Top 15 Places to Visit in Ireland – Insider’s Guide

The largest island off Ireland’s coast, there are promontory forts and Megalithic tombs are scattered across Achill Island.

Once the terminus for the railway, there’s a goosebumps-worthy story of why this is no longer the case: an old prophecy once said that ‘carts on iron wheels’ would carry the souls of dead Achill Islanders on ‘the carts’ first and last journey. In 1894, there was a terrible accident in Clew Bay and the first railway service carried the victims home to Achill Island. In 1937, the railway carried the victims of the tragic Kirkintilloch Fire to Achill Island be buried on their island, and the train service ended that day.

Also eerie are the ruins of the Deserted Village (also called Slievemore) – made up of 80-100 stone houses once used for ‘booleying’ (the use of multiple grazing grounds changing with the season), but abandoned around the time of the Great Famine.

Exploring the beauty of Killary Fjord in west Ireland as a small group.

View from Slea Head over the Blasket Islands and the Atlantic. Next stop? North America.

The Slea Head Drive, which follows the meandering contours of the Dingle Peninsula, few visitors take the time to get out of their cars and enjoy the landscapes of Dingle and, more specifically, Slea Head, Ireland’s most western point.

Leaving the car behind, head out into the emerald fields, take off your shoes and enjoy the feel of the soft, green grass under your feet. Standing on Slea Head, you’ll hear the crash of waves and braying of cows in their pastures. Look out over the Blasket Islands, home to several writers, including Peig Sayers who wrote about daily life on the desolate islands. The remains of her remote village still stand on the Great Blasket (accessible via the nearby Dunquin Harbour).

And when you’ve had enough of silence, head back to Dingle town where you can enjoy a pint of the local brew (Crean’s) at the South Pole Inn or any of the other pubs.

The jagged, other-worldly landscape of Skellig Michael attracted both 6th century monks and 21st century Star Wars film-makers

Gougane Barra Forest Park, Cork

Aerial views of the lighthouse on Cape Clear island

‘Cléire,’ as it’s called in Irish, is a small Gaeltacht community on the isolated island, brimming with art, standing stones and a passage tomb from the Megalithic period. There is also an old promontory fort at Dún an Óir and a ruined O’Driscoll Castle, built when this region was still under the control of the Gaelic O’Driscoll chieftain. Roughly 100 people live on Cape Clear, making it the southernmost inhabited part of Ireland. One of those people is Ed Harper, a blind goat farmer who not only gives courses in goat husbandry but also makes ice cream and cheese made from his daily, hand-milked goat’s milk!

Island Hopping in Cork & Kerry