Discover
1 Sights
5 Eating
6 Drinking
4 Sleeping
8 Information
ContentsI
Throughout this book, we use these icons to highlight special recommendations:
These icons help you quickly identify reviews in the text and on the map:
Don’t MissA must-see – don’t go home until you’ve been there
If you like…Lesser-known alternatives to world-famous attractions
Local experts reveal their top picks and secret highlights
DetourSpecial places a little off the beaten track
The Best…Lists for everything from bars to wildlife – to make sure you don’t miss out
This edition written and researched by
Fionn Davenport Catherine Le Nevez, Etain O’Carroll,
Ryan Ver Berkmoes, Neil Wilson
Ireland
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p51
Dublin
p99
Wicklow &EasternIreland
p137
Kilkenny& the
Southeastp175
Cork & theRing of Kerry
p217Galway,Clare &
the West
p261Sligo &Donegal
p293
Belfast,Derry & the
Antrim CoastKilkenny & the
SoutheastHighlights .............................. 140
Dungarvan
Rock of Cashel
Kilkenny City
Walks on Hook Head
Southeastern Kitchens
National 1798 Rebellion Centre
Cork & the Ring of KerryHighlights .............................. 178
Killarney
Skellig Michael
The English Market
Killarney National Park
Kinsale
Slea Head
Galway, Clare & the WestHighlights ............................. 220
Trad Sessions in Clare
Connemara
Galway
Music Festivals
Cliff s of Moher
Clonmacnoise
Aran Islands
Wicklow & Eastern IrelandHighlights .............................. 102
Brú na Bóinne
Glendalough
Powerscourt Estate
Monasterboice
Castletown House
Old Mellifont Abbey
DublinHighlights ............................... 54
Chester Beatty Library
Trinity College
Irish Museum of Modern Art
Kilmainham Gaol
A Pint of Plain
Dublin Greenery
tH
0b-contents-dc-ire2.indd 2 25/11/2011 4:22:48 PM
Contents
Dublin 51Highlights ..................... 54
Best… .............................58
Walking Tour ................ 60
Dublin ............................ 62
Wicklow & Eastern Ireland 99Highlights ....................102
Best… ...........................106
Itineraries ....................108
County Wicklow ......... 110Glendalough................ 112Sally Gap ..................... 112Enniskerry & Powerscourt Estate .... 116Blessington ................. 119Southern Wicklow ......120Brook Lodge & Wells Spa .......................121
County Kildare ...........122Maynooth ....................123Straffan .......................124
County Meath .............125Brú na Bóinne .............125Battle of the Boyne Site ............................... 127Trim .............................. 127Tara ..............................129Loughcrew Cairns ......132
County Louth ..............133Drogheda ....................133Around Drogheda .......133
This Is Ireland .................6
Ireland Map .....................8
Ireland’s Top 25 Experiences ..................10
Ireland’s Top Itineraries ......................32
Month by Month ......... 42
What’s New .................. 46
Get Inspired ..................47
Need to Know .............. 48
Counties Sligo & DonegalHighlights ............................ 264
Surf Beaches
Slieve League
Drumcliff & Benbulben
Climb Mt Errigal
Ardara Weavers
Golf Links
Belfast, Derry & the Antrim CoastHighlights ............................ 296
Coastal Causeway Route
Bogside, Derry
West Belfast
The Antrim Coast
Mourne Mountains
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Historic Derry/Londonderry
On the RoadPlan Your Trip
0b-contents-dc-ire2.indd 3 25/11/2011 4:22:54 PM
Contents
County Galway .......... 230Galway City ................ 230Aran Islands ............... 234Dún Aengus .................237Connemara .................237Lough Inagh Valley ....... 241
Clonmacnoise ............ 242
County Clare ..............244Ennis ........................... 244Bunratty ......................247Kilkee .......................... 248Kilkee to Lahinch ....... 249Cliffs of Moher ............ 251The Burren ................. 252
County Mayo.............. 256Cong ........................... 256Croagh Patrick ............257Westport .................... 258
Counties Sligo & Donegal 261Highlights ...................264
Best… .......................... 268
Itineraries ................... 270
County Sligo ...............272Sligo Town ...................272Drumcliff & Benbulben . 276
County Donegal .........276Donegal Town .............277Around Donegal Town .278Southwestern Donegal ...................... 280Surf Spots ................... 281
Cork & the Ring of Kerry 175Highlights .................... 178
Best... ...........................182
Itineraries ....................184
County Cork ................186Cork City .....................186Midleton & Around ......191Western Cork .............. 191The Gourmet Heartlandof Ballymaloe .............. 193Eyeries to Lauragh ......194Mizen Head Peninsula .....................195Beara Peninsula(Ring of Beara) ...........196
County Kerry ..............196Killarney ......................196Around Killarney........200Muckross Estate .........201Ring of Kerry .............. 204Skellig Islands ............ 206Skellig Michael ........... 209Dingle Peninsula ......... 211
Galway, Clare & the West 217Highlights ................... 220
Best… .......................... 226
Itineraries ................... 228
Kilkenny & the Southeast 137Highlights ................... 140
Best… ...........................144
Itineraries ....................146
County Kilkenny.........148Kilkenny City ...............148Central Kilkenny .........152
County Wexford .........152Kilmore Quay .............. 152Saltee Islands .............. 153Hook Peninsula & Around .........................153Jerpoint Abbey ............154New Ross ....................155Enniscorthy .................156Wexford & the Kennedys ...................... 157
County Waterford ...... 157Waterford City ............ 157Southeast County Waterford ....................160Dunmore East .............160Dungarvan .................. 162Ring Peninsula ............164Ardmore ......................164Lismore .......................166Northern County Waterford .................... 167
County Tipperary .......168Cashel ..........................168Cahir ............................ 172
0b-contents-dc-ire2.indd 4 25/11/2011 4:22:54 PM
Ireland Today .............330
History ........................ 332
The Irish Way of Life .......................... 345
Food & Drink ..............348
The Pub ....................... 353
Irish Mythological Symbols ...................... 355
Literary Ireland ......... 358
Traditional Music ...... 362
Family Travel ..............364
Sporting Ireland ........366
Directory ....................370Accommodation ........ 370Activities ..................... 371Business Hours ......... 373Customs ......................374Electricity ....................375Gay & Lesbian Travellers .....................375Health ..........................375Insurance ....................375Internet Access ..........375Legal Matters..............376Money ..........................376Public Holidays ...........376School Holidays..........377Safe Travel ..................377Telephone ...................377Time ............................ 378Tourist Information ... 378Travellers with Disabilities.................. 378Visas ........................... 379Women Travellers ..... 379
Transport .................... 379Getting There & Away ........................... 379Getting Around .......... 380
Language ...................386
Behind the Scenes ....388
Index ........................... 391
How to Use This Book ...................399
Our Writers .............. 400
Slieve League ............. 282Northwestern Donegal ...................... 283Maghery & the Glen Gesh Pass ................... 284Eastern Donegal ........ 285Glenveagh National Park ...............................286Northeastern Donegal ....................... 287
Belfast, Derry & the Antrim Coast 293Highlights ................... 296
Best… .......................... 302
Itineraries ...................304
Belfast.........................306
Around Belfast ...........316Mourne Mountains .....316Holywood ....................316Portrush ......................318Bushmills.....................318Giant’s Causeway to Ballycastle ...................319Giant's Causeway ....... 321Glens of Antrim ......... 322
County Derry ............. 322Derry/Londonderry .. 322
Survival GuideIn Focus
0b-contents-dc-ire2.indd 5 25/11/2011 4:22:55 PM
This Is Ireland
...postcard-perfect
peninsulas, the brooding loneliness of Connemara
and the wildness of
Donegal
For such a tiny country, Ireland gets a pretty big billing. Its praises are sung in song and described in prose; its many charms are evoked to delicious perfection by artists on canvas and poets in verse. They tell of a green landscape brushed with rain, a wild coastline tormented by a wind-blown sea… Hang on, can this idyll actually be real?
As it turns out, it is. You’ll find this side of Ireland along the postcard-perfect peninsulas of the southwest, the brooding loneliness of Connemara and the dramatic wildness of County Donegal. Ireland may have modernised dramatically, but some things never change. Brave the raging Atlantic on a crossing to Skellig Michael or spend a summer’s evening in the yard of a thatched cottage pub and you’ll experience a country that has changed little in generations – this is most likely the Ireland you came to see.
Despite the trappings of modernity and the fickle hand of fortune, Ireland remains one of the world’s most beau-tiful countries, and is worth every effort you make to explore it. And when we say Ireland, we mean the whole island – the North, for so long scarred by conflict, is now finally engaged in the process of recovery and is able once again to parade its stunning self to a world that for so long only knew of it through the stories on the evening news.
Céad míle fáilte – a hundred thousand welcomes. Why a hundred thousand when one is perfectly adequate everywhere else? Everyone has heard of Irish friendliness, and once you arrive you’ll gladly dis-cover it’s not a myth. A bit of friendly banter and the offer of a helping hand – to read a map, make sense of garbled directions or share a pint (it’s a sin to drink alone!) – are never far from the first hello, for the Irish consider hospitality to be their greatest asset. A hundred thousand welcomes. It seems excessive, but in Ireland, excess is fine, so long as it’s practised in moderation. Friendly but never fawning.
Cliff s of Moher (p251), County ClareRICHARD CUMMINS / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©
6
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02-map-dc-ire2.indd 9 25/11/2011 1:48:45 PM