The headlands, glens and villages the guidebooks skip — and the famous ones, done properly. Researched, dated and written so you can decide whether to go before you go.
Off the beaten track
Clooney More is a fragile, partially private headland on Sligo Bay's north coast. This page details the surf break and responsible access methods, but deliberately withholds precise map coordinates to protect the habitat.
Gougane Barra is a hillside hermitage above a small lake near Smerkistown on the Cork–Kerry border. It is the traditional home of St Finbarr and one of the country's oldest pilgrimage sites, accessible via an easy but memorable walk.
Oceanworld in Dingle features penguins, sharks, and otters under a glass dome. It is a reliable rainy-day option with daily opening hours and online booking discounts.
Worth the queue
Two kilometres of cliff dropping 214 metres into the Atlantic above Doolin. The most visited natural site in Ireland, best experienced by walking the rough coast path below the famous viewpoints.
Skellig Michael is a steep, isolated island in County Kerry featuring a sixth-century monastery and beehive huts. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible only by boat.
Achill is Ireland's largest western island, connected to the mainland since 1887. It features dramatic headlands, historic lighthouses, and a community that blends farming with tourism.
The editorial promise
Practical details — access, fees, when to go — are checked, dated and sourced. When details get old, the page says so.
Some links earn us a referral. Every one is labelled, and we never dress an advert as an article.
Fragile habitats and private land get a protected view — no pin on the map, no pressure to push through.
The launch route
From Malin Head at the northwestern tip of the island to the Sligo headlands: the wildest coastline in the country, with some of the highest cliffs in Europe and the quietest villages on the route.
Achill, the Aran Islands, Croagh Patrick and Connemara: big water, bigger mountains, and a landscape that has shaped Irish storytelling for a thousand years.
The Cliffs of Moher, the limestone plain of the Burren and the estuary where the Shannon meets the sea. The most-visited stretch of the west coast, with far more to it than the famous viewpoint.
Skellig Michael, the Blasket Islands, the Iveragh and Dingle peninsulas and the walled town of Kinsale, where the Wild Atlantic Way ends at the head of a warm little harbour.
Browse by
Themes
Counties with pages
Looking for a county we haven’t covered yet? Search all places →
