Ireland

Places in Ireland

• Abbeyleix

  Abbeyleix is a heritage town in the River Nore valley with Cistercian roots. A preserved raised bog, historic tower houses and nearby Heywood Gardens offer varied excursions.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$109

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Achill Island

  Achill Island is Ireland's largest offshore island, connected by bridge to County Mayo. It offers wild Atlantic scenery without the crowds of more famous destinations—sea cliffs, empty beaches, and the haunting ruins of Slievemore's deserted famine village.

  Atlas entry

• Adare

  Adare is consistently cited as one of Ireland's prettiest towns, with a picturesque Main Street lined by thatched cottages and a medieval heritage centred on Desmond Castle and two historic abbeys. The town also hosts two renowned golf courses and will stage the Ryder Cup in September 2027, putting it on the international sporting map.

  Atlas entry

• Annascaul

  Annascaul is a tiny village of fewer than 300 residents on the Dingle Peninsula, best known as the birthplace of Antarctic explorer Tom Crean. It's a natural stopping point on the Dingle Way hiking trail, and Inch Beach 5 km east draws surfers.

  Atlas entry

• Aran Islands

  The Aran Islands offer a rare glimpse of a landscape and culture untouched by modern development. Stark limestone pavements known as clints and grikes create a surreal terrain where Alpine wildflowers bloom in ancient stone walls.

  Atlas entry

• Ardmore, County Waterford

  Ardmore (Aird Mhór, "the great height" in Irish) is a small beach resort in County Waterford with a permanent population of just under 500. Its main draws are the 12th-century round tower and ruined cathedral on the hill above the village, standing on the site of a 5th-century monastery founded by St Declan, predating St Patrick's arrival in Ireland.

  Atlas entry

• Arklow

  Arklow sits midway between Dublin and Rosslare on the east coast, making it a practical stop or base for exploring County Wicklow. The town isn't pretty enough to visit for its own sake, but it has good transport connections, a freighter fleet that keeps the port alive, and serves as a gateway to the scenic Vale of Avoca and Glendalough.

  Atlas entry

• Ashbourne

  Ashbourne is a small Irish town of 16,000 people in County Meath, situated 22 km northwest of Dublin city centre and Dublin Airport. The main draw is Emerald Park (formerly Tayto Park), Ireland's only major theme park, which opened in 2010.

  Atlas entry

• Athenry

  Athenry is a compact medieval market town that preserves its 13th-century Anglo-Norman street pattern and town walls. The main draw is its heritage—the castle, Dominican priory, and medieval market cross tell the story of a once-important Norman stronghold.

  Atlas entry

• Athlone

  Athlone is a historic town in the heart of Ireland, straddling the River Shannon. Its strategic location has made it a transport hub and home to a 13th-century castle.

  Atlas entry

• Athy

  Athy is a quiet market town in County Kildare, 72 km southwest of Dublin, long a garrison settlement on the River Barrow. It makes an easy day trip from Dublin or an overnight stop on the way south, offering White's Castle, the Shackleton Museum, and river cruises.

  Atlas entry

• Bagenalstown

  Bagenalstown (Muine Bheag) is a small County Carlow market town with an improbable history: local landowner Walter Bagenal (1670-1745) dreamed of modelling it on Versailles as an 18th-century power base away from dirty, dangerous Dublin. The grandiose vision never materialised, but visitors can explore ruins of Norman castles, stroll along the Barrow river, and use the town as a base for exploring the medieval glories of nearby Kilkenny and Carlow.

  Atlas entry

• Bailieborough

  Bailieborough is a quiet commuter town of 3000 residents in east County Cavan, 55 km northwest of Dublin via the M3/N3. It's primarily a dormitory community for Dublin workers rather than a destination in its own right, but it serves as a useful base for exploring the drumlin countryside of north Cavan.

  Atlas entry

• Balbriggan

  Balbriggan offers a quiet contrast to bustling Dublin, with a historic harbour, Martello tower, and the nearby Ardgillan Castle set in coastal parklands. The town grew from a tiny fishing village in the 18th century into a textile centre producing the long-johns that gave the town its name to the world — John Wayne famously hollered 'put your balbriggans on'.

  Atlas entry

• Ballina, County Mayo

  Ballina is a small market town on the River Moy, serving as the main base for northern Mayo's historic and natural sights, including Killala, Ballycastle, Foxford, and Crossmolina. It has good accommodation and amenities despite limited attractions in town itself.

  Atlas entry

• Ballymahon

  Ballymahon is a modest village of about 1700 residents in County Longford's midlands. Its chief draw is proximity to Center Parcs Longford Forest, 3 km east, which offers year-round activities for families.

  Atlas entry

• Ballymote

  Ballymote is a quiet town of 1,700 people in County Sligo, best known for its ivy-clad castle built circa 1300 and the prehistoric passage tombs at Carrowkeel nearby. The town makes a convenient base for exploring the numerous ancient sites scattered across the Bricklieve Mountains and limestone countryside.

  Atlas entry

• Ballyshannon

  Ballyshannon is a market town in southern County Donegal, at the estuary of the River Erne. It is best known as the birthplace of guitarist Rory Gallagher.

  Atlas entry

• Ballyvaughan

  Ballyvaughan is a tiny straggling village of 360 residents on County Clare's Galway Bay coast, offering a quieter, smaller-scale alternative to busier coastal towns. It's the ideal springboard for exploring the Burren's unique limestone landscape, dotted with prehistoric tombs, medieval abbeys, and ancient ring forts.

  Atlas entry

• Baltimore

  Baltimore is a tiny harbor village (pop. 400) at Ireland's southwest tip, famous for its pirate past—in 1631 Algerian pirates attacked, enslaved over 100 villagers, and left the place deserted for centuries.

  Atlas entry

• Banagher

  Banagher sits at the western edge of County Offaly where the Grand Canal meets the River Shannon, making it a gateway for waterway exploration. The town grew in the 19th century as an inland port when the canal linked Dublin to the Shannon, though railways later caused its decline.

  Atlas entry

• Bantry

  Bantry is a town at the head of Bantry Bay, serving as the obvious base for exploring the three peninsulas of southwest Cork: Sheep's Head, Beara, and Mizen Head. It has good visitor amenities and a rich history including the failed 1796 French invasion, commemorated by Wolfe Tone's statue in the square.

  Atlas entry

• Belturbet

  Belturbet is a small town on the River Erne in County Cavan with a 2022 population of about 1600. In Irish it's Béal Tairbirt, meaning "mouth of the isthmus", and it grew up at a historic ford on the river.

  Atlas entry

• Blasket Islands

  The Blasket Islands are the most westerly parts of Ireland, an uninhabited archipelago since 1953 evacuation. In summer, Great Blasket has self-catering cottages, camping, and rangers.

  Atlas entry

• Blessington

  Blessington is a small town of about 5600 residents in rural County Wicklow, sitting on the boundary of the historic "Pale" around Dublin. The main draw is 18th-century Russborough House with its storied art collection, while Blessington Lake (Poulaphouca) offers boating and scenic walks.

  Atlas entry

• Borris

  Borris is a tiny village of 652 residents in south County Carlow, offering a quiet counterpoint to Ireland's busier tourist spots. The main draws are events at Borris House—a Georgian mansion turned wedding and festival venue—and access to the Blackstairs Mountains, particularly Mount Leinster at 793m.

  Atlas entry

• Boyle

  Boyle is a market town in County Roscommon in northwest Ireland, nestled at the foot of the Curlew Mountains near Lough Key. Its main draws are King House, a restored Georgian mansion; the substantial remains of Boyle Abbey, a Cistercian foundation; and water activities on Lough Key.

  Atlas entry

• Bray

  Bray is a small harbour town at the north edge of County Wicklow, bordering Dublin. It grew up rapidly from 1854 when the railway arrived, becoming a seaside resort and fashionable suburb.

  Atlas entry

• Brú Na Bóinne Archaeological Park

  Brú na Bóinne is one of the world's most important Neolithic sites, predating the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge by centuries. The complex contains massive passage tombs with intricate carvings and remarkable astronomical alignments, particularly Newgrange's famous winter solstice sunrise illuminating the inner chamber.

  Atlas entry

• Buncrana

  Buncrana serves as the main staging post for exploring Inishowen Peninsula, the northern tip of the Irish mainland. The town itself has modest charms — O'Doherty's Keep beside the Crana River, a scenic pier, and a handful of pubs — but visitors come primarily to access the peninsula's wild coastline, Napoleonic-era forts, seabird colonies, and the trek to Slieve Snaght.

  Atlas entry

• Bunratty

  Bunratty is a pocket-sized village (population 288 in 2022) whose entire reason for being is Bunratty Castle, built 1425 and the most complete medieval fortress in Ireland. The adjacent folk park, a skansen with over 30 relocated historic buildings, and nightly medieval banquets draw visitors year-round.

  Atlas entry

• Caherciveen

  Caherciveen is a modest village of 1,300 residents on the Iveragh Peninsula, serving as a key stop on the 214-km Ring of Kerry tourist circuit. The village has two well-restored stone ringforts from the 7th-9th centuries just across Castlequin Bridge, and nearby Knocknadobar is a pilgrimage site.

  Atlas entry

• Cahir

  Cahir is a small market town of 3700 residents in County Tipperary that punches above its weight for heritage. Its star attraction is the castle, a large island fortress that is one of Ireland's best preserved.

  Atlas entry

• Carndonagh

  Carndonagh is the largest settlement in the north of the Inishowen Peninsula, serving as a practical base for exploring Ireland's northernmost mainland point at Malin Head. The town itself is modest with fewer than 2800 residents, but it offers access to ancient monuments including the 7th-century Donagh Cross and the ruins of Carrickabraghy Castle.

  Atlas entry

• Carraroe

  Carraroe (An Cheathrú Rua, "The Red Quarter") is the largest settlement on the Carraroe Peninsula in Connemara, with just 725 residents but 78% Irish speakers, one of the highest percentages in Ireland. The village is the gateway to a chain of islands linked by causeway—Lettermore, Lettermullan, and Furnish—and a base for visiting the Aran Islands from nearby Rossaveel.

  Atlas entry

• Carrick-on-Shannon

  Carrick-on-Shannon is County Leitrim's county town and main service centre, with a population of 4700 (2022). The town grew at a Shannon fording point; its Irish name Cora Droma Rúisc means "weir of the marshy ridge".

  Atlas entry

• Carrickmacross

  Carrickmacross is a small market town in County Monaghan with a population of 5,032 (2016), known for its distinctive lace-making tradition dating to the 1820s. The town makes a quiet cultural stop between Dublin and Northern Ireland along the N2 route, offering historic churches with Harry Clarke stained glass, literary connections to poet Patrick Kavanagh, and access to County Louth's Dún na Rí Forest Park.

  Atlas entry

• Cashel

  Cashel is a small town of only 4800 residents that punches far above its weight as a tourist destination. The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland's most impressive medieval sites, a limestone outcrop crowned with a cathedral, round tower, and Romanesque chapel dating to the 12th century.

  Atlas entry

• Castlebar

  Castlebar is a quiet provincial town with a rich history, including the 1798 'Castlebar Races' when French forces briefly took control. Today it offers limited in-town sights but serves as a base for exploring County Mayo's attractions like Croagh Patrick, Achill Island, and the Great Western Greenway.

  Atlas entry

• Castlecomer

  Castlecomer is the largest town in north County Kilkenny with a 2022 population of 1,500. Its main draw is Castlecomer Discovery Park, a landscaped former colliery opened in 2007 with 80 acres of forest and 6 km of walking trails.

  Atlas entry

• Castletownbere

  Castletownbere (Baile Chaisleáin Bhéarra) is a small port town of about 1000 residents on the Beara Peninsula in southwest Ireland. The town sits in Bearhaven, a long anchorage sheltered by Bere Island, with Dinish Island guarding the harbour entrance.

  Atlas entry

• Cavan Town

  Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in northwest Ireland, with a 2022 population of 12,000. The town grew from the early 17th century as English and Scots plantations were established, sweeping away medieval structures.

  Atlas entry

• Clifden

  Clifden is a small Victorian town of just 1,250 permanent residents on the northwest coast of County Galway, but its population swells dramatically in summer as the main commercial and tourist centre for Connemara. The town grew up as a harbour and market town, later developing into a coastal resort with its distinctive 19th-century architecture.

  Atlas entry

• Cloghane

  Cloghane (An Clochán) is a tiny village of 297 people on the north coastline of the Dingle Peninsula. The main draw is Mount Brandon rising abruptly behind the village, penetrated by scenic glaciated valleys with ancient stone structures including Neolithic beehive huts, standing stones, and wedge tombs dating to 2500 BC.

  Atlas entry

• Clogherhead

  Clogherhead is a small resort village on Ireland's east coast, 12 km northeast of Drogheda. With a 2022 population of 2300, it offers sandy beaches, rocky headland scenery, and a working fishing harbour without the crowds of larger coastal towns.

  Atlas entry

• Clonakilty

  Clonakilty is a seaside resort town on the coast of County Cork in southwest Ireland, about 50 km southwest of Cork city. With a population of 5,000, it offers a compact, walkable town centre with a strong sense of local culture.

  Atlas entry

• Clones

  Clones is a tiny town of 1680 people in north County Monaghan, close to the erratic border with Northern Ireland. Its main appeal is ancient monastic heritage: a richly-carved 10th-century High Cross, a truncated 9th-century Round Tower, and St Tiernach's sarcophagus.

  Atlas entry

• Clonmacnoise

  Clonmacnoise is one of Ireland's most significant early Christian sites, founded in 547 AD by St Ciarán the Younger. The monastic complex features nine ruined churches, two round towers, a castle, and numerous carved stone crosses dating from the 8th to 12th centuries.

  Atlas entry

• Clonmel

  Clonmel is County Tipperary's joint county town (with Nenagh), offering a slower pace than larger Irish cities while preserving significant history. The town withstood Cromwell's siege for three weeks in 1650, and its Main Guard and County Courthouse recall the turbulent 1848 Young Irelander trial.

  Atlas entry

• Cobh

  Cobh is a port in Cork Harbour, County Cork, in southwest Ireland. It retains a small town atmosphere with colourful terraces rising up the hill to the cathedral, and visiting cruise ships towering over the waterfront.

  Atlas entry

• Cong

  Cong is a village of only 145 people that has traded on being the filming location of The Quiet Man (1952) for over 70 years. Its old stone cottages, abbey ruins, and isthmus position between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib make it picturesque, and Ashford Castle adds old-world grandeur.

  Atlas entry

• Cork

  Cork combines a historic merchant port with Georgian architecture and a lively food and music scene. Its centre occupies an island between channels of the River Lee.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$140

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Crosshaven

  Crosshaven is a small coastal village at the mouth of the River Owenabue in Cork Harbour, with a 2022 population of 3300. It grew from an 18th-century garrison town guarding Fort Camden, and became a tourism destination when the railway arrived in 1904.

  Atlas entry

• Dalkey

  Dalkey is a charming seaside village tucked into Dublin's southern suburbs, offering a rare glimpse of medieval Ireland without the capital's crowds. Its 14th-century Dalkey Castle provides "living history tours" with medieval characters from May to October, while the surrounding streets showcase distinctive architecture and celebrity history—former residents include Bono, Enya, Maeve Binchy, and George Bernard Shaw.

  Atlas entry

• Dingle

  Dingle is the main town on the Dingle Peninsula and the only sizable settlement in this Irish-speaking Gaeltacht area, with 14% of residents speaking Irish daily. The town gained fame from 1983 for Fungie the dolphin, who became a beloved fixture at the harbour until his disappearance in 2020.

  Atlas entry

• Donegal Town

  Donegal Town gathers around The Diamond, its central plaza. The River Eske runs through this historic settlement from the Bluestack Mountains toward the bay.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$113

  Best months

  Jun–Aug

• Doolin

  Doolin is a minuscule community of about 300 people on County Clare's west coast, yet it punches above its weight as Ireland's premier coastal adventure base. The star attraction is the Cliffs of Moher, 7 km south, but Doolin also serves as the main ferry point for the Aran Islands and sits at the gateway to The Burren's lunar limestone landscapes.

  Atlas entry

• Drogheda

  Drogheda is an industrial town in County Louth, astride the River Boyne on the east coast of Ireland. Its turbulent history is reflected in its medieval fortifications, while nearby are ruined monasteries and the must-see Neolithic complex of Brú na Bóinne.

  Atlas entry

• Drumshanbo

  Drumshanbo is a tiny village of 1240 people at the south tip of Lough Allen, the lake that nearly bisects County Leitrim. It became a centre for pleasure boating after the Shannon-Erne waterway was restored, with a lock system and marina attracting cruisers and canal boats.

  Atlas entry

• Dublin

  Dublin combines the role of Ireland's capital with a lively nightlife scene. Historic attractions give daytime explorations a different pace.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$150

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Dún Laoghaire

  Dún Laoghaire offers granite-pier walks, maritime history and a seaside promenade. DART links make it a convenient coastal outing from Dublin.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$137

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Dundalk

  Dundalk is the county town of County Louth on the east coast of the Republic of Ireland, 7 km south of the border with Northern Ireland. It's industrial and residential but there are scenic areas to the north, especially the Cooley peninsula.

  Atlas entry

• Dungarvan

  Dungarvan is a compact coastal town serving as the main service centre for western County Waterford. It has a 12th-century Norman castle founded by Prince John (later King John) and makes a practical base for exploring the area.

  Atlas entry

• Dungloe

  Dungloe is the largest village in The Rosses, a remote coastal region of grassy peninsulas and scattered islands facing the Atlantic. It's best known for the sentimental 1936 song 'Mary from Dungloe', commemorated in an annual beauty contest and festival held at the end of July.

  Atlas entry

• Dunmore East

  Dunmore East is a small fishing village with an unexpectedly grand harbour built in 1837. The village combines working fishing industry, a sandy beach, rocky angling coast, and colourful fairy doors hidden in The Woods.

  Atlas entry

• Edenderry

  Edenderry (Éadan Doire, 'hill-brow of the oak wood') is a small town in east County Offaly with a population of 7,900 in 2022. The main draw is boating along the Grand Canal spur, a scenic 1.5-km waterway with a footpath along its east bank.

  Atlas entry

• Ennis

  Ennis is County Clare's county town and main transport hub, a compact market settlement founded by the O'Brien dynasty in the 12th century on the River Fergus. The town serves as a practical base for exploring The Burren, the Cliffs of Moher, and Loop Head, with historic friaries and a famed traditional-music scene.

  Atlas entry

• Enniscorthy

  Enniscorthy (Inis Córthaidh) is a compact County Wexford market town best known as the headquarters and last stand of the 1798 Irish rebellion. Vinegar Hill, east of the town centre, was where rebels proclaimed the 'Republic of Wexford' before government troops encircled them on 21 June.

  Atlas entry

• Enniscrone

  Enniscrone is a small seaside resort in County Sligo with a 2022 population of 1300. The main draw is its unusual Cliff Baths, a Victorian-era white building perched on the beach built in 1890, now closed but the tide-filled rock pools outside remain.

  Atlas entry

• Fethard

  Fethard is a small Norman-founded town in County Tipperary with a 2022 population of 1700. Its main draw is its remarkably intact medieval fortifications: 13th-century town walls, gate survives on Rocklow St, and several tower house ruins.

  Atlas entry

• Fethard-on-Sea

  Fethard-on-Sea is the largest of the villages on Hook Peninsula, with a 2022 population of just 363. It's a base for exploring medieval ruins, Norman invasion sites, and Ireland's oldest lighthouse.

  Atlas entry

• Freshford, County Kilkenny

  Freshford is a tiny village of 600 people in County Kilkenny, 15 km northwest of Kilkenny town. Its main draw is the ruin of Ballylarkin Church, a 14th-century structure with fine Gothic carvings including a triple sedilia.

  Atlas entry

• Galway

  Galway's compact historic centre sits on the east bank of the River Corrib. Traditional music, lively pubs and pedestrian streets give it an energetic atmosphere.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$132

  Best months

  Jun–Aug

• Glendalough

  Glendalough is a 6th-century monastic settlement in a dramatic glaciated valley with two ribbon lakes, known as Gleann Dá Locha or 'valley of two lakes.' The site features intact medieval ruins including the iconic Round Tower, stone churches, and St Kevin's Bed carved into a cliff face. Its proximity to Dublin (40 km) makes it one of Ireland's most visited heritage sites, though summer weekends can be mobbed with tourist buses.

  Atlas entry

• Glenties

  Glenties (Na Gleannta) sits at the confluence of two scenic glens in west County Donegal. The town of around 900 people makes a quieter base than Donegal Town for exploring the rugged Atlantic coast, prehistoric megalithic sites, and the Bluestack Mountains walking trails.

  Atlas entry

• Glenveagh National Park

  Glenveagh is the second-largest of Ireland's six national parks and the most remote, encompassing 16,000 hectares of the Derryveagh Mountains. Established in 1984, it offers a wilderness experience starkly different from Ireland's gentler lowlands: rugged blanket bog, glacial lakes, and the chance to spot golden eagles reintroduced in 2001.

  Atlas entry

• Gorey

  Gorey serves as a practical base for exploring southeast Ireland, with direct train links to Dublin (just under 2 hours) and proximity to the Wexford coast. The town itself has a pleasant restored Main Street with 19th-century buildings, while nearby Tara Hill provides a short but rewarding climb with panoramic views.

  Atlas entry

• Gort

  Gort is a small market town in County Galway with a 2022 population of 2900. It sits at the edge of the Burren, a stark limestone plateau dotted with prehistoric monuments, making it a quiet base for exploring west Ireland without Galway city prices.

  Atlas entry

• Graignamanagh

  Graignamanagh (Greg-na-mana) is a sleepy village of 1500 residents on the River Barrow in County Kilkenny. The name means 'village of the monks' after Duiske Abbey, founded in 1204.

  Atlas entry

• Howth

  Howth is a small seaside town 14 km northeast of Dublin, making it an ideal half-day or full-day escape from the capital. The main draws are its beaches, clifftop walks, and boat trips to Ireland's Eye.

  Atlas entry

• Inis Meáin

  Inis Meáin is the middle and least touristy of the three Aran Islands, with just 184 residents (2022) whose primary language is Irish. It's an extension of the mainland's Burren limestone, offering karst terrain, ancient ring forts, and wild clifftop walks without the coach-tour crowds.

  Atlas entry

• Inis Mór

  Inis Mór (Inishmore) is the largest of the three Aran Islands off County Galway, home to 820 residents in 2022. The island offers a dramatic landscape of limestone pavements, sheer Atlantic cliffs, and ancient stone forts dating to 1000 BC.

  Atlas entry

• Inis Oírr

  Inis Oírr (also spelled Inisheer) is the smallest and most easterly of the Aran Islands off County Galway's west coast of Ireland. It's formed of the same bare limestone pavement as the Burren, with fissured 'clints' and 'grikes' sheltering wild flowers.

  Atlas entry

• Inishbofin Island

  Inishbofin is a small, low-lying island 8 km off Connemara with just 184 residents. It packs in Cromwell's 17th-century star fort, a 7th-century monastery site, and Grace O'Malley (the Pirate Queen) lore.

  Atlas entry

• Kells

  Kells (Ceannas Mor) is a small Irish market town in County Meath with a population of 6,600, famous for its monastic heritage. For 800 years it housed the Book of Kells, the illuminated manuscript created by Celtic monks around 800 AD; the book was stolen in 1007 and is now displayed at Trinity College Dublin.

  Atlas entry

• Kenmare

  Kenmare is a small village of 2600 residents in County Kerry, southwest Ireland, at the head of Kenmare Bay. It serves as a gateway to both the Ring of Kerry (Iveragh Peninsula to the north) and Beara Peninsula (south into County Cork).

  Atlas entry

• Kildare

  Kildare is a small town in County Kildare, 50 km southwest of Dublin, best known for St Brigid's Cathedral and the Irish National Stud. With a population of 8,600 (2016), it's part of Dublin's commuter belt but retains historic character.

  Atlas entry

• Kilfenora

  Kilfenora is a village of just 150 residents in County Clare, yet it punches above its weight as the gateway to The Burren's stark limestone scenery. Its main draw is the 12th-century Kilfenora Cathedral with its three high crosses, plus access to prehistoric ring forts, tower houses, and the famous Sheila-na-Gig carvings at Kilnaboy.

  Atlas entry

• Kilkee

  Kilkee is a small Victorian seaside resort town in County Clare on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, with a population of 1,200 in 2022. It was the traditional summer retreat for wealthy merchant families from Limerick, who built the substantial summer houses that now serve as small hotels and guesthouses.

  Atlas entry

• Kilkenny

  Kilkenny is a compact medieval city in southeast Ireland. Its Medieval Mile connects the castle with St Canice's Cathedral, giving walks through the centre a clear focus.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$136

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Killarney

  Killarney is a town of 14,000 residents in County Kerry that in summer becomes a tourist hub, serving as the main gateway to the Ring of Kerry. The area offers Ireland's highest mountains, three scenic lakes, and Killarney National Park.

  Atlas entry

• Killorglin

  Killorglin is a small Kerry village of under 2,200 residents, famous for the ancient Puck Fair each August where a wild billy-goat is crowned 'King Puck' on the main street. It's a transit point on the Ring of Kerry, so most tourists just pass through, but its setting at the head of Iveragh Peninsula beside Dingle Bay makes it useful base for exploring the coast.

  Atlas entry

• Kilmallock

  Kilmallock (Cill Mocheallóg) is a small village in County Limerick with a population of 1761 as of 2021. Despite its modest size, it was once of great strategic importance, evidenced by the ruins of its abbey, castle, and medieval town walls.

  Atlas entry

• Kilmore Quay

  Kilmore Quay is a tiny fishing village (population ~400) on the south coast of County Wexford, Ireland. It's the main settlement on this coast, sandwiched between the River Bannow estuary to the west and Tacumshane to the east, where the coast turns from Atlantic to Irish Sea exposure.

  Atlas entry

• Kinsale

  Kinsale is a small harbour town in County Cork. It sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, south of Cork city.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$150

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Knock

  Knock is a small village in County Mayo that became one of the world's major Marian shrines after a vision in 1879. Three figures—the Virgin Mary, St Joseph, and St John the Evangelist—reportedly appeared on the south gable wall of the old church, drawing pilgrims ever since.

  Atlas entry

• Lahinch

  Lahinch is a small seaside resort on Ireland's west coast that grew from a railway stop in 1887 into a surf town, attracting an army of beat-up VW campervans. The village has a population of about 1000 and is known for consistent Atlantic swells, a historic links golf course, and easy access to the Cliffs of Moher just 10 km north.

  Atlas entry

• Leenane

  Leenane (An Líonán, "where the tide fills") is a 200-person village on the south shore of Killary fjord, the boundary between County Galway and County Mayo. Its dramatic setting—glaciated mountains plunging to deep water—makes it a natural stop on the Wild Atlantic Way.

  Atlas entry

• Leighlinbridge

  Leighlinbridge is a tiny village of fewer than 1,000 residents that punches above its weight historically. The nine-arched stone bridge over the River Barrow dates to 1310, making it one of Europe's oldest bridges still in use.

  Atlas entry

• Letterfrack

  Letterfrack is a tiny village of about 200 people on the Connemara coast, named for the speckled (fraic) quartzite rocks on the hillside (leitir). The main reasons to visit are Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey and Gardens.

  Atlas entry

• Letterkenny

  Letterkenny is the largest town in County Donegal with around 22,500 residents, serving as the county's commercial and transport hub. While the town itself isn't especially scenic, it offers practical amenities and makes an ideal base for exploring the rest of northwest Ireland.

  Atlas entry

• Limerick

  Limerick is a compact Irish city of about 102,000 people that punches above its weight for history and culture. It grew at the tidal limit of the River Shannon, developing from a Viking settlement called Hlymrekr into a medieval stronghold, then a Georgian city rebuilt on a grid pattern comparable to Dublin.

  Atlas entry

• Lismore

  Lismore is a small village of 1350 residents in County Waterford, yet packs remarkable history into its size. The highlight is Lismore Castle, a mock-Gothic edifice that was birthplace of scientist Robert Boyle and remains the private seat of the Dukes of Devonshire.

  Atlas entry

• Listowel

  Listowel is a small north Kerry market town with an outsized literary legacy: John B. Keane, Bryan MacMahon, Brendan Kennelly, and other writers called it home, celebrated at the Kerry Writers Museum beside The Square.

  Atlas entry

• Longford

  Longford Town is the quiet county town of County Longford in Ireland's Hidden Heartlands region. With a population of about 11,000, it has few attractions of its own but serves as a convenient base for visiting several prehistoric sites nearby, including the Iron Age Corlea Trackway and several dolmens and ringforts.

  Atlas entry

• Macroom

  Macroom is a quiet market town in County Cork, halfway along the N22 between Cork and Killarney. It saw significant conflict through the centuries, most recently during the Anglo-Irish and Civil War of 1919-22, leaving several tower houses and a castle gatehouse as reminders.

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• Malahide

  Malahide is a coastal town 18 km northeast of Dublin, known for its medieval castle set in parkland (Malahide Demesne) and Georgian-Victorian seafront architecture. The Talbot family ruled from Malahide Castle from 1180, and the village grew as a suburban resort for Dublin.

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• Mallow

  Mallow is a market and light industrial town in County Cork with a population of 13,500. It's best known for its racecourse and serves as a useful base for exploring north County Cork.

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• Manorhamilton

  Manorhamilton is the only town of any size in north County Leitrim, a thinly populated district stretching from Lough Allen to the Atlantic coast. With a 2022 population of 1700, it serves as the hub for visiting scattered villages like Glenfarne, Kiltyclogher, Rossinver, Tullaghan, Glenade, and Dromahair.

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• Maynooth

  Maynooth is a compact university town that few tourists set out to visit deliberately, yet it rewards those who do. The star attraction is St Patrick's College, Ireland's national seminary founded in 1795, which transformed this small settlement into a ecclesiastical powerhouse.

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• Milltown Malbay

  Milltown Malbay is a small town on Ireland's west coast with a 2022 population of 900. It's best known for traditional Irish music, hosting the week-long Willie Clancy Summer School every July, which draws musicians from across Ireland and beyond.

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• Monaghan

  Monaghan is the quiet county town of County Monaghan, sitting at the northern edge of the Republic of Ireland close to the Northern Ireland border. With a population of just 7,900 in 2022, it offers a relaxing alternative to larger Irish cities.

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• Mountmellick

  Mountmellick is a small Irish town with a remarkable past: English Quakers settled in the 17th century and founded breweries, a distillery, woollen mills, cotton factories, tanneries and glassworks. These industries have all vanished, but a tradition of lace-making and embroidery continues.

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• Mountrath

  Mountrath is a quiet market town in County Laois with a 2022 population of about 2100. Its main draw is access to the Slieve Bloom Mountains, with 75 km of hiking trails.

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• Mullingar

  Mullingar is a quiet county town in the Irish midlands, better known as the birthplace of Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary and singer Niall Horan of One Direction. The main draw is Belvedere House and Gardens on Lough Ennell, a Palladian villa built in 1740 whose owner imprisoned his wife and brother for decades over jealousy and an affair.

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• Naas

  Naas is the county town of County Kildare, sitting within 30 minutes of Dublin and functioning primarily as a commuter suburb for the capital. The main reason for visitors to make the trip is Punchestown Racecourse, one of Ireland's premier National Hunt tracks hosting major festivals in April-May and October-November.

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• Navan

  Navan is the county town of County Meath, 56 km northwest of Dublin, making it part of the Dublin commuter belt. While it lacks major attractions within the town itself, it serves as the regional transport hub and administrative center.

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• Nenagh

  Nenagh is a quiet market town in County Tipperary with fewer than 10,000 residents, making it a peaceful contrast to larger Irish cities. Its main draws are the well-preserved 13th-century Nenagh Castle with its 101-step spiral staircase, the Franciscan Friary ruins, and the Nenagh Heritage Centre in a former courthouse.

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• New Ross

  New Ross is a compact riverside town in County Wexford with significant historical weight despite its small population of 8,600. The town straddles the River Barrow, which was tidal and navigable, making it an important medieval port.

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• Oldcastle

  Oldcastle is a modest town of 1400 people in central County Meath, but its justification for existence is the extraordinary Loughcrew Cairns—30 passage tombs from around 3300 BC, older than the famous Newgrange. Unlike its celebrated cousin, Loughcrew lacks tourist hordes, so you can linger at Neolithic artwork and experience equinox sunrises penetrating Cairn T without crowds.

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• Omey Island

  Omey Island is a tidal sanctuary off the coast of County Galway where time seems to slow as the sea withdraws, revealing a landscape of sand-dunes, rolling hills, and ancient ruins. This virtually uninhabited island offers solitude and natural beauty rarely found so close to the mainland—a place where poets, philosophers, and artists have long sought inspiration.

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• Oughterard

  Oughterard is a small town on Lough Corrib's shores, 26 km northwest of Galway city, with a 2022 population of 1800. It's best known for the stone arch bridge featured in the 1952 film 'The Quiet Man' starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and it inspired 'The Irish RM' published from 1899 and televised 1983-85.

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• Portarlington

  Portarlington is a small County Laois market town of 9,300 people with a distinctive French Huguenot legacy. The River Barrow bisects the town, with most of it in Laois but a section spilling into County Offaly.

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• Portlaoise

  Portlaoise is the county town of Laois in Ireland's south midlands, serving as a transport hub with Dublin just an hour away by train. The town makes a practical base for exploring the Midlands, with attractions like the Rock of Dunamase ruins and Slieve Bloom Mountains within easy reach.

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• Portmagee

  Portmagee is a tiny fishing village on the Iveragh Peninsula with a 2016 population of just 123. Its claim to fame is as the departure point for boat trips to Skellig Michael, the UNESCO World Heritage Site monastery perched on a remote Atlantic rock.

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• Portumna

  Portumna is a small village of 1700 residents at the north end of Lough Derg, best known for its early 17th-century castle and formal gardens restored by the Office of Public Works. The village sits at the junction of Counties Galway and Tipperary, connected to Lorrha across the River Shannon by a historic swing bridge.

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• Roscommon

  Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in northwest Ireland, with a 2022 population of 6,500. It offers medieval castle ruins, a 13th-century Dominican friary, and a compact town centre for easy walking.

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• Roscrea

  Roscrea is a small town (population 5500 in 2022) in County Tipperary with several medieval buildings, notably the castle. It's a quiet alternative to busier Irish heritage destinations, offering a 13th-century castle with guided tours, a restored watermill with St Cronan's High Cross, and a round tower from around 1100.

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• Rosses Point

  Rosses Point is a small fishing village on County Sligo's Atlantic coast with a population of 900. The peninsula between Sligo Bay and Drumcliffe Bay offers windswept beaches, historic ruins tied to poet William Butler Yeats, and some of Ireland's best kite-surfing conditions.

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• Rosslare

  Rosslare is a split personality: the port handles freight and ferries to Wales, France, and Spain, making it a key transit point after Brexit redirected continental traffic away from the UK land bridge. Rosslare Strand to the north is a traditional seaside resort with a 3 km sandy beach, golf courses, and horse riding along the shore.

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• Roundwood

  Roundwood is a tiny hill village (population 948) in County Wicklow, best known as a staging post for hikers tackling the Wicklow Way or climbing Djouce and Luggala. Its key historical claim is supplying Dublin's water via the Vartry Reservoir, a 19th-century engineering feat that James Joyce referenced in Ulysses.

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• Schull

  Schull is a small harbour town at the foot of Ireland's most southwesterly peninsula, Mizen Head. With a population of just 669 (2022), it retains a working fishing port feel while catering to tourists with sailing, watersports, and walking trails.

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• Shannon

  Shannon is a small Irish town of about 10,000 people, built in the 1960s to serve its airport and industrial zone. The town itself is nondescript and industrial, but it serves as a practical entry point to the scenic and historic west of Ireland.

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• Skellig Michael

  Skellig Michael is a dramatic uninhabited island 12 km off the Kerry coast, crowned by the well-preserved remains of a 6th-century monastic settlement with beehive huts, monastic cells, and stone paths. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the island offers a rare glimpse into early Irish monastic life amid a spectacular Atlantic setting with 618 steep steps climbing to the monastery.

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• Skibbereen

  Skibbereen (An Sciobairín, 'the little boat harbour') is a small village of 2900 residents in southwest County Cork. It's most known for its tragic Famine history — up to 10,000 victims are buried in a mass grave at Abbeystrowry Cemetery.

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• Slane

  Slane is a tiny village of 1400 residents in County Meath, best known as the site where St Patrick lit a Easter bonfire in defiance of the pagan king at Tara. It sits near the world-famous Brú Na Bóinne Neolithic archaeological complex, and is home to the Slane Distillery housed in the old castle stables.

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• Sligo

  Sligo takes its Irish name from the shells once abundant in its tidal river and bay. That waterside setting gives the town a distinctive coastal identity.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$117

  Best months

  Jun–Aug

• Spiddal

  Spiddal (An Spidéal in Irish, meaning 'the hospital' in its older sense of a place of shelter or hospitality) is a village of 254 residents on the north coast of Galway Bay in Connemara. It would be a most welcome stop in bleak Connemara, with night coming on, the rain lashing down and your horse limping.

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• Strandhill

  Strandhill is a compact surfing resort on County Sligo's west coast, 9 km west of Sligo town. Its name captures the setting: a long Atlantic strand and the scarp of Knocknarea rising behind.

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• Swords

  Swords (Irish: Sord, meaning 'clear' or 'pure') is a town 12 km north of Dublin with a 2022 population of 41,000. It dates to 560 AD when Saint Colmcille blessed a local well, giving the town its name.

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• Thomastown

  Thomastown is a small historic town in the Nore Valley, 17 km southeast of Kilkenny. With a population of 2300, it preserves the medieval street pattern from its 13th-century foundation as Grennan.

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• Thurles

  Thurles is a compact market town in County Tipperary with 8,200 residents, best known as the birthplace of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884. The main draw is Holy Cross Abbey, 6 km southwest, a Benedictine foundation from 1168 with fragments of the True Cross.

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• Tipperary

  Tipperary is a modest market town of 5400 residents that punches above its weight for visitors seeking outdoor activities and Irish heritage sites. The town lends its name to the famous County Tipperary, though it's never been the county town — that role is split between Clonmel and Nenagh.

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• Tory Island

  Tory Island is a remote Irish-speaking community of just 119 residents, 11 km off the northwest coast of County Donegal. The island offers rugged sea-cliff scenery swarming with birds, scrappy 6th-to-12th century monastery ruins, and a T-shaped Tau Cross carved from mica slate.

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• Tralee

  Tralee is the county town of County Kerry with about 26,000 residents, offering a genuine Irish market-town experience away from Killarney's tourist crowds. It preserves 19th-century Georgian architecture around Denny Street and Town Park, with good accommodation prices compared to coastal resorts.

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• Tramore

  Tramore is a beach resort town on Ireland's south coast, with its name meaning "big beach" in Irish - a 5-km spit across the bay. It began as a fishing village and grew with Victorian sea-bathing fashion, though it slumped when tourists discovered the Mediterranean.

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• Trim

  Trim is a historic market town in County Meath, 50 km northwest of Dublin, with a population of 9,600. Its main draw is the remarkably well-preserved Trim Castle, one of Ireland's largest Norman castles, plus the atmospheric Yellow Steeple ruins of St Mary's Abbey.

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• Tuam

  Tuam is a historic Irish market town in County Galway whose main draw is its religious heritage. The town grew from a 6th-century monastery founded by St Jarlath, and in the 12th century served as Ireland's effective capital when High King Rory O'Connor resided here.

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• Tullamore

  Tullamore sits in Ireland's midlands with the Grand Canal running through town. It is closely associated with whiskey and the local distillery visitor centre.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$118

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Tullow

  Tullow is a small market town of about 5,100 residents (2022) in County Carlow, situated where the N81 crosses the River Slaney. While it lacks castles, town walls, or battlefields, Tullow holds historical significance as the site near where Father John Murphy was captured during the 1798 rebellion of United Irishmen.

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• Virginia

  Virginia is a small town of 3200 people in County Cavan, Ireland, positioned on the N3 highway between Dublin and Donegal. It makes a convenient stopover for road trippers and serves as a base for exploring Lough Ramor, a shallow lake bordered by Deerpark Forest with a few islets.

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• Waterford

  Waterford's museum attractions explore the city's past. Reginald's Tower adds a collection of Viking-era artefacts to that heritage trail.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$123

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Westport

  Westport is an attractive planned town on Ireland's west coast, with well-preserved 18th-century Georgian terraces lining the canalised Carrowbeg River. Originally Cathair na Mart ("town of the beef cattle"), it was rebuilt in 1780 around Westport House and serves as the main gateway to southwest County Mayo.

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• Wexford

  Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, on Ireland's southeast coast, with a 2022 population of 21,500. It began in the 10th century as the Viking harbour of Veisafjörðr, 'Bay of the Mud Flats', and retains a Viking street pattern with the main street winding south from Selskar Abbey.

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• Wicklow Town

  Wicklow Town is the county town of County Wicklow on Ireland's east coast, with a population of about 13,000 in 2022. The town forms a semicircle around Wicklow harbour, with 'The Murrough' (a grassy walking area beside the sea) just north.

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• Youghal

  Youghal (pronounced yawl) is a small harbour town at the east edge of County Cork preserving a remarkable medieval and early modern heritage. The walled town's narrow streets and historic buildings escaped the redevelopment that blighted many Irish towns, giving visitors an authentic glimpse into centuries of history.

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