Regional Ireland

Apart from Dublin, Birmingham International Airport offers flights to no fewer than four regional airports across the Republic, making it even more quick and convenient to get out there and start enjoying the real Ireland.

There’s much more to see and enjoy in Ireland than its capital, in fact some would say that to see the true character of the country you need to go anywhere but Dublin. From stirring coastlines to roaring nightlife, ancient heritage to modern luxury, the Irish regions are close enough to home to make a short hop over, but far enough away to feel like you’ve really visited a foreign land with a distinct culture. Getting out into those regions couldn’t be easier, thanks to the excellent network of airports that covers the country.

North West - Knock Airport: Knock is perfect for visiting Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo, the five counties that make up the smallest and most sparsely populated of Ireland’s four traditional provinces, Connacht, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the banks of the Shannon River. The western coastline, battered into shape by the fierce Atlantic storms, is an intricate puzzle of soaring rock faces, secluded coves and easy beaches, while inland the terrain varies across the counties, from heroic and mountainous, to barren and boggy, to cultivated and idyllic.

Mayo is land of beguiling beauty, from the low-lying eastern flats, to a jagged Atlantic coast in the west, while the mountainous south is in sharp contrast to the boggy north. Aside from the stirring scenery, the County has plenty of sites of interest for visitors.

Close to the airport is the Knock Marian Shrine and Pilgrimage Centre, where Mary is said to have appeared over a century and half ago – the shrine was the inspiration for Knock Airport, providing access for the faithful.

Westport, on Clew Bay, is the largest coastal settlement in the county. Close to many excellent beaches, it’s an ideal base for water sports fans, with sailing activities on offer. Traditional arts and crafts are an important part of the town’s life, celebrated in a festival each September, ideal for finding locally produced pottery and knitwear.

Galway City, on the River Corrib, evolved from an Anglo-Norman settlement made prosperous through seaborne trade with France and Spain. Spanish influence can be clearly seen in the architecture of the time, such as the Spanish Arch of 1584.

Modern Galway City is a thriving university town, with a high tech economy. The city shares the rest of the nation’s love of the arts, expressed through theatre, museums and churches. Music is never very far away, from streets buskers to impromptu bands striking up in the numerous pubs.

The Galway Irish Crystal Heritage Centre is just five minutes from the city centre. In its Hall of Tribes you can discover more about the merchants, seafarers, and artists of the original 14 tribes of Galway, as well as the story of local glasswork, including seeing craftspeople demonstrating their skills.

The western areas of County Galway are ‘An Ghaeltacht’, which means that the first language spoken is Irish, a direct connection to the pre-invasion culture. The west of the county is also home to untamed splendour of the Connemara region, between the Atlantic on the West and Lough Corrib to the east. The scenery is dominated by the Twelve Bens chain of mountains, offering excellent high level walking for the experienced, rewarding their efforts with breathtaking views over lakes, bogs and coastline.

Connemara National Park covers some 2,000 hectares of stirring scenery, centred on Glanmore (large glen). Ten thousand years of history are laid out for inspection at the Park’s visitor centre, including 3D models and displays explaining the land and heritage of the area. Evidence of ancient human habitation can be seen throughout the park, from 4,000-year-old Stone Age tombs, to ruined dwellings of the relatively recent past.

County Sligo also provides some wonderful scenery, such as the loaf-shaped limestone plateau that makes up Benbulben Mountain, along with numerous lakes and intricate coastal inlets. To the West of the county, Inniscrone offers visitors saltwater and other therapeutic baths, including the popular seaweed treatment, thought to be good for arthritis and rheumatism. With joints soothed, visitors are ready to enjoy some of the many restaurants and pubs that provide live traditional music.

One of Ireland’s finest castles – Markree – can be found in Collooney. Surrounded by gorgeous tended gardens and wild woodland, it has stayed in the hands of the same family for over 350 years.

South West - Shannon Airport: Shannon, named after the river whose estuary it sits beside, is the gateway to Ireland’s wide west, a land of soaring cliffs, big skies and an even bigger welcome. Positioned between Ennis in County Clare and Limerick in County Limerick, it’s equally well placed for enjoying town and country.

Clare’s Cliffs of Moher are one the most impressive sights that the country has to offer, drawing almost a million visitors a year. Rising over 200m from the churning Atlantic below, it’s not one for vertigo sufferers, but is sure to quicken the pulse of anyone who likes their scenery on the grand scale.

The site has been developed to provide visitors with a breathtaking experience of the natural spectacle, without overly intrusive man-made features. Sustaining this carefully balanced approach, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience is carved out of a hillside approaching the site, blending unobtrusively into the surrounding countryside. The centre features an array of interactive displays, exploring the geological forces that fashioned the Cliffs, how the action of wind and wave have wrought them into their current dramatic shape and the creatures of fin and feather that thrive in this seemingly harsh arena. An IMAX multimedia show transports visitors aloft for a bird's eye look over the cliffs, as well as plunging into the submerged caves beneath the cliffs. At only €8.00 per car, irrespective of how many people it contains, it’s a tiny price for a memorable day out.

The city of Limerick is the third largest in country, the biggest seaport in the west and a hive of fascinating heritage and lively entertainment. With its position between the wider world and Ireland’s longest river, the Shannon, the city has a long history as a staging point for pilgrims, adventurers and scoundrels, travelling the watery artery that stretches for over 200 miles into the country’s green heartland. The city wears its history like a string of medals, with architecture dating from the medieval to the modern lining its streets.

King Johns Castle, with its towers still standing sentinel over the river, dating back more than 800 years is one of the defining landmarks at the heart of the city and welcomes visitors to patrol its thick walls all year round. Nearby St Marys Cathedral is even more ancient and, despite being a place of worship, also wears signs of the city’s militaristic past: legend has it that defenders of the Limerick would sharpen their weapons on the stones around the west door, the signs of which can still be seen today.

Forward to the 18th century and the city enjoyed a period of prosperity thanks to its position on the Atlantic, reflected in grand sweeps of elegant Georgian town houses.

As you’d expect from any town in Ireland, the nightlife is excellent, with plenty of pubs and clubs to keep you warm whatever the weather. As a major city there’s a choice of experiences, from cosy and traditional to modern and continental. Traditional Irish music can be heard at Dolans Warehouse, a big name on the national circuit.

South Coast – Cork Airport: County Cork, the largest and most southerly in the Republic, is possibly the geographically most interesting and varied, while its capital city namesake is the nation’s second city, built on an island in the River Lee.

From the dramatic coastline of western Cork, to the tranquil fishing banks of the north, or the rich agricultural land of the east, the county has almost enough landscape for a whole country. And there’s variety in the settlements too, from cosmopolitan Cork City – as much a part of Europe as any continental town – to the numerous villages that punctuate the green with splashes of colour.

Western Cork is a well-established tourist destination and favoured as the location for second homes for people from across Europe. It won’t take you long to work out why; while perhaps not as wild or dramatic as the coastlines of Kerry or Donegal, the west of Cork is softer and more rounded – somewhere you’d want to stay and enjoy all the time, rather than visit once. Its intricate meander of coves and bays offer shelter for charming fishing villages, seemingly constructed with an eye on making a good shot for a postcard.

There’s plenty of accommodation to choose from, whether you prefer lonely cottages with little but the seagulls for company, or something close to the heart of traditional small town Irish life.

Kinsale, around 25km to the south of Cork City, is one of the most popular destinations. Located at the mouth of the Bandon River, it offers all the diversions you’d hope for in a resort town – both indoors and out. You can spend your days yachting, sea angling, playing a round, or simply walking the bracing coastline, then taking advantage of its excellent pubs and restaurants in the evening – the town is home to an annual gourmet festival, held in October.

Inland, set in beautiful wooded countryside, some 8km north west of Cork City lies the village of Blarney, its castle and the famous Blarney Stone, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year. Legend has it that whoever kisses the Blarney Stone will be granted boundless eloquence, or ‘the gift of the gab’ as it’s known. Kissing the Stone is no easy feat, located as it is, high up on the battlements of the Castle. To reach the stone, the visitor must lean over backwards, on the edge of the parapet, usually with the help of an assistant. Although now equipped with metal handrails to ease the process, it’s still quite hair-raising.

South East – Waterford Airport: Waterford, the neighbouring County of Wexford and the whole of South Eastern Ireland, perhaps less travelled than their cousins to the west, provide a more sheltered and relaxing setting for a visit than the more fierce scenery further towards the Atlantic.

Waterford, renowned worldwide for its exquisite crystal, has more to offer than just cut glass. Its position on Ireland’s sunny south east coast makes for calm beaches with clear pristine sea and spectacular surroundings. The coastline hosts beautiful towns and villages waiting to be discovered.

Cappoquin in West Waterford, is a sleepy market town at the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains and the mouth of River Blackwater. Surrounded by lush woodland, the town is an ideal spot to relax at a slower pace of life, or get out for a country amble, particularly along the Blackwater Valley towards Fermoy in Co. Cork. The town is also a great base for anglers, whether game or coarse, with brown trout, salmon and tench all waiting to be lured.

In a relaxed country like Ireland, it takes something to have a reputation for being laid back – which must make Wexford one of the most soothing places to visit. From the basking beaches and secluded coastal villages of Courtown, Curracloe and Duncannon, to the serene beauty of the John F Kennedy Arboretum, there’s nothing hurried about the County.

Home to the Republic’s longest beach, the 27km stretch from Kilmuckridge to Wexford harbour, its easy to see why the county is a favourite holiday destination for the people of Ireland.

The Irish National Heritage Park is another national draw. Spread over 35 acres, the attraction displays 9,000 years of human settlement in Ireland, through an impressive array of artefacts, replica buildings and authentic archaeological artefacts.