Free Things to Do in Ireland

A 250 km² limestone karst landscape where arctic, alpine and Mediterranean plants grow side by side — unlike anywhere else in Europe.

Wild bogland, mountains and Atlantic coastline across 2,957 hectares — the heart of Connemara, with Diamond Hill as the main hike.

Ireland's largest island — reached by bridge from Westport — with horseshoe-shaped Keem Bay tucked beneath towering cliffs, a 5 km Blue Flag beach at Keel and the ghost village of Slievemore on the mountainside.

A wild Atlantic headland with a sea stack (Dún Briste) that separated from the cliff in 1393 — one of Mayo's most dramatic coastal stops.

Sea cliffs rising to 601 metres — nearly three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher — on the southwest Donegal coast.

A Victorian castle on the shore of a remote mountain lough, surrounded by 16,000 hectares of Donegal wilderness — the walled gardens have rhododendron walks and the herd of red deer is one of Ireland's largest.

Ireland's most northerly point — a windswept Donegal headland with a Napoleonic signal tower, sea stacks called the Devil's Bridge and Hell's Hole, and the raw North Atlantic weather that puts Malin in the shipping forecast.

Ireland's most famous scenic drive — 179km around the Iveragh Peninsula with mountain passes, glacier-carved lakes and views of Skellig Michael. Drive anti-clockwise to avoid the tour buses.

26,000 acres of ancient oak woods, three glacial lakes and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks on the doorstep. Jaunting cars, boat trips, Ross Castle and Muckross House — the most varied national park in Ireland.

A narrow glacial pass through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks — 11 km of mountain valley with five small lakes, taken on foot, by bike or by jaunting car.

A rugged Atlantic peninsula with early Christian monuments, Slea Head's views over the Blasket Islands, and the town of Dingle as a base.

St Kevin's sixth-century monastery in a glacial Wicklow valley — a round tower, roofless cathedral and two mountain lakes, 50km from Dublin. Go on a weekday to beat the coach tours.

A rocky peninsula 15 km from Dublin — the cliff walk from Howth village to the East Pier takes 90 minutes with open sea on three sides. Stay for fish and seafood straight off the trawlers at the harbour.

Granite mountains, blanket bog and glacial valleys beginning 20 km from Dublin — the Wicklow Way long-distance walk passes through the heart of the park, and the Sally Gap road is one of Ireland's finest upland drives.

The ancient ceremonial and political seat of the High Kings of Ireland — a low hill above the Meath plain with earthworks spanning 5,000 years.

A 5-kilometre sand spit pushing into Dingle Bay — one of the longest beaches in Ireland, with excellent surf and a legendary pub at the entrance.

A small harbour town widely considered to have the best restaurant scene outside Dublin — surrounded by 17th-century fortifications and a beautiful estuary.

A 526-metre flat-topped mountain above Sligo Bay — W.B. Yeats country, with the poet buried in its shadow at Drumcliffe churchyard.

Ireland's holiest mountain — St Patrick fasted on its summit for 40 days in 441 AD; 25,000 pilgrims climb it on the last Sunday of July each year.

A working lighthouse on a Donegal headland between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay, guiding ships since 1817. The surrounding coastline has sea caves accessible at low tide and views south over Portsalon's Blue Flag beach.

An Iron Age stone ringfort on a hilltop above Lough Swilly — seat of the O'Neill kings and one of the best-preserved hill forts in Ireland.

Ireland's west coast city — a medieval walled town with a surviving Latin Quarter, traditional music in almost every pub, and the Claddagh fishing village at its edge.

The only completely walled city in Ireland — a 1.5 km circuit of 17th-century walls enclosing the historic core of Derry/Londonderry, with the Bogside murals visible below.

An 18th-century avenue of intertwined beech trees on Bregagh Road, Armoy — one of the most photographed landscapes in Ireland since its use as the King's Road in Game of Thrones.

Cork's covered food market trading since 1788 — butchers, fishmongers, artisan producers and the famous tripe stall under a Victorian iron roof in the heart of the city.

Ireland's most picturesque estate village — a street of thatched cottages, medieval abbeys and the grounds of the Adare Manor estate. Frequently photographed and deservedly so; easy 90-minute stop from Shannon.

An intact dry-stone Early Christian church on the Dingle Peninsula — a small corbelled oratory built without mortar between the 6th and 9th centuries that has remained waterproof for over 1,000 years.

The highest mountain pass in Ireland at 456 m, crossing the spine of the Dingle Peninsula with panoramic views north to the Castlegregory lakes and south over Dingle town and harbour.

Europe's largest enclosed urban park — 1,750 acres of woodland, open grassland and a resident herd of 600 wild fallow deer, with the Irish President's residence, the US Ambassador's home and the Dublin Zoo all within the walls.

One of the great small museums in Europe — a mining millionaire's extraordinary collection of manuscripts, prints, scrolls and religious objects from Islamic, East Asian and European traditions, housed in Dublin Castle. Free entry.

A 327 m hill above Sligo Bay topped by a massive Neolithic passage tomb — Queen Maeve's Cairn is visible from most of the northwest and the 45-minute ascent gives views over Strandhill beach, Sligo Bay and Benbulben.

A 5th-century monastic settlement in County Louth with two of the finest high crosses in Ireland — Muiredach's Cross is considered the greatest example of Celtic high cross carving, with 50 biblical scenes carved in full relief.

An 18th-century domed library perched on a 120-metre cliff above the North Antrim coast — built by Frederick Harvey, Bishop of Derry, who reportedly allowed local Catholics to use the library for Mass. One of Ireland's most dramatically sited structures.

A dramatic Atlantic headland overlooking a perfect horseshoe harbour, with Classiebawn Castle (former home of Lord Mountbatten) rising above the beach. On big winter swells, Mullaghmore becomes one of the world's premier big-wave surf spots.

A 15-metre waterfall tumbling into a wooded ravine on the Sligo–Leitrim border — the waterfall immortalised by W.B. Yeats in "The Stolen Child". Free to visit, with a short walk through old woodland from the car park.

A 300-metre mountain pass cutting through the Slieve Tooey range between Ardara and Glencolmcille — one of the most dramatic and least-visited scenic drives in Ireland. The road descends in a series of switchbacks into the valley with views that open suddenly at the top.

A quartzite headland rising to 180 metres above the Atlantic on the northwest Donegal coast, with views from Malin Head to Slieve League on clear days. The cliff drive around the head is one of the finest 10 km circuits in Ireland.

A 13 km loop from Clifden along a narrow cliff-edge road above the Atlantic — arguably the finest short scenic drive in Connemara. The views take in the Twelve Bens, Clifden Bay, and the outline of Turbot Island on the horizon.

Two back-to-back curved beaches south of Roundstone forming a tombolo — a sliver of land with Atlantic on both sides. Dog's Bay is composed of foraminifera shell rather than quartz sand, giving it a unique white colour. Free to visit, rarely crowded outside July/August.

A 5,500-year-old portal tomb standing in the open limestone of the Burren — one of the most iconic prehistoric images in Ireland. Free to visit, accessed by a short walk from the road through the limestone pavement. The remains of at least 33 people were found here.

The highest mountain range in Northern Ireland — 12 peaks over 600 metres, dominated by Slieve Donard at 850m. C.S. Lewis grew up looking at the Mournes from Belfast and said they 'swept down to the sea'; the walk from Newcastle beach to the summit is one of the finest in Ulster.

The 'Stairway to Heaven' — a 7.5 km boardwalk trail up Cuilcagh Mountain through blanket bog and cloud, with a raised walkway on the upper section that gives access to the summit plateau in all weathers. One of the most distinctive walking experiences in Ireland.

A 7 km cliff-edge loop at the northernmost tip of the Mullet Peninsula — one of the most remote headlands in Ireland, with views north to Donegal and west toward Iceland on clear days. No entry fee, no facilities, just raw Atlantic edge.

Ireland's national museum of rural life — free entry, housed in a striking modern building within the Victorian grounds of Turlough Park outside Castlebar. Covers 150 years of Irish country living from 1850 to 2000, with exceptional textile, tool and craft collections.

A free man-made tidal sea-water pool on Blacksod Bay at Belmullet, built in 1984 by the women of the local swimming club — a beloved year-round swimming spot at the gateway to the Mullet Peninsula.