Places to Visit

Photo: Maoileann via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) For decades, millions of Irish descendants knew only fragments — a county name, a family story, maybe …

County Louth is Ireland’s smallest county but one of its most rewarding — from medieval Carlingford harbour to Drogheda’s ancient walls and the Cooley Mountains. Plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

Glendalough is one of Ireland’s finest early medieval monastic sites, with a 30-metre round tower, ancient churches and 1,400 years of history in County Wicklow. Get weekly Ireland heritage stories free in our newsletter.

Ireland has 32 counties, but which one shares borders with the fewest others? The answer might surprise you — here’s a look at the geography behind county boundaries across the island, from Kerry and Down to Tipperary’s record eight neighbours.

County Wexford is Ireland’s sunniest county — Viking towns, rolling farmland, seafood, and a community pace that draws people from across the world. Get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

Discover the best things to do in County Offaly — from Clonmacnoise monastery to Birr Castle Demesne and Leap Castle, Ireland’s most haunted building — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

County Mayo is one of Ireland’s most beautiful and liveable counties — wild coastline, welcoming communities, and a pace of life that feels human. Here is what daily life in Mayo actually looks like — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

Chmee2 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) The Giant’s Causeway keeps drawing visitors who say its hexagonal basalt columns look unlike anything they’ve seen elsewhere …

Chmee2 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) If you’re planning a trip to the Giant’s Causeway, here’s something worth knowing before you go: that “good …

Before you visit Ireland, you carry a picture of it in your head. Green hills, warm pubs, quiet coastlines. Some of that is real. A lot of it needs adjusting. Here is an honest look at what first-time visitors expect versus what they actually find.