17 Must-See Sites in Ireland
Ireland is an island of enchanting history and Folklore, breathtaking scenery, and a fun-loving culture supported by friendly locals. See below for 17 can’t-miss sites on the Emerald Isle.
1. Limerick, County Limerick
Firstly, Limerick is located South West of Dublin, in the Midwest Region. It is driveable from Dublin and on the way to Killarney (see below). The city lies on the River Shannon, with the historic core of the city being King’s Island. It is a large, urban city with a large population compared to many other cities you may visit during your time in Ireland.
2. Adare, County Limerick
Secondly, Adare is a small village in the county of Limerick, located farther Southwest (and enroute to Killarney) from the city of Limerick. It is known as one of Ireland’s prettiest towns, with idyllic moss-covered buildings and colorful doors. In addition, it is designated as a heritage town by the Irish government.
3. Killarney, County Kerry
Killarney is a town located in the county of Kerry in southwestern Ireland. The town’s heritage, history, and location on the Ring of Kerry make it a very popular tourist destination and resort town. It is extremely picturesque and clean, with many things to see and do.
4. Muckross House, County Kerry
Muckross House is a 65-room Tudor-style mansion, built in 1843. Killarney National Park and Muckross Lake surround the gorgeous castle. This structure is the base for exploring this breathtaking landscape.
5. Ross Castle, County Kerry
Also located within Killarney National Park is Ross Castle. It is the ancestral home of the O’Donoghue clan. It is open to the public with guided tours available.
6. Blarney Castle, County Cork
The Blarney Stone is located at Blarney Castle. Blarney Castle has a long history, originating as a timber house from before the year 1200.
7. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, County Clare
Located near the town of Shannon on the Ratty River. The current structure dates back to 1425, with history even before this date. Today the castle is a major tourist attraction, in addition to the Folk Park. Both the castle and Bunratty House are open to the public. The castle is famous for its medieval banquets. Bunratty Folk Park is an open-air museum featuring 30 buildings including the Ardcroney Church of Ireland.
8. The Cliffs of Moher, County Clare
Theses sea cliffs run nearly 9 miles (14 km) along the Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland and they are also recognized by UNESCO. The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, and it is possible to see 300-million-years-old river channels cutting through the base of the cliffs. The views are, of course, stunning!
9. Kylemore Abbey, County Galway
Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery that was founded in 1920 in order to house the nuns who fled Belgium due to WWI. It is on the grounds of Kylemore Castle.
10. Knock Shrine, County Mayo
Knock Shrine is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site. According to legend, there was a “Marian apparition” (aka a “reported supernatural appearance”) here in 1879. It said that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist, angels, and Jesus Christ all appeared at the shrine. A number of cures and favors are associated with those who visit Our Lady of Knock Shrine, and those who have claimed to be cured here still leave crutches and sticks at the spot where the apparition is believed to have occurred.
11. Ashford Castle, County Galway/Mayo border
Ashford Castle is a medieval and Victorian castle-turned five star luxury hotel. Located near the city of Cong, the castle was once owned by the famous Guinness family. Many famous people have stayed here over the years including King George V, John Lennon, George Harrison, Oscar Wilde, Ronald Reagan, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt, and more.
12. Ireland’s School of Falconry, located on the grounds of Ashford Castle in County Galway
The oldest established Falconry School in Ireland. Here you can fly a Harris hawk around the spectacular grounds of Ashford Castle in a one-hour private Hawk Walk.
13. The Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim (Northern Ireland)
The Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. These columns formed due to an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is now a World Heritage Site (UNESCO), in addition to a national nature reserve. According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant.
14. Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim (Northern Ireland)
Carrick-A-Rede is a famous rope bridge that links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrick-A-Rede. It is 66 feet long and rises 98 feet above the rocks below. The bridge is open all year round and people may cross it for a fee.
15. Antrim Coast and Glens, County Antrim (Northern Ireland)
Antrim Coast is an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This area includes the coastline running from Ballycastle in the north to Larne in the south, in addition to Rathlin Island.
16. Titanic Belfast
Titanic Belfast is a monument that opened in 2012 in order to honor Belfast’s maritime heritage. It is built on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city’s Titanic Quarter where the actual RMS Titanic was built. Inside you will find nine interpretative and interactive galleries about Belfast and, of course, the sinking of the Titanic.
17. Guinness Storehouse, Dublin
Lastly, the Guinness Storehouse contains seven floors that surround a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness. Here you can learn about the history of Beer through various interactive exhibition areas including ingredients and brewing, in addition to transportation and delivery, advertising, etc.
Call us today at 402-281-3022 in order to speak to on of our Ireland specialists!
Our Europe travel specialist Graci and our manager Kyle just returned from an amazing tour of Ireland with Lynchpin Tours. Along with their spouses, they toured Dublin, Kilkenny and Cashel, Kinsale, Cork, Kerry, Killarney, and Galway.
Check out their itinerary, including everything they saw and where they stayed, below.
Guided Tour with Lynchpin Tours
The first four days of the trip included an itinerary with Lynchpin Tours. Graci, Kyle and their spouses left Omaha on Wednesday, March 20th at 12:15 PM on United Airlines. They arrived in Dublin on Thursday, March 21st at 7 AM. Keep in mind that Dublin is 6 hours ahead of Omaha.
Day One
On their first day, their driver and tour guide, David, collected them at the Dublin Airport in a 7-seat Galaxy SUV.
From there they drove to Kilkenny and Cashel and then spent the night at a great farm bed and breakfast called Glasha Farmhouse, pictured above. It is run by a woman named Olive and located in the countryside about 25 minutes from Waterford. At Glasha, homemade breakfast was included. In addition, you can sample the apple porridge, which is Olive’s specialty.
Day Two
On the second day, the crew visited Waterford Cystal which is a brand new visitor’s center. Here they learned that Waterford makes many of the crystal trophies for major sporting events. A couple of specific ones they named were the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am trophy, Phoenix Open, and AFCA National Championship trophy.
After that, they headed to Midleton Distillery, pictured above, which included a walk-through tour and side by side tasting.
On the second night, they stayed at Trident Hotel in Kinsale. This is about a 35-minute drive from Cork and the hotel had gorgeous views of the harbor. In addition, there was a great restaurant on-site.
Day Three
On the group’s third day in Ireland, they drove through scenic Cork and Kerry to reach Ireland’s tourism capital: Killarney. In Cork, they visited Cobh which was the last port of the titanic. Here they have a visitors center with tons of information on this.
In Killarney they stayed at a terrific guest house, Gleann Fia Country House, pictured above. The guest house is located about 5-10 minutes from Killarney town and included a full made-to-order breakfast featuring honey from hives right in their backyard.
Day Four
On day four the group crossed the Shannon and road through The Atlantic Way. Then, they headed onward to Galway, where they spent the night at a lovely country house hotel on the shores of the Atlantic called Renvyle House Hotel & Resort, pictured above. Renvyle House is a cozy lodge-style hotel with a bar and restaurant on-site.
Day Five
On the fifth day the group returned to Dublin. This was the end of the itinerary with Lynchpin Tours. Graci and her husband stayed in Dublin for the remainder of their stay in Ireland, while Kyle and his wife spent time in Dublin and Belfast. First, the group stopped at the Guinness Storehouse. This is known as Dublin’s #1 tourist attraction, and here you can learn all about the history of Guinness. In addition, you’ll get to see everything that goes into making that perfect pint of Guinness. And of course the tour would not be complete without sampling a Guinness for yourself!
Graci’s stay in Dublin
After this, the group parted ways and Graci and her husband headed to Trinity College Dublin. For the remainder of their trip, they stayed at The Alex Hotel, pictured above, which is near Trinity College.
The historic campus of Trinity College is set in the heart of Dublin’s city center. In addition, Graci and her husband toured the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is an exhibition in the Long Room, or library, of Trinity College (pictured above). The exhibition displays the Book of Kells, which is a 9th century manuscript that documents the four Gospels of the New Testament. It is known as Ireland’s greatest cultural treasure. In addition, the Long Room itself is one of the world’s most beautiful libraries and houses over 200,000 of Trinity College’s oldest books.
In addition to Trinity College, Graci and her husband visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, pictured above. This magnificent cathedral houses Jonathan Swift’s remains (he wrote Gulliver’s Travels) and it is the only remaining cathedral in Ireland with daily sung services.
After St. Pat’s, they headed to the Oscar Wilde Memorial in Merrion Square. The memorial is a collection of three statues which commemorate the Irish poet and playwright.
They also visited Temple Street, or Temple Bar as it is sometimes referred. Temple Street is a bustling area with pubs, galleries, restaurants and music, all squeezed info a few cobble-stoned blocks. In addition, it is known as the cultural heart of Dublin.
Kyle’s Stay in Dublin & Belfast
After Kyle and his wife parted ways with Graci, they had dinner at Sophie’s in Dublin. Sophie’s is a modern glasshouse restaurant featuring 360 degree views of Dublin. You can see everything in the city and far out into the countryside. Their menu is described as New York – Italian – Irish. Additionally, they visited Ireland’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head, pictured above. The Brazen Head dates back to 1198. After that they checked into the Ashling Hotel, which is our owner Lori’s favorite hotel in Ireland.
The next day, they took the rail in order to get to Belfast. Here they met their tour guides for a city tour by car. While they were in Belfast, they stayed 2 nights at the Ramada Encor.
For breakfast the next day, they went to Alan’s Causeway Cafe. Here they serve your quintessential traditional Northern Irish Breakfast. Then they met their tour guides for a tour of Northern Ireland. This tour included famous Game of Thrones locations, Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. In addition, they saw the waterfalls of Glengariff Nature Reserve, and Antrim Coast.
After their long day tour they headed back to Belfast’s city center for dinner at Holohan’s Irish Pantry and drinks afterward at Kelly’s Cellars.
The next day they had breakfast and took an early afternoon train back to Dublin. For their last night they stayed at the Hilton Dublin Airport Hotel. Finally, it was time to go home. They took the 9 Am flight from Dublin. With the time change, they arrived to Omaha at 6:15 PM the same day.
Call us today in order to speak to Graci or Kyle about their stay in Ireland and book your own tour with Lynchpin Tours! You can reach us at 402-390-9291 or get started here.
Hopefully you’ve read our recent blog post detailing everything our travel experts did during their stay in Ireland with Lynchpin Tours. This post listed everywhere our agents stayed and ate, and let me tell you they stayed at some great hotels! Let’s take a more detailed look at everywhere they stayed, from Waterford to Dublin and everywhere in between.
Glasha Farmhouse, Tippery (Waterford)
Glasha Farmhouse is located in the countryside, about 25 minutes from Waterford, Ireland. The idyllic farm bed and breakfast is run by a friendly woman named Olive. Breakfast is included here, and you won’t want to miss Olive’s specialty: apple porridge. The secluded location is ideal for a quiet holiday, away from the hustle and bustle. You won’t hear or see any highways or busy traffic while you’re here. Instead, you’ll hear birds chirping and see lambs playing in the fields during spring time.
The traditional decor will make you feel like you are indeed in Ireland, and a bit like you traveled back in time to something unique, refined, and comfortable. Check out some of our agents’ photos below, and head to their website for an interactive 3D tour of the property, including the garden, the conservatory, the dining room, accommodations, and more.
Trident Hotel, Kinsale
The next home base for our agents during their tour of Ireand with Lynchpin Tours was Kinsale. Here they stayed at Trident Hotel. This property is located about 35 minutes from Cork by car. A great selling point to this hotel is the gorgeous views of the Kinsale harbor. In addition, you’ll find a lovely restaurant on-site that also boasts spectacular harbor views. This hotel is a bit more updated and modern than Glasha Farmhouse, but still offers the idyllic setting for a relaxing holiday. Plus, you’re right in the middle of the action of Kinsale with tons of activities and nearby restaurants and bars to peruse.
Gleann Fia Country House, Killarney
On their third night with Lynchpin Tours, our agents stayed at a terrific guest house in Killarney. Gleann Fia Country House is located about 5-10 minutes from Killarney’s town centre, at the gateway to the Wild Atlantic way in the ancient kingdom of Kerry, as their website boasts. Your stay includes a full made-to-order breakfasting, including honey from hives located right in the house’s backyard!
The four acre site is as charming and idyllic as it gets, with beautiful gardens surrounding a Victorian style country home. The boutique property is open year-round and ideally situated at the edge of a wooded river valley known as “The Fairy Glen”.
Renvyle House Hotel & Resort, Galway
In Galway, our travel experts stayed at Renvyle House Hotel & Resort. This lovely country house hotel sits on the shores of the Atlantic. The cozy lodge-like property has a bar and restaurant on-site. Roisin Dubh rsetaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bar snacks daily. In addition, you’ll find plenty of leisure activities including a gorgeous swimming pool and tennis courts. The property is also home to a private freshwater lake, a beach on the Wild Atlantic Way, woodlands and gardens. You can also play croquet or enjoy the walking trails on the property.
The Alex Hotel, Dublin
After the four day tour through Ireland with Lynchpin Tours, our travel experts headed back to Dublin and parted ways (after a few pints at the Guinness Storehouse of course!). Graci and her husband stayed at The Alex Hotel. The Alex Hotel boasts impeccable style and stunning decor, in addition to luxurious bedrooms. The chic boutique-style hotel has a bar and restaur. ant, a coffee shop complete with a pastry and sandwich menu, and a gym.
The location of The Alex Hotel is also ideal for travelers. It is located in Merrion Square, an eclectic area that has grown immensely in the last few years. It is also close to Trinity College’s campus, which Graci and her husband spent a day exploring.
Ashling Hotel, Dublin
Our travel expert Kyle and his wife Kat stayed at the Ashling Hotel during their time in Dublin. Here you’ll find Iveagh Bar and Chesterfields Restaurant, both great dining and drinking choices located on property. Check out their menus here. It is conveniently located near Dublin City Centre. You can get there via a scenic 20-minute walk along the picturesque River LIffey. Alternately, you can hop on the Luas tram which will take you directly to City Centre in just 5 minutes.
Ramada Encor, Belfast
Kyle and Kat also spent some time in Belfast. They traveled to Belfast by train from Dublin. While in Belfast they stayed at the Ramada Encor, located in the City Centre and Belfast’s “Cathedral Quarter”. There is much to explore and do in this area, and a great place for Belfast first-timers to stay. The three-star hotel overlooks St. Anne’s Square with plenty of popular bars and restaurants just steps from the property’s doors. It is also just a 2 minute walk from Belfast’s shopping district, Castle Court and Victoria Square. In addition, Ramada Encor is within walking distance of many tourist attractions like Belfast Cathedral, City Hall and the MAC theater.
Want to hear more about these properties or book your own adventure in Ireland? Call us today to speak to our Ireland travel specialists. You can reach us at 402-390-9291 or get started here.
Game of Thrones has come to an end, with their series finale airing on HBO last Sunday, May 19. Don’t despair! If you identify as a true GOT fan, you can visit these real-life Game of Thrones sets in Ireland. Our travel expert Kyle Smith and his wife Kat visited a few of these sites, but there are several dotted throughout all of Europe. Check out some of our favorites in Ireland below.
Kyle & Kat’s Ireland Tour: Game of Thrones
The Canal at Carnlough Harbour – Canal Steps in Braavos
Here, the Waif stabs Arya in episode 7 of season 6 (The Broken Man). If you remember, Arya jumps into the freezing water to escape and crawls up the steps into the streets of Braavos. This is a very recognizable scene thanks to the stairs and we can attest to the fact that the water is absolutely freezing!
Ballintoy Beach and Harbor – Pyke, the Iron Islands & Dragonstone
Ballintoy Harbor is a very recognizable location, as it was the set of five episodes in Game of Thrones. It has served as Pyke and the Iron Islands. In addition, this is the filming location for Dragonstone in several episodes including:
- Season 2, Episode 2: The Night Lands
- Season 2, Episode 3: What is Dead May Never Die
- This is where Theon’s bapistm was shot.
- Season 4, Episode 2: The Lion and the Rose
- Season 6, Episode 2: Home
- The funeral scene in this episode was shot here.
- Season 6, Episode 5: The Door.
- This is where the drowning and rebirth of Euron was filmed as well as Yara and Theon’s escape in The Door.
The village of Ballintoy and its harbor are a great stop-off point along the Causeway Coastal Route.
Murlough Bay – Renly’s Canp, the Stormlands, Slaver’s Bay and Essos
This is the set for Renly’s Camp, the Stormlands and Slaver’s Bay, as well as Essos. It is located in North East Country Antrim. This is where Tyrion and Jorah are accosted by slavers in Season 5, Episode 6. It is also the location of Renly’s camp in Season 2, Episode 4.
In real life, the bay offers great views across the sea to Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland.
Other Game of Thrones Sites in Northern Ireland
Downhill Beach – Dragonstone
Downhill Beach is one of Ireland’s most gorgeous beaches. This 11 kilometer stretch of beach is an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and a Special Area of Conservation. It is known for the tiny temple of Mussenden perched dramatically on the 120 foot cliff top overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
This is where Stannis Baratheon’s rejection of the Seven Gods of Westeros was filmed in Season 2, Episode 1.
Binevenagh
Game of Thrones fans know Binevenagh as the Dothraki Gasslands, North of Meereen and Essos. This is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (officially), as well as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). On the top of the mountain, you can catch great views of Roe Valley, the Sperrin Mountains and the North Coast, in addition to Lough Foyle to Donegal.
This is where Season 5, Episode 10 filmed. In this episode, the Dothraki horde spots Daenerys as she is looking for food.
Portstewart Strand – Coast of Dorne
Portstewart Strand is most recognizable as the filming location in Season 5, Episode 4. Game of Thrones fans know it as the Coast of Dorne. This is also an ASSI. This is where Jaime and Bronn come ashore on Dorne and kill the Dornish men. It is during the scene when they go to recover Jaime’s niece Myrella and bring her back to King’s Landing. You may also recognize it as the place where Ellaria and the sisters plan to start a war with the Lannisters.
The Dark Hedges – The Kingsdroad, North of King’s Landing
Close to the village of Armoy is one of the most iconic Game of Thrones filming locations: the Dark Hedges. This tree-lined avenue is a famous Northern Ireland landmark in its own right. This is the filming location of Kingsroad in Season 2, Episode 1. You may recognize it from the scene where Arya Stark escapes King’s Landing in the back of a cart when she is disguised as a boy.
Want to see these Game of Thrones filming locations for yourself? If so, call us today to speak to one of our Ireland travel specialists. You can reach us by calling 402-390-9291 or get started here.