This is a selection of personal preferences on places to see, stay and eat in the south of Ireland, particularly focused on Counties Cork and Kerry. However, since everyone asks about Dublin, I’ve included a section on Ireland’s capital at the end of this guide. Wherever you choose to go in my native land, I hope you have a good time!
Cork City is good for walkers but challenging for drivers. I recommend allowing plenty of time if you must travel through the city by car, especially during rush hour. The center of the city is an island (in a river) and there is a confusing network of bridges and one-way streets to navigate. Parking on the street is a challenge so I recommend pay-by-the-hour car parks. Be aware that the parking spaces are tight. Check for a vending machine to validate your ticket before you exit. If seeking a particular location, stop and ask for directions. Pay no attention to street numbers as they are generally not sequential or particularly helpful.
If you plan to stay in the city center, your guidebook will give you many options. A good basic hotel is Jury’s Cork Inn (www.jurysdoyle.com 021/427-6444) which is within walking distance of the city center.
Cork City has a number of good restaurants, but not many serve breakfast. Lunch is excellent at the Farmgate Café in the English Market off Prince’s Street. The English Market is worth a visit just to see its extraordinary array of fresh foods and produce, particularly Frank Hederman’s terrific smoked salmon www.frankhederman.com. Cafe Paradiso is an excellent organic vegetarian restaurant on Washington Street. www.cafeparadiso.ie.
At night, (or during the day if you’re thirsty!) the city center has numerous good pubs. On Winthrop Street you’ll find The Long Valley with its famous “Doorstop” sandwiches. Nearby, traditional Irish music can likely be found at An Bodhran on St. Oliver Plunkett Street.
For a panoramic view of the city, go to the top of St. Patrick’s Hill. A visit to St. Anne’s Church in Shandon will allow you to ring the city’s most famous bells and the nearby Firkin Crane Center will give you an insight into the city’s commercial past as a premier exporter of butter and agricultural goods. My alma mater, University College Cork, is a fine example of 19th-century architecture, reminiscent of colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. https://www.ucc.ie/en/
Traveling east from Cork you’ll find the town of Midleton. This is the home of Irish Distillers, makers of Jameson, Power, Paddy and Bushmills whiskey. A tour of the Jameson Heritage Center is very worthwhile (www.whiskeytown.ie). (Be sure to raise your hand during the tour when they ask for volunteers – this is the key to free whiskey and a certificate attesting to your certified whiskey-tasting status.) The nearby Farmgate Café has excellent lunch and dinner fare.
Travel on from Midleton to Ballymaloe House www.ballymaloe.ie. This traditional Irish country farmhouse is home to a cooking school and two excellent restaurants. Bed and breakfast is available and they also have a gift shop selling Irish crafts. If you drive a few miles beyond Ballymaloe toward the coast, you will find the Stephen Pearce Pottery Center, selling an interesting line of handmade Irish pottery. Travel from there to the fishing village of Ballycotton, which is very picturesque and boasts an impressive lighthouse on a small island about half a mile from the shore.
Another destination near Cork is the town of Cobh, which has undergone a renaissance in recent times. You can travel by land by exiting the Cork-Midleton road, or by car ferry (much more fun) from Passage West. Cobh was the departure point for many Irish emigrants and was the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic. There is a restaurant by that name in the town. The nearby Heritage Center has an excellent interactive exhibit of the great famine and subsequent mass emigration from 19th Century Ireland www.cobhheritage.comhttp://www.cobhheritage.com).
Further to the east is the town of Youghal (where the movie “Moby Dick” was filmed) and the seaside town of Ardmore. Ardmore is just inside the County Waterford border and is the Hassett family’s ancestral home. There’s no actual home left to see, but Ardmore does have a wellpreserved round tower from an early monastic settlement there. A little further to the east is Dungarvan, which is home to the Tannery House restaurant (www.tannery.ie).
At the southern edge of Cork Harbor you’ll find the village of Crosshaven. This is a boating mecca for local sailors and is home to the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the world’s oldest, established in 1720. The outstanding local pub is Cronin’s, which also serves lunch and dinner. The nearby River’s End Café serves great food – try the pancakes!
Further along the south coast is Kinsale, an historic and remarkably picturesque town situated on a fine natural harbor. Kinsale is best explored on foot (summertime parking is a nightmare). Best parking near the town center is at the “pay-as-go” car park. The Blue Haven is an excellent spot for lunch or dinner and also offers bed and breakfast. The town has numerous good pubs and restaurants. Try Fishy Fishy for lunch and Finn’s Table for dinner. The Spaniard, about 10 minutes’ walk from the town center, has a very traditional Irish-pub feel, often with live music. Nearby Charles Fort is a well-preserved fort constructed during England’s long reign over Ireland.
Travel inland toward Macroom and you’ll want to divert to Gougane Barra, the location of a monastic settlement founded by St. Finbarr (patron saint of Cork) in the 6th century. There you’ll find a very pretty church built on an island in a lake, as well as a neighboring hotel and restaurant. http://www.gouganebarra.com/ It’s an awe-inspiring spot that lends itself to peaceful meditation and relaxation. If you want a more active experience, you can go for a brisk hike in the adjacent Gougane Barra Forest Park.
Travel along the coast (if you have time) through Timoleague to Clonakilty, an attractive country town that was once a thriving port. The Sugan is a good pub/restaurant serving lunch and dinner. One of the best pubs in town is DeBarra’s, which often has live music. Outside Clonakilty, the Lodge and Spa at Inchadoney Island sits high on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The Spa has a variety of treatments and includes access to a heated saltwater pool
(www.inchadoneyisland.com).
Drive from Clonakilty through Skibbereen and on to the ancient fishing port of Baltimore. This village is the historic seat of the O’Driscoll Clan and is notable for having been raided by the Moors in 1631. Hence the name of one of the town’s better pubs, The Algiers. Bushes’ Bar is where seafarers of all stripes tend to congregate. The Baltimore Bay Guest House provides very good accommodations and dinner next door at Chez Youen (same owner, Youen Jacob) is top class.
If you have time, divert from the main Skibbereen-Baltimore road and visit picturesque Castletownsend (home of the authors Sommerville and Ross) and the villages of Glandore and Union Hall, the setting for the recent TV series Bodkin https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21072112/.
You can take a passenger ferry from Baltimore to Cape Clear Island, one of the few remaining inhabited Gaelic speaking islands off the Irish coast. If you want to spend any time on the island, it’s important to catch the earliest ferry. The ferry times are usually posted in Bushes’ Bar. Cape Clear is an excellent island for walking and hiking. You can also take a guided mini-bus tour if your legs aren’t up to the somewhat steep grades found on this hilly island.
Further along the coast is the village of Schull. The Schull Harbor Hotel is convenient and comfortable. https://www.schullharbourhotel.ie/ It also boasts a swimming pool. For a quiet pint, check out Tommy Newman’s pub (a favorite of my late father’s) and stroll down the hill to grab a bite to eat at the French-owned (but not fancy) L’Escale Fish & Chips. For a fine dining experience, make a reservation at Blairscove, about 20 minutes from Schull in Durrus, where you can also stay overnight. https://blairscove.ie/ Travel from Schull to the town of Crookhaven; nearby Mizzen Head is Ireland’s southernmost point. There you will find a well-preserved lighthouse and museum chronicling the history of Irish lighthouse keepers.
Make your way back up the peninsula to the town of Bantry and to pretty Glengariff. If you are interested in gardening and horticulture, you can take a short boat ride to Garnish Island, an Italianite garden stocked with tropical flowers and shrubs. Even though Southern Ireland is at latitude 53 degrees north, the warm waters of the Gulf Stream ensure that it rarely, if ever, freezes at sea level in these parts.
If you head onward from Bantry to Kenmare, you will join the “Ring of Kerry.” This is a beautiful drive, although very busy in the tourist season. Drive from Kenmare to Cathardaniel and stop at Derrynane National Park to get a sense of Irish history by visiting the former home of Daniel O’Connell, a politician known as “the Liberator,” who played an important role in developing the ideas essential to Ireland’s independence movement in the 19th century. Further west, you will encounter Waterville, home to one of the country’s great golf courses.
If you have a day to spare and want an otherworldly experience, you’ll enjoy a visit to Skellig Michael (Michael’s Rock), an ancient monastic settlement on a rocky outcrop several miles off the coast. Fans of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will recognize the island as the setting for the film’s closing scene. Access to the island is limited and you must take a boat from Port McGee on the mainland. Information on bookings can be had at the Moorings Bar, which has an adjacent guest house. It’s a good idea to book your ferry ride online well in advance. The better boats are bigger and built of fiberglass but bear in mind that travel is weather dependent.
The scenery around Killarney is wonderful, but I don’t recommend the town as a destination unless you have a real desire to experience tourist Ireland. Instead, leave the Ring of Kerry at Killorglin and head for Dingle. This wild rugged peninsula has some of Ireland’s best scenery and should be savored slowly, with frequent stops to give right-of-way to the western hemisphere’s least-domesticated sheep population.
Dingle Town has many choices for accommodation. The Skellig Hotel is clean and modern and good for families. Greenmount House is an outstanding bed-and-breakfast location within walking distance of the town www.greenmounthouse.ie. All the local pubs are good, with O’Flaherty’s notable for its traditional music sessions.
Galway is a charming city on Ireland’s west coast. Small enough to walk comfortably around the city center but large enough to provide variety. Here are some quick recommendations:
Best bookstores:
Kenney’s https://www.kennys.ie/
Charlie Byrne’s http://charliebyrne.com/
Great pubs:
The Quays http://www.louisfitzgerald.com/quaysgalway
Naughtons http://www.tighneachtain.com/
Visit the Aran Islands:
You may want to book a ride in advance if you decide to get the ferry to the Aran islands http://www.aranislandferries.com/ and see the ancient fort at Dun Aonghasa http://www.aranislands.ie/dun-aonghasa-2/ You can fly to the Aran Islands (if you are ok with propeller planes and short runways that end at the water’s edge). http://aerarannislands.ie/ Check out the 2023 Oscar-nominated film The Banshees of Inisherin for beautiful scenery and a sense of the harshness of life on the Aran Islands in the early 20th century. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216/
Dublin city center is best explored on foot. If you are landing in Dublin and want to explore the city, I suggest postponing your car rental for a few days and picking up the vehicle when you want to see the rest of the country. Budget Ireland www.budgetireland.com often has good pricing but be prepared to pay a lot more for an automatic transmission with any of the car rental companies. A full size four-door stick-shift vehicle is good for two people traveling. Smaller cars are available, but they are diminutive by American standards. Buy all the insurance offered to avoid issues with claims of car damage for which you will otherwise be held 100% responsible.
Your guidebook will direct you to Trinity College, The Book of Kells, etc., and these attractions are certainly not to be missed. Beyond Dublin’s “must see” attractions, a walk on Grafton Street will bring you into the center of the action with shopping, street performers and musicians. Good pubs abound near Grafton Street, including Keogh’s on South Anne St. The Grafton Street “busker” scene is well portrayed in the movie Once, a 2007 Oscar winner for best song https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/ I also like The Kilkenny Restaurant (near Trinity College) for breakfast/coffee https://kilkennycafe.ie/, while O’Neill’s on nearby Suffolk St. serves an excellent pub lunch.
A walk around St. Stephen’s Green and a visit to the Shelbourne Hotel is also a great way to savor the city’s architecture, new and old. If you are in a cultural frame of mind, the nearby National Gallery www.nationalgallery.ie shows works from many Irish painters, including Jack Yeats (W. B.’s brother) and a Caravaggio (“The Taking of The Christ,” long believed lost, but found in a Dublin priest’s house).
Accommodation in Dublin is pricey. The Eliza Lodge www.elizalodge.com is convenient to the Temple Bar area and reasonably priced. A terrific Bed & Breakfast can be found at 31 Leeson Close www.number31.ie http://www.number31.ie). It also has a car parking facility, so if you do have a vehicle, you’ll have a place to leave it. Higher-end hotel choices include the Shelbourne https://theshelbourne.com/, the Westbury https://www.doylecollection.com/hotels/thewestbury-hotel, and the Clarance https://theclarence.ie/
You will want to visit the Temple Bar area in central Dublin where you will find a vibrant nightlife scene with lots of restaurants and pubs. Gallagher’s Boxty House (www.boxtyhouse.ie) on Fleet St. offers Irish potato pancakes filled with hearty fare. One of my favorite pubs in the Temple Bar is the Palace Bar, which is steeped in Irish literary history. www.thepalacebardublin.com If you want to see how Irish Stout is made, visit the Guinness Storehouse www.guinnessstorehouse.ie
People have asked, so here are some fun (and inexpensive things) to do in Dublin:
Riding the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) line to Howth or Dun Laoghaire is a great way to see the City http://www.dublintourist.com/maps/dart-and-dublin-suburban-rail-map/
Visit Kilmainham Gaol for a look at the history of Irish independence https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/?q=Kilmainham+Gaol
See the Four Courts (Ireland’s Supreme Court) where I was first admitted to practice law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Courts
Try St. Patrick’s Cathedral if you are spiritually inclined http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/
Hear Live Music at http://www.vicarstreet.com/ or http://www.whelanslive.com/ – and in lots of pubs!
Get your U2 on at The Irish Rock N’ Roll Museum. http://irishrocknrollmuseum.com/
In addition to a guidebook of your choice, you may want to include a book called “McCarthy’s Bar” with your travel reading. The book is a very amusing travelogue by Pete McCarthy, an Englishman born to Irish parents. https://www.amazon.com/McCarthys-BarJourney-Discovery-Ireland/dp/0312311338 He traveled Ireland in an attempt to have a drink at every bar named McCarthy’s. His travel motto was, “never pass a bar with your name on it,” which can get you in a lot of trouble if you happen to have inherited a common Irish name!
Here are some other reading and viewing recommendations for your consideration:
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe https://www.amazon.com/Say-Nothing-Murder-NorthernIreland/dp/0385521316 A terrific look at “The Troubles”, that is now also a series on FX https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/say-nothing
Making Peace by George Mitchell https://www.amazon.com/Making-Peace-GeorgeMitchell/dp/0520225236 The inside story of the peace process that led to the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement.
Adrian Dunbar’s Coastal Ireland https://acorn.tv/coastalireland/ A lively tour of Ireland’s coastal regions with well-known Irish actor Adrian Dunbar (star of the BBC crime drama Line of Duty).
Slainté! (that’s Irish for “Cheers!”) and safe travels.
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