A Whistle Stop Tour of Ireland

Written by Kate Power

If you can, I would advise spending a whole year in Ireland.

Visit the best cities in the world like Cork, Galway, or Belfast. Go to the small towns and soak up the sights and sounds. Get invited to go surfing on the Atlantic Coast at Doonbeg, find yourself in Enniscrone, find out why it’s called the Devil’s ladder in Kerry or discover the undiscovered beauty of islands like Baltimore off the Cork Coast. You could spend a long time in Ireland and still not discover everything. But, we don’t always have the time, so I’ve taken a couple of highlights for a quick stopover in Ireland.

Dublin

Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Photo Credit: Tinou Bao

A hop-on hop-off bus tour is a good way to spend a morning.

Dublin is a small city so it only takes an hour or two and if nothing else, it’ll help you figure out where everything is.

A good place to stop off is at either the National Gallery or the National Museum; both are free and offer a real insight, if in broad sweeping strokes through Irish history. You cannot leave without visiting the Guinness Storehouse. Its reputation is well earned; offering a fun and imaginative tour. It finishes off with a pint of the black stuff in the Gravity Bar, one of the best views of the city.

The Science Gallery is an incredible science and information hybrid, with real life experiments like growing cheese out of your armpit or clothes from a pint of Guinness as well as a great lunch. It’s free in, just check their programme to see what’s exhibiting when you arrive.