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• Visit Trinity College (website: www.tcd.ie), an oasis of Elizabethan elegance in the heart of Dublin and home to the world-famous Book of Kells. It is also the alma mater of such notables as Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker and Samuel Beckett.
• Wonder at the breathtakingly beautiful rare books and artefacts of the Chester Beatty Library (website: www.cbl.ie) in Dublin, whose collection include some of the most outstanding examples of decorated Qu'rans in the world as well as one of the world's oldest biblical fragments.
• Visit the Guinness Storehouse (website: www.guinness-storehouse.com), part of the world-renowned brewery and Dublin's most visited attraction. Uncover the history of the famous beer and finish off your tour with a delicious pint in the rooftop Gravity Bar.
• Get to grips with the hard edge of Irish history with a visit to Kilmainham Gaol, where most of the rebels against British rule were incarcerated and where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed.
• Explore the Neolithic burial sites of Brú na Bóinne (website: www.heritageireland.ie), west of Drogheda in Counties Louth and Meath, which predate the pyramids. Among these, Newgrange is western Europe's most outstanding chambered tomb, built around 5,000 years ago.
• Admire the stunning western wilderness of Connemara, including Ireland's only fjord at Killary Harbour and the network of scenic roads and trails through the Twelve Bens, the mountain range that runs through the heart of the region.
• Tap your feet and lose yourself in the traditional music bars of County Clare: Kilfenora, Lisdoonvarna and Corrofin are full of superb pubs where you'll hear Irish music the way it was meant to be heard.
• Clamber about the 2,000 stone forts that litter the landscape of County Clare, a county that would be virtually unknown were it not for The Burren (website: www.burrenbeo.com), a beautiful limestone landscape overlooking Galway Bay and formed around an ancient barony of that name.
• Look into Ireland's rich collection of medieval castles, some of which are popular tourist attractions (Blarney in County Cork; website: www.blarneycastle.ie) while others operate as luxury hotels, such as Dromoland in County Clare (website: www.dromoland.ie), and Ashford in County Galway (website: www.ashford.ie).
• Visit the medieval city of Kilkenny, whose fabulous pubs and overflowing nightlife are best enjoyed during one of the yearly festivals, which include the superb Cat Laughs (website: www.thecatlaughs.com) comedy festival and the Kilkenny Arts Festival (website: www.kilkennyarts.ie).
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
• Wonder at the breathtakingly beautiful rare books and artefacts of the Chester Beatty Library (website: www.cbl.ie) in Dublin, whose collection include some of the most outstanding examples of decorated Qu'rans in the world as well as one of the world's oldest biblical fragments.
• Visit the Guinness Storehouse (website: www.guinness-storehouse.com), part of the world-renowned brewery and Dublin's most visited attraction. Uncover the history of the famous beer and finish off your tour with a delicious pint in the rooftop Gravity Bar.
• Get to grips with the hard edge of Irish history with a visit to Kilmainham Gaol, where most of the rebels against British rule were incarcerated and where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed.
• Explore the Neolithic burial sites of Brú na Bóinne (website: www.heritageireland.ie), west of Drogheda in Counties Louth and Meath, which predate the pyramids. Among these, Newgrange is western Europe's most outstanding chambered tomb, built around 5,000 years ago.
• Admire the stunning western wilderness of Connemara, including Ireland's only fjord at Killary Harbour and the network of scenic roads and trails through the Twelve Bens, the mountain range that runs through the heart of the region.
• Tap your feet and lose yourself in the traditional music bars of County Clare: Kilfenora, Lisdoonvarna and Corrofin are full of superb pubs where you'll hear Irish music the way it was meant to be heard.
• Clamber about the 2,000 stone forts that litter the landscape of County Clare, a county that would be virtually unknown were it not for The Burren (website: www.burrenbeo.com), a beautiful limestone landscape overlooking Galway Bay and formed around an ancient barony of that name.
• Look into Ireland's rich collection of medieval castles, some of which are popular tourist attractions (Blarney in County Cork; website: www.blarneycastle.ie) while others operate as luxury hotels, such as Dromoland in County Clare (website: www.dromoland.ie), and Ashford in County Galway (website: www.ashford.ie).
• Visit the medieval city of Kilkenny, whose fabulous pubs and overflowing nightlife are best enjoyed during one of the yearly festivals, which include the superb Cat Laughs (website: www.thecatlaughs.com) comedy festival and the Kilkenny Arts Festival (website: www.kilkennyarts.ie).
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.