Ireland is a country where landscape and story are inseparable. The same green hills that roll down to the Atlantic coast have been the stage for millennia of mythology, invasion, famine, literary genius, and eventual hard-won independence. It is a small island that has had an outsized impact on the world — through its diaspora, its language, its music, and its extraordinary literary tradition.
The Wild Atlantic Way, stretching over 2,500 kilometers along Ireland's western coast, is one of the world's great coastal drives. The Cliffs of Moher, rising 214 meters from the Atlantic on the Clare coast, are the most visited natural attraction in Ireland. The Aran Islands offer even more dramatic cliff scenery and a living Gaelic culture on their windswept limestone plateaus.
Connemara, in County Galway, is Ireland at its most elemental — bogs, mountains, lakes, and a coastline of bays and islands. Kylemore Abbey, a Victorian Gothic mansion reflected in its lake, is one of the country's most photographed spots.
Dublin, the capital, is compact and deeply literary. The Book of Kells in Trinity College Library, a 9th-century illuminated manuscript of staggering beauty, draws visitors from across the world. Temple Bar's pubs pour Guinness with ceremony, and traditional music sessions happen nightly across the city.
Irish food has improved beyond recognition in recent decades. Atlantic seafood — oysters from Galway Bay, smoked salmon, crab claws — artisan cheeses, and the brown bread and butter found on every table represent an honest and delicious cuisine.
Summer offers the longest days and the most reliable weather, though Ireland is beautiful in every season.
