Ireland is a beautiful country full of scenic places to visit, from buzzing cities to fantastic city escapes and magical castles. We have prepared a list so that you don’t miss out on anything.
Ireland is a beautiful country that is full of scenic places to visit. From the buzzing cities to the fantastic city escapes and magical castles, Ireland offers a big list of places to explore. It’s hard to decide the best places to visit. We have prepared a list for you to make your travel to Ireland more exciting and easier so that you don’t miss out on anything.
St. Patrick’s Festival
Originating in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Festival is popular across the world. It takes place around March 17 each year in the streets of Dublin and is built around the National St. Patrick’s Day Parade, with pageants, marching bands and thousands of participants. The festival connects people from Ireland and across the world through contemporary and traditional Irish arts, culture, and heritage. Don’t miss the parade if you are in Ireland in March.
Bloomsday
Honouring the life of the legendary Irish writer James Joyce, Bloomsday is celebrated every year on June 16. For a bibliophile, the Bloomsday festival is a must-visit. This day is celebrated to honor the achievements of the legendary writer James Joyce.
The importance of the date, June 16, is interesting taken from his 1922 novel, “Ulysses,” which takes place on June 16, 1904, and follows a day in the life of the story’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom. Leopold Bloom’s story from Ulysses is known as one of James Joyce’s most significant modernist literary works.
Learn more interesting facts about James Joyce and celebrate Bloomsday with reading, dramatizations, pub crawls, and much more.
The Galway Arts Festival
Do you know that Galway, European Capital of Culture in 2020, hosts an arts festival? This lively city steeped in history and culture holds the Galway International Arts Festival every July. Check the festival website for this year’s dates.
The festival will include events throughout Galway City with a stellar line-up of theatre, music, comedy, visual art, dance, and literary events from artists from Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and of course Ireland.
Many of the festival’s events take place in the Festival Big Top, set up by the banks of Galway’s River Corrib.
Sea Sessions
Sea Sessions festival is an extremely popular festival among locals and is a very fun festival dedicated to surfing and music. The festival takes place in the seaside town of Bundoran. This charming town is a hot spot for surfing. If you like surfing, it’s definitely a must-visit.
The beach in Bundoran is one of the best in Ireland for surfing so imagine how great it would be to spend the whole day surfing and then the whole night dancing. There was no Sea Sessions festival in 2025, so check whether it is running this year before you plan a trip around it.
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
A hub for matchmaking, this festival interestingly is a very old Irish tradition. The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival is the biggest matchmaking festival in Europe which witnesses the participation of over 20,000 people. From pub crawls to dance, music, and racing, the festival is set to leave you with a love-filled time.
This world-renowned festival takes place in Lisdoonvarna during September and early October. If you aren’t seeking love this festival still has a lot to offer for tourists, you never know what type of people you could meet and the fun that you will have.
Killarney National Park
County Kerry in Ireland is a magical place with magnificent scenery. It’s one of the most beautiful counties in Ireland. A vast area of untamed, hilly terrain extends southwest of County Kerry and descends to the renowned Lakes of Killarney. Killarney National Park, with its amazing blend of mountains, lakes, woods, and waterfalls, is located here and spans 10,000 hectares.
There are a number of gorgeous national parks in Ireland but one of the most beautiful has to be the Killarney National Park. It is also the first National Park in Ireland and it offers a range of things to see and do around the park.
Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntoohil, also is situated in this park so if you’re looking for a challenge then this is the place to go.
Skellig Michael, the Star Wars island
If you are a Star Wars buff then you’ll know that Luke Skywalker was hiding out on the exotic Irish island of Ahch-To.
The real name of the island is Skellig Michael and it is a fantastic place to visit in Ireland. The island itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the ancient Gaelic Christian monastery that exists there. There are still a number of the original beehive shaped buildings that the monks used to live on the island and it is famous for its steep steps and sheer cliffs… Not for the faint-hearted. The island is extremely remote and 7 miles away from the Irish coast in the county of Kerry.
Since the movie’s release, it has become more and more popular among tourists and there is a long waiting list to go and visit them.
Are you planning your next Irish holiday? Discover the very best of Ireland’s attractions on a Wild Rover day trip from Dublin.
