Overview to Ireland: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
- Ireland Information
- Events in Ireland
- Things to do in Ireland
- Where to stay in Ireland
- Ireland street map
The Republic of Ireland presents the independent traveler with an attractive package: beautiful countryside, warm natives and the city of Dublin, whose mixture of tradition and ultra-modernity mirrors that of the country as a whole.
The Irish calendar is marked by a number of fantastic events: St Patrick’s Day in the bustling capital inevitably draws in the crowds, but the Cork Jazz Festival, the Fleadh Cheoil (a traditional Irish folk competition) and the Galway Arts Festival also stand out.
Down to the south and west, things get especially idyllic for the traveler. County Cork is home to Ireland’s charming second city and to the Beara Way, a long trek that makes a good alternative to the better known (and busier) Kerry Way.
A little to the northwest, County Sligo is Yeats country, whilst the ruggedly beautiful coastline of County Galway is battered by furious Atlantic waves. The Aran Islands, famous for the traditional way of life of the islanders (and their woolen sweaters), are also spectacular.
Across the country, ring forts, standing stones and ancient Celtic monuments rub shoulders with striking natural phenomena rich with legend and myth, just like the Aliwee Caves. And they add to the sense of the mystical that clings to the land like the mists that roll in off the Irish Sea.
Ultimately, though, old clichés abound from ‘the Emerald Isle’: from friendly old men in wood-paneled bars and pints of Guinness to lashings of craic (and just a little blarney), these familiar symbols of Ireland are beloved (and over-played) by visitors.
But such symbols are a testament to the power of the country’s institutions, people and culture to capture popular imagination. And that’s where its appeal lies: Ireland is a larger than life country; distinctive, and indeed, utterly unique.
