List of tourist attractions in Ireland explained

The following list includes the tourist attractions on the island of Ireland which attract more than 100,000 visitors annually. It includes attractions in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Multi-county destinations/routes

• The Wild Atlantic Way
• Ireland's Ancient East
• Ireland's Hidden Heartlands

Destinations by county

A to C

• Antrim
  • Antrim Castle and Gardens^[1]
  • Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge^[1]
  • Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland, second largest city on the island
    • Titanic Quarter, including the Titanic Belfast visitor attraction, the SS Nomadic museum ship, and W5 science museum^[1]
    • Ulster Museum within the Botanic Gardens^[1]
  • Dark Hedges
  • Giant's Causeway, a geological phenomenon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site^[1]
  • Lagan Valley Regional Park^[1]
  • Old Bushmills Distillery, the oldest Irish whiskey distillery in existence^[3]
• Armagh
  • Armagh city, ecclesiastical capital of Ireland and home to St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland) and St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Roman Catholic)
  • Lough Neagh, including Kinnego Marina and Oxford Island National Nature Reserve^{[1] [3]}
  • Lurgan Park^[1]
  • Slieve Gullion^[1]
• Carlow
  • Altamont House and Gardens
• Clare
  • Bunratty Castle^[2]
  • The Burren, a karst landscape which is home to prehistoric monuments such as Poulnabrone dolmen^[4]
  • Cliffs of Moher^[2]
• Cork
  • Blarney, including Blarney Castle the home of the Blarney Stone^[2]
  • Cork City, third largest city in all of Ireland and second city of the Republic of Ireland
    • Church of St Anne (Shandon)
    • Crawford Art Gallery^[2]
    • English Market^[5]
    • University College Cork campus
  • Doneraile Park^[2]
  • Fota Wildlife Park^[2]
  • Kinsale
  • Midleton, home of the Jameson Distillery and Experience centre^[6]

D

• Donegal
  • Glenveagh National Park, including Glenveagh Castle^[2]
  • Malin Head, most northerly point on the mainland of Ireland^[2]
  • Slieve League sea cliffs^[7]
• Down
  • Crawfordsburn Country Park^[1]
  • Dundonald International Ice Bowl, ice rink^[1]
  • Irish linen - Thomas Ferguson & Co Ltd, the last remaining Irish linen damask factory^[3]
  • Kilbroney Park near Rostrevor at the base of the Mourne Mountains^[1]
  • Portstewart Strand^[3]
  • Scrabo Tower and Scrabo Country Park^[3]
  • Tollymore Forest Park^[3]
  • Cathedral of SS Patrick & Colman, Newry
• Dublin City, largest city on the island, capital and cultural and economic centre of the Republic of Ireland
  • Christ Church Cathedral, seat of Anglican Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin^[2]
  • Chester Beatty Library^[2]
  • Croke Park, one of Europe's largest stadiums, with the Museum of the Gaelic Athletic Association
  • Dublin Castle, former seat of British rule, now a major Irish government complex^[2]
  • Dublinia, museum and "historical recreation" attraction^[6]
  • EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, diaspora museum^[8]
  • General Post Office building, headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising rebels, on O'Connell Street, the main thoroughfare of Dublin's Northside
  • Glasnevin Cemetery, burial location of Éamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Roger Casement, and many others^[9]
  • Grafton Street, one of the main shopping streets in Dublin
  • Ha'penny Bridge, Victorian pedestrian bridge across the River Liffey
  • Hugh Lane Gallery^[2]
  • Irish Museum of Modern Art^[2]
  • Old Jameson Distillery, Smithfield^[10]
  • Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison where, among others, most of the rebels of 1916 were held and executed; now a museum^[2]
  • National Aquatic Centre, Blanchardstown^[2]
  • National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin (Northside)^[2]
  • National Gallery of Ireland, houses the Irish national collection of Irish and European art^[2]
  • National Library of Ireland, has a large quantity of Irish historical, literary and Irish-related material^[2]
  • National Museum of Ireland for Archaeology (in Kildare St) and Decorative Art and History (in the former Collins Barracks)^[2]
  • Phoenix Park, "largest inner city park in the world"; within the park are Farmleigh Estate and Dublin Zoo^[2]
  • Guinness Storehouse^[2]
  • St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland's "national cathedral"^[2]
  • St Stephen's Green, a landscaped inner-city centre public park in Dublin
  • Temple Bar, a mainly cobblestonequarter, directly on the Southern banks of the Liffey, popular for its cultural and nightlife spots
  • Trinity College, Dublin (also called the University of Dublin), Ireland's oldest university, home of the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow^[2]
• Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
  • DLR Lexicon housing a library and cultural centre^[2]

F to K

• Fermanagh
  • Belleek Pottery Visitor Centre^[3]
• Fingal
  • Howth and Howth Head
  • Malahide, with the Norman Malahide Castle^[11]
• Galway
  • Aran Islands, Gaeltacht islands in Galway Bay which are the location of Dún Aonghasa^{[12] [13]}
  • Connemara, Irish Gaeltacht, a heathland area, including Connemara National Park^[2]
  • Galway City, a university city (seat of the NUI Galway)
  • Kylemore Abbey & Gardens^[2]
• Kerry, scenic rural county in the south west
  • Dingle, main town of the Dingle Peninsula and home to the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium^[14]
  • Killarney^[15]
  • Killarney National Park including Killarney Lakes and Muckross House and Gardens^[2]
  • Ring of Kerry, ring road around the Iveragh Peninsula passing through, among others, the village of Cahersiveen, the birthplace of Daniel O'Connell
  • Skellig Islands with the monastic site on Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Tralee, home of the Rose of Tralee festival and Aqua Dome^[16]
• Kildare
  • Castletown House^[2]
  • Kildare town with Kildare Cathedral and nearby Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens^[14]
  • Newbridge Silverware visitors centre and "Museum of Style Icons"^[2]
• Kilkenny
  • Kilkenny City, a medieval city which is home to St Canice's Cathedral, Rothe House, and Kilkenny Castle^[2]

L to M

• Laois
  • Emo Court and Parklands^[13]
  • Rock of Dunamase
• Limerick
  • Adare, "Ireland's most beautiful village" with Adare Manor, Desmond Castle, a Franciscan and a Trinitarian abbey
  • Limerick city, historic Irish city and home to the Munster rugby team, and King John's Castle
• Londonderry
  • City of Derry, only city in Ireland with intact and unbreached city walls (hence sometimes called 'the Maiden City'). The Guildhall, Derry attracted 350,000 visitors in 2017^[1]
  • Roe Valley Country Park^[1]
• Louth
  • Carlingford, one of Ireland's best preserved mediaeval towns, on the edge of Carlingford Lough
  • Drogheda, formerly Ireland's largest walled town (formed when two separate towns united in 1412); site of Laurence's Gat, Millmount Museum in the castle taken by Cromwell in 1649
• Mayo
  • Croagh Patrick, mountain place of pilgrimage from pagan times to the present day, near Westport^[17]
  • Museum of Country Life near Castlebar^[18]
• Meath
  • Brú na Bóinne, location of the Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange neolithic tombs and monuments^[2]
  • Hill of Tara, seat of Ireland's ancient High Kings^[13]
  • Emerald Park, theme park^[2]
  • Trim Castle^[13]
• Monaghan
  • Harvest Time Blues Festival

O to W

• Offaly
  • Birr Castle, including its gardens and science centre^[6]
  • Clonmacnoise, monastic site on the banks of the River Shannon^[13]
• Roscommon
  • Lough Key Lake and forest park
• Sligo
  • Drumcliffe with its church and gravesite of William Butler Yeats, overlooked by Ben Bulben mountain
  • Sligo town with Sligo Abbey
• Tipperary
  • Holy Cross Abbey, a restored Cistercian monastery^[19]
  • Rock of Cashel, traditional seat of the Kings of Munster^[2]
• Tyrone
  • Dungannon Park^[1]
  • Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh^[3]
• Waterford
  • Waterford, Ireland's oldest city, home to the Waterford Museum of Treasures (which includes Reginald's Tower and other museum sites, which collectively attracted 100,000 visitors in 2017)^[20]
  • Waterford Greenway, a cycling and hiking trail^[20]
• Westmeath, centre of Ireland; lakelands
  • Belvedere House and Gardens, historic gardens near Mullingar^[14]
• Wexford
  • Ferns Castle and Abbey
  • New Ross and the John F Kennedy Arboretum^[13]
• Wicklow, "the garden of Ireland"
  • Glendalough, 6th-century monastic site with Irish round tower^[2]
  • Powerscourt Estate, house, grounds and gardens (together with the nearby Powerscourt Waterfall)^[2]
  • Russborough House, an example of Irish Palladian architecture, designed by Richard Cassels, built between 1741 and 1755^[19]

See also

• Tourism in the Republic of Ireland
• List of Ireland-related topics
• Common Travel Area
• Gardens in the Republic of Ireland
• Parks in the Republic of Ireland

References

1. Web site: Tourism Statistics Bulletin - Northern Ireland Annual Visitor Attraction Survey 2017 . Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. nisra.gov.uk . 7 June 2018 . 10 May 2019 .
2. Web site: Revealed: Ireland's Top 20 tourist attractions (paid and free) . Independent News & Media . independent.ie . 7 June 2018 . 10 May 2019 .
3. Web site: Visitor attraction survey publications - 2017 - Additional tables . Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. nisra.gov.uk . 7 June 2018 . 10 May 2019 .
4. Web site: The Geopark . Burren Ecotourism . burren.ie . 10 May 2019 .
5. Web site: Trader claims tourists 'suffocating' English Market as Cork institution celebrates 230th birthday . Irish Examiner . irishexaminer.com . 1 August 2018 . 10 May 2019 .
6. Web site: Visitors to Top Fee-Charging Visitor Attractions 2017 . Fáilte Ireland . failteireland.ie . 27 June 2018 . 10 May 2019 .
7. Web site: Huge scope for tourism as Donegal has three of the top 20 free attractions to visit . Donegal Now . donegalnow.com . 9 June 2017 . 10 May 2019 . Slieve League attracted 177,333 visitors in 2016, down from 185,760 the previous year.
8. Web site: Epic museum eyes profitablity as visitor numbers set to rise . Irish Times . irishtimes.com . 5 February 2018 . 10 June 2019 .
9. Web site: Summary Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2017 . Glasnevin Trust . glasnevintrust.ie . December 2017 . 10 May 2019 . Over the course of 2017 we estimate that some 600,000 people visited our cemeteries....
10. Web site: Over 350,000 visitors at Jameson Distillery last year . RTÉ News . rte.ie . 9 April 2018 . 10 May 2019 .
11. Web site: Two Fingal attractions make Ireland's top 45 tourist sites . Independent News & Media . independent.ie . 18 July 2015 . 10 May 2019 . Malahide Castle and Gardens welcomed 117,109 visitors last year.
12. Web site: 20 percent drop in visitors to Aran Islands . Connacht Tribune . connachttribune.ie . 26 January 2014 . 10 May 2019 . over 222,000 people travelled on the ferries from Rosaveal to Aran in 2007.
13. Web site: OPW sites - 2016 visitor numbers . Office of Public Works . 2016 . 10 May 2019 .
14. Web site: Visitors to Tourist Attractions 2007-2011 . Fáilte Ireland . failteireland.ie . October 2012 . 12 May 2019 .
15. Web site: 1.1 million visitors to Killarney, but new report also sees tourism threats . Independent News & Media . 12 February 2018 . 10 May 2019 .
16. Web site: Tralee's Aqua Dome still making a splash after 20 years . Irish Examiner . irishexaminer.com . 4 June 2014 . 10 May 2019 . [Tralee's Aqua Dome] is also among the top 20 tourist attractions nationally [..] However, numbers have fallen from a peak of 260,000 per year to 140,000 last year.
17. Web site: Annual Croagh Patrick (Reek Sunday) pilgrimage to take place on Sunday 29 July 2018 . Irish Catholic Bishops Conference . catholicbishops.ie . 24 July 2018 . 10 May 2019 . Croagh Patrick has over 100,000 visitors annually with up to 20,000 making the pilgrimage on Reek Sunday weekend each year.
18. Web site: Visitor Figures for the National Cultural Institutions . Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht . chg.gov.ie . 2015 . 10 May 2019 .
19. Web site: Top Visitor Attractions in 2015 Revealed . Fáilte Ireland . failteireland.ie . 1 August 2016 . 12 May 2019 .
20. Web site: Tourism in Waterford . Waterford City & County Council . 20 November 2018 . 12 May 2019 .

External links

• Official site of the Republic of Ireland Tourist Board
• Official site of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board