| Irish City Breaks |
City Breaks in Ireland
Dublin City Breaks
Dublin can claim to be one of the most beautifully situated of the world's capitals, located in the wide plain overlooked by the legendary Wicklow Mountains and facing a broad sweeping bay that leads into the Irish Sea. The city has a population of a million people which is about a third of the total population of the country. Dublin is the centre of government, commerce and industry and it is also to seaport at the moment of the River Liffey. The original small settlement was named Ath Cliath, which means a "ford of hurdles" or the "Hurdle ford" and was located near the mouth of the River Poddle on piles of stones. at the point where the Poddle met the Liffey a black pool (or "dubh-linn") emerged. It was with the coming of the Vikings in 841 that Dublin had start as a town. Dublin is a city for walkers, talkers and a city where the people are as worth watching as the architecture. Moore Street is a thriving street market off Henry Street. The women here with their prams and battered baby carriages filled high with a variety of fruit, toys or bric-a-brac, are descendants of the infamous Molly Malone, a streeet trader of the 18th Century. The street traders today, as then, are renowned for the food humour, loud voices and sharp whited banter.
Music is never too far away in Dublin. The streets are full of talented buskers and Grafton Street on a Saturday afternoon is virtually impassable for the crowds surrounding the young musicians. One of the most attractive features of Dublin nightlife is the music and singing pubs. Visitors will find that Dublin is a place of great cultural and historical interest. As the birthplace of Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and many other renowned writers, Dublin often featured in their books. However no city has been more criticised by her writers. Jonathan Swift felt himself " dropped in wretched Dublin" and George Bernard Shaw complained of " a certain flippant, futile derision and belittlement peculiar to Dublin". It was called "the blind and ignorant town" by W.B. Yeats, and James Joyce seems to have agreed. Yet, despite all the abuse, number of truly great writers became part of Dublin's heritage.
Cork and Kerry
The Cork Kerry region of South-West Ireland is one of the most attractive holiday areas in Ireland. This area has a spectacular coastline of over 1,000 km and has Ireland’s highest mountain Carrauntoohil at 1,039 m. This Region also has Ireland’s most southerly point and the most westerly point.
The Cork Kerry Region is a region of scenic contrasts. The long indented coastline blends with spectacular mountains, and the many rivers and lakes combine with these mountains to give a landscape that offers much to the visitor.
This is a region where activity holidays play a large role in holiday plans, and County Cork has hosted the Irish Open Golf Championships on a number of occasions in recent years. Long distance walking is very popular in the region, as are the many cycle routes. In all about 1,000 kms of developed walking routes are available and about the same distance of developed or planned cycling routes await the visitor.
With such a long coastline sea and shore fishing is widely available as is excellent game angling. Good Coarse angling facilities are available in County Cork.
Visitors have been enjoying this Region for about 250 years and many of these early travellers visited Killarney in County Kerry and Blarney in County Cork. The Cork Kerry region is also a special part of Ireland that has hosted many international festivals and events including a Stage finish of The Tour de France cycle race and the Eurovision Song Contest. Cork City has been designated European Capital of Culture for 2005.
Monaghan
Monaghan has a landscape you can reach out and touch. It resounds with the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh. The poet is celebrated in the Patrick Kavanagh Rural and Literary Resource Centre in Inniskeen – a must for anyone interested in the poet’s life and work. Monaghan has long been known as an angler’s paradise and with this attraction and so many more it is well worth a visit.
Ever wanted to explore the beauty of the countryside from the vantage point of the saddle? There can be few better ways to enjoy the beautiful scenery to be found in the countryside of the North West by horseback or a walking route through the pleasant hills and valleys of the county or for the more adventurous why not try biking around the picturesque county of Monaghan. To finish off the adventure why not try you luck at a spot golf!
Cavan
Cavan is the well-spring of two great cruising rivers with a canal to link them both. There are fabulous nature parks and hills play hide-and-seek with fish filled lakes. There are plenty of beautiful golf courses to choose from. Ever wanted to explore the beauty of the countryside from the vantage point of the saddle? There can be few better ways to enjoy the beautiful scenery to be found in the countryside of the North West by trekking on horseback or maybe The Cavan Way is a marked walking route through the pleasant hills and valleys of the county or for the more adventurous why not bike around the picturesque North West?
Donegal
Donegal has sandy beaches, sugared mountains, chattering streams and silent valleys. With plenty of fishing, golfing, surfing and walking available, it is the perfect place to get away from it all . There are many pleasant restaurants in which to sample the fresh food available in this county. The county’s link to history is strong and the Ring Fort of the O’Neill Clan, former King of Ireland, rests atop a 240m hill where the vista is stunning. The Grianan Aileach Centre tells the story of the fort and there is a more modern Glenveagh Castle in Glenveagh National Park. The Triona Design Centre shows how ‘Donegal Tweed’ is prepared, one of the many cottage industries in the area.
Sligo
County Sligo is situated on the Atlantic coast in the north west of Ireland and is the gateway between Connaught and Ulster. The county has a magnificent variety of mountain, lake, wood and coastline. Sligo Town is the largest town in the northwest.
To the north of Sligo is the magnificent Benbulben; where beneath its shadow is the grave of WB Yeats at Drumcliffe churchyard. In north Sligo you can visit Mullaghmore, Grange or Rosses Point, the famous seaside resort.
To the west of Sligo is Europe’s oldest Stone Age cemeteries at Carrowmore
Knocknarea mountain where Queen Maeve is buried under the cairn on the top, and Strandhill, a surfers paradise. To the south is the seaside resort of Enniscrone, and Tubbercurry, an important centre for traditional Irish music and hosts the South Sligo summer school.
Sligo has many beautiful lakes, especially Lough Gill and Glencar.
This is WB Yeats’ “Land of Hearts Desire”, where he and his brother Jack, found inspiration. Enjoy!
Wicklow
Known as the garden of Ireland, Wicklow contains outstanding scenery of mountains, valleys, lakes and coastlines. The mountaineous landscape is bordered by golden sandy beaches in the East and Blessington Lakes in the West and provides a great variety of activities such as walking along the Wicklow Way, cycling, shore, coarse and game angling, golf, horse riding and watersports. The 6th century monastic site of Glendalough is one of Irelands most famous heritage sites. With an abundance of other attractions to visit, including historic houses, gardens, heritage attractions and family fun parks, Co. Wicklow is a must...
Kildare
Famous for its horses, racing and stud farms, Kildare’s famous racecourses – The Curragh – Punchestown and Naas is the home to exciting racing festivals, while The Irish National Stud is testament to the county’s strong horse breeding tradition. The county offers a range of special interests in addition to horse racing and horse riding such as golf, motor racing, fishing, ecology, cruising and walking.
County Kildare’s many heritage attractions are of great importance and provide much to interest the visitor. Note the heritage towns of Athy and Kildare, Leixlip where ‘Guinness’ was first brewed and the University town of Maynooth. Visit the many houses and gardens such as the magnificent Castletown or Celbridge Abbey or experience Peatland World Visitor Centre that interprets the wilderness of the Bog of Allen.
Galway
Galway is a city, a county, and an experience to be savoured and remembered. The historic city of the tribes dances to a beat uniquely it’s own. There is certain chemistry and vibrancy to this friendly University City, which many delight in, and few forget. Music, festivals, horse racing, pubs, restaurants, shops, theatres and most of all Galway people, combine to create this atmospheric mediaeval city of culture. From this pulsating heart the rest of the county flows. Galway Bay, immortalised in song, its beauty unchanging. Scenic Gaeltacht areas including the Aran Islands. Connemara, with the picturesque town of Clifden as its capital. Mountains, castles and stone walls, banks of turf, long sandy beaches, clear lakes, joyful leaping streams and flowing rivers. Delightful countryside punctuated by pretty villages, and traditional pubs.
Mayo
Jutting proudly into the Atlantic Ocean, County Mayo boasts a stunningly beautiful unspoilt environment with a magical attraction for visitors. Cosmopolitan towns such as Westport positively burst with charm and personality, as welcoming as the Mayo people themselves. The standard and availability of accommodation is excellent. Unique attractions include Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holy mountain with the starkly beautiful National Famine Memorial at its foot and Knock Shrine, scene of an miraculous apparition in 1879.
History comes alive at the world famous Céide Fields near Ballycastle in North Mayo, at The Foxford Woollen Mills, Hennigans Heritage Farm and the new National Museum of Ireland's Museum of Country Life, which opened in Autumn 2001 just outside Castlebar, the county town. Sporting opportunities abound especially fishing of all sorts including the River Moy in Ballina where the salmon is king. There are watersports, hiking and walking, golf links and courses, horseriding and cycling… the list is endless. Sandy beaches, clear waters and beautiful islands. Superb restaurants, pubs of character and of course the irresistable tumbling melodies of traditional Irish music spilling onto the streets. Quite simply Mayo is Amazing!
Wexford
Wexford offers cosy coastal villages, sunny seashores with numerous and well presented beaches which are tranquil and inviting such as Courtown, Curracloe, Duncannon and Rosslare. Famous for the range and extent of bird life, it also features bird watch reserves, the most significant being that of North Sloblands, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. Visitors can even turn back the clock and explore the county's unique culture and heritage attractions through its open air museum of ramparts and castles, abbeys, manor houses and one of the oldest operational lighthouses in the world, the Hook Lighthouse. Gardens lovers will thoroughly enjoy the very famous John F. Kennedy Park. and Arboretum celebrating the connection US President Kennedy has with the town of New Ross where you will also find Ireland's newest attraction, the Dunbrody Heritage Ship which is an accurate, full size, ocean-going recreation of the actual timber-built ship which played a leading part in 19th century emigration to the USA. So come relax and enjoy the many attractions awaiting you in Wexford and let our famous hospitality wash up over you like a wave – you’ll be among friends here.
Waterford
Famous the world over for its hand-crafted crystal – hence the Crystal County. County Waterford offers the choice between a cosmopolitan modern city, a cluster of charming seaside resorts and a mountainous hinterland, ideal for activities and holidays of all kinds.
Waterford City, steeped in history, heritage and culture, represents a unique blend of modern shopping centres, traditional pubs and highly acclaimed gourmet restaurants – 9 of the Bridgestone Guides top 100 restaurants in Ireland are located in County Waterford. There is also much to do and see as the city features three of Ireland premier visitor attractions. The Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre, the highly praised Waterford Museum of Treasures and the Waterford Walking Tour. Most recently, a section of the Waterford to Dungarvan railway line has been rebuilt. From this narrow gauge railway, travelling at 15km per hour visitors can experience the beauty of the Suir Valley as they take in the panoramic views of the river, rolling farmland, and mountains.
Dungarvan Town, the administrative capital for the county, is set in a broad, magnificent bay. Renowned as an angling and golfing centre, it forms the commercial heart of County Waterford. Nearby is Ring, (An Rinn) a flourishing centre for Irish culture and language, and Ardmore, a charming coastal resort. Also in West Waterford lie the towns of Lismore, Cappoquin, and Ballymacarbry – The Nire Valley. All forming a natural playground for Equestrian, Walking, Angling, Water Sports and Cycling holidays.
Dotted along Waterford County’s spectacular coastline (see Coastal Drive) are towns and villages, each with their own unique charms. Dunmore East is a charming fishing village with first class restaurants that specialize in the ‘catch of the day’. Tramore, Ireland’s premier seaside resort, has a truly spectacular beach, a fun park and Splashworld, an indoor water extravaganza for kiddies and parents alike.
Tipperary
A scenic county, fashioned by the Galtee Mountains, adorned by romantic and mysterious Slievenamon and everywhere a lush, multi-hued green landscape. The plains of Tipperary are birthplace for some of the world's most successful bloodstock. Hurling, horses and hunting, history and heritage blend in a palette of motion in locations and attractions which are sure to please. Tipperary is particularly rich in archaeological sites of interest including the Rock of Cashel in Cashel Heritage Town and Cahir Castle in picturesque Cahir Heritage Town. These traditional attractions are now complemented by the new Excel Centre in Tipperary Town which boasts an interpretative centre depicting Tipperary's past. In Clonmel Town, the South Tipperary County Museum takes the visitor through the fascinating history of the county, from prehistoric to modern times. Walkers and outdoor enthusiasts are well serviced in this county of hills and vales. A county of contrasts - high hills and verdant valleys and everywhere, just as in ancient Ireland, in Tipperary the visitor is king.
Shannon
The Shannon Region, in the mid-west of Ireland, is a special place, where you can refresh your spirit away from the frenetic and crowded cities of the world. The Region covers counties Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary and South Offaly.
In this compact area, 190 kilometres from end to end, you will discover stunning landscapes, Atlantic seascapes, great sporting activity, entertainment, top visitor attractions, fun, music, uncrowded beaches, clifftop and mountain walks, quiet country roads and everywhere the artifacts of Ireland’s ancient history.
Guest Accommodation is of the highest standards and ranges from luxury 5-star castle hotels to comfortable family-run hotels, Irish Farmhouses, town and country homes and self-catering accommodation.
The ocean, rivers and lush, green pastures provide the food ingredients that are used to create imaginative dishes presented in our pubs, hotels and ‘good food circle’ restaurants.
And, all of this is wrapped up in the warmest of warm welcomes. If this all sounds too good, ask someone who has been here, or unplug your computer and experience the delights for yourself.
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