DUBLIN

The halcyon days of the Celtic Tiger (the Irish economic boom of the late 1990s, when cash cascaded like a free-flowing waterfall), might have long since disappeared, but Dubliners still know how to enjoy life. They do so through their music, art and literature – things though often take for granted but, once reminded, generate immense pride. Dublin offers world-class museums, superb restaurants and the best range of entertainment available anywhere in Ireland – and that's not including the pub, the ubiquitous centre of the city's social life and an absolute must for any visitor. Should you wish to get away from it all, the city has a handful of seaside towns at its edges that make for wonderful day trips. If you’re planning some heavy-duty sightseeing, you’ll save a packet by investing in the Dublin Pass which provides free entry to more than 30 attractions, including the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol - as well as free transfer to and from the airport on the Aircoach.

 

Dublin is not a cheap city, but luckily there are plenty of attractions that won’t break your budget.

• Trinity College - Wander the grounds at Dublin’s oldest and most beautiful university. (Free)

• National Museum of Archaeology - Discover the world’s finest collection of prehistoric gold artefacts. (Free)

• Chester Beatty Library - Explore the library with its collection of oriental and religious art. (Free)

• National Gallery - Gaze at Irish and European paintings. (Free)

• St Stephen’s Green - Laze at the city’s most picturesque public park.

 

KILKENNY

Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh) is the Ireland of most visitors to Ireland's imaginations. Its majestic riverside castle, a tangle of 17th-century passageways, rows of colourful, old-fashioned shopfronts and centuries-old pubs with traditional live music all have a timeless appeal, as does its splendid medieval cathedral. But Kilkenny is also famed for its contemporary restaurants and rich cultural life.

Rising above the River Nore, Kilkenny Castle is one of Ireland's most visited heritage sites. Stronghold of the powerful Butler family, it has a history dating back to the 12th century, though much of its present look dates from Victorian times.

 

CORK

Ireland's second city is first in every important respect, at least according to the locals, who cheerfully refer to it as the 'real capital of Ireland'. The compact city centre is surrounded by interesting waterways and is chock full of great restaurants fed by arguably the best foodie scene in the country. It's a liberal, youthful and cosmopolitan place that was badly hit by economic recession but is now busily reinventing itself with spruced-up streets, revitalised stretches of waterfront, and – seemingly – an artisan coffee bar on every corner. There's a bit of a hipster scene, but the best of the city is still happily traditional – snug pubs with live-music sessions, restaurants dishing up top-quality local produce, and a genuinely proud welcome from the locals.

 

KILLARNEY

Killarney is a well-oiled tourism machine set in a sublime landscape of lakes, forests and 1000m peaks. Its manufactured prowess is renowned, the streets filled with tour-bus visitors shopping for soft-toy shamrocks and countless placards pointing to trad-music sessions. However, it has many charms beyond its proximity to lakes, waterfalls and woodland spreading beneath a skyline of 1000m-plus peaks. In a town that's been practising the tourism game for more than 250 years, competition keeps standards high, and visitors on all budgets can expect to find superb restaurants, great pubs and good accommodation.

 

The Ring of Kerry, a 179km circuit around the dramatic coastal scenery of the Iveragh Peninsula (pronounced eev-raa), is one of Ireland’s premier tourist attractions. Most travellers tackle the Ring by bus on guided day trips from Killarney, but you could spend days wandering here.

 

GALWAY

Arty and bohemian, Galway is legendary around the world for its entertainment scene. Students make up a quarter of the city's population and brightly painted pubs heave with live music on any given night. Here, street life is more important than sightseeing – cafes spill out onto cobblestone streets filled with a frenzy of fiddles, banjos, guitars and bodhráns (hand-held goatskin drums), while jugglers, painters, puppeteers and magicians in outlandish masks enchant passers-by.

 

Star of a million tourist brochures, the Cliffs of Moher is one of the most popular sights in Ireland. But like many an ageing star, you have to look beyond the famous facade to appreciate its inherent attributes. In summer the site is overrun with day-trippers, but there are good rewards if you're willing to walk along the clifftops for 10 minutes to escape the crowds. The landscaped Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre has exhibitions about the cliffs and their natural history. A number of bus tours leave Galway every morning for the Cliffs of Moher, including Burren Wild Tours.

 

ARAN ISLANDS

The windswept Aran Islands are one of western Ireland's major attractions. As well as their rugged beauty – they are an extension of The Burren's limestone plateau – the Irish-speaking islands have some of the country's oldest Christian and pre-Christian ruins.

There are three main islands in the group, all inhabited year-round. Most visitors head for the long and narrow (14.5km by a maximum 4km) Inishmór (or Inishmore). The land slopes up from the relatively sheltered northern shores and plummets on the southern side into the raging Atlantic. Inishmaan and Inisheer are much smaller and receive far fewer visitors.

 

NORTHERN IRELAND

Dragged down for decades by the violence and uncertainty of the Troubles, Northern Ireland today is a nation rejuvenated. Belfast has become a happening place with a famously vibey nightlife and the stunning Causeway Coast gets more and more visitors each year.

 

BELFAST

Once part of a list of cities to avoid at all costs, Belfast has pulled off a remarkable transformation from bombs-and-bullets pariah to hip-hotels-and-hedonism party town. The city centre is compact with the imposing City Hall in Donegall Sq the central landmark. The old shipyards on the Lagan continue to give way to the luxury apartments of the Titanic Quarter, whose centrepiece is the stunning, star-shaped Titanic Belfast centre, the city's number-one tourist draw. The Belfast Visitor Pass (1, 3 or 3 day) allows unlimited travel on bus and train services in Belfast and around, and discounts on admission to Titanic Belfast and other attractions.

 

CAUSEWAY COAST

Ireland isn't short of scenic coastlines, but the Causeway Coast between Portstewart and Ballycastle (and the Antrim Coast between Ballycastle and Belfast), are as magnificent as they come. The spectacular Giant's Causeway rock formation – Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage site – is one of Ireland's most impressive and atmospheric landscape features, a vast expanse of regular, closely packed, hexagonal stone columns looking for all the world like the handiwork of giants.

 

DERRY / LONDONDERRY

Northern Ireland’s second city will come as a pleasant surprise to many visitors. Not only was the city centre given a handsome makeover pre-2013 - now sporting the new Peace Bridge, Ebrington Square, a redevelopment of the Waterfront and Guildhall area making the most of the city’s riverside setting - the city’s lively pubs are home to a burgeoning live-music scene. But perhaps the biggest attraction is the people themselves: warm, witty and welcoming.