Tollymore guided locations trek held at 10 and 3 each day for £8 (this does not include the entrance fee to the forest park). The tour, lasting an hour and 45 minutes, is an immersive experience; Stark cloaks are provided at no extra cost. Alternatively, you can do the trek yourself without an official guide.

The history of Derry is chronicled in this tall, medieval, and magical granite tower that houses the Tower Museum. The original building was constructed in 1615 by the O'Dohertys for their overlords, the O'Donnells, in lieu of tax payments. The museum has excellent information celebrating the life and legacy of St. Columba, with a Discovery Zone on the first floor. The vivid Story of Derry, which includes a 15-minute film, covers the city's history, from its origins as a monastic settlement in an oak grove up to the Troubles, which began in 1969 after years of institutionalized discrimination in jobs and public housing. There's also an exhibition—spread over four floors—on the Spanish Armada, thanks to the fact that its fourth-largest ship, La Trinidad Valencera, foundered in Kinnagoe Bay, in County Donegal, in 1588.

If you have already been on an official guided walking tour of the city walls, then you are eligible for a reduced admission fee of £1 to visit museum.

You might expect to see it in Dublin, but the complete manuscript of James Joyce's Ulysses has been handwritten on to the walls of the Verbal Arts Centre by Colin Dark. You don't, of course, have time to read all of it, but while you're here, admire the marble floor designed by celebrated Irish artist Louis le Brocquy. The center is a hotbed of literary activity promoting the spoken and written word, and presents storytelling re-created in the old Irish tradition of fireside tales.

Part of the Odyssey complex in Belfast's docks, the W5 center underwent a £4.5 million revamp during 2020, and it takes a high-tech approach to interpreting science and creativity for adults and children. It offers scores of brand-new exhibits for kids to explore through games. Video displays and flashing lights enhance the futuristic feel, and you can do everything from exploring the weather to building houses, bridges, and robots. The Discovery exhibits for children under eight cover subjects such as spying, forensics, and nature. A huge multistory climbing structure called Climbit, a cross between a maze and a jungle gym, is a fun feature in the atrium for kids three and up.

Make your way to the upper floors for spectacular views over the city and beyond.

Home to the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, this working museum run by volunteers preserves veteran Irish steam locomotives (from both sides of the border) and keeps some of them in running order. There are steam train trips of varying duration several times a year, so if you're a steam enthusiast check the website for details and bookings. A collection of steam locos and rolling stock is on display, and you can also visit workshops, and a restored signal box. Pride of place goes to the venerable engine No. 171 Slieve Gullion (currently under restoration). There is a cozy café in the old station building.