Lonely Planet Ireland (Travel Guide)

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Key events: Cork International Choral Festival, Fleadh Nua, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, Listowel Writers' Week. June is full of festivals The social and political story of Ireland is told in wonderful detail in Glasnevin Cemetery Museum. The City of the Dead covers the burial practices and religious beliefs of the half a million people in the cemetery, while the Milestone Gallery features a digitally interactive timeline outlining the lives of the Glasnevin's most famous residents. And don't forget, while waiting for a pint of Guinness to draw or a train to arrive, talking about weather is always a good conversation starter with locals in Ireland. Here, a week of light rain can appear in July while December can offer bright crisp days. When you've worked up an appetite, enjoy a picnic in the People’s Park, which has been open to the public since 1890 and hosts a popular farmers market every Sunday. It features fine examples of Victorian architecture with the Gate Lodge and the Tea Rooms, a bandstand with the original gaslight standards and a playground. Ireland’s National Maritime Museum is housed in the 180-year-old Mariners Church, and no visit to Dún Laoghaire would be complete without a trip to Teddy's Ice-Cream for a 99 cone. A small capital with a huge reputation, Dublin is a multicultural, artistic city brimming with incredible architecture, beautiful green spaces and great opportunities for entertainment.

The warmest months from April to August offer endless hours to explore the coastline or lush, rolling green countryside, but with a year-round temperate climate that rarely freezes in winter or blisters in summer, it’s possible to enjoy daytime outdoor activities in any month.Every Dubliner has their favorite haunt, from the never-changing traditional pub to whatever new opening is bringing in the beautiful people. With more than 1000 spread throughout the city, you're spoilt for choice. While in this part of the city you can visit the fine collection at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (don’t forget to visit the gardens too), which is about a 15-minute walk from Kilmainham Gaol. If the weather is good, enjoy a stroll in War Memorial Gardens. Slightly further afield is the Phoenix Park. Planning tip: General admission is free and free tours can be booked in advance. There is an audio tour and several self-guided tours aimed specifically at families with children. 9. Travel to the suburbs to see the National Botanic Gardens For those who want to travel off-the-beaten-path, plan a trip to the Peace Maze in Castlewellan Forest Park. Comprising of 6,000 yew trees, it was turned into the world’s largest permanent hedge maze, representing peace for Northern Ireland and hope for the future. Go around twist and turns to get to the middle of the maze and once you succeed, ring a victory bell and celebrate your triumph. The artefacts of the nation are to be found in this eminent institution, which opened in 1890 with a fine collection of coins, medals and Irish antiquities, now split across three separate museum buildings. The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology museum is the primary repository of the nation's cultural and archaeological treasures. You'll find stunning Celtic metalwork, Ireland's most famous crafted artefacts such as the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch, and a collection of mummified bodies from the Iron Age, preserved to a disturbingly perfect degree by Ireland's peat bogs.

Cú Chulainn, the hero of one of the most important works of early Irish literature, the Táin Bo Cuailgne, was a renowned hurler who once killed a fierce guard dog by striking a sliotar down his throat from a great distance. Compensation for hurling injuries was written into the statutes of the Celts’ own legal system, known as Brehon Law.

Key events: Cat Laughs Comedy Festival, Dublin LGBTQ Pride, Irish Derby, Bloomsday, Cork Midsummer Festival, Mourne International Walking Festival. July is party time The excellent 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour is led by Trinity graduates, who give you the lowdown on where, why, and how the 1916 Rising took place. Then there's the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, where actors escort you through a selection of the city's most renowned literary boozers – with plenty of hilarious bits acted out for good measure. Music fans will enjoy the Dublin Musical Pub Crawl, which explores the history of Irish traditional music and its influence on contemporary styles in a number of Temple Bar pubs. With temperatures an average high of 18°C (64°F) and prices that haven’t maxed out yet, this is the best time to take a road trip along Ireland’s magnificent Wild Atlantic Way. It’s a 1500 mile sign-posted west coast route that connects Cork in the south to Donegal in the north. It’s also the best time to visit Ireland for golf where you can play on links courses near charming villages, white sandy beaches, coves, castles teetering on cliff tops and vibrant towns like Westport or Sligo. Located between Belfast and Derry on the north Antrim coastline, the Causeway Coast has a seascape that’s smooth as whipped cream in some locations and jagged as broken ice in others. But it’s always fascinating. At a 20-mile (34km) distance of moderate difficulty, and blessed with spectacular scenery, it’s one of the best places to hike in Ireland. Visitors who are deaf or are hard of hearing can avail of hearing induction loops. The National Gallery also hosts tours with listening devices and Irish Sign Language tours.

Detour: There’s a beach just off the Sky Road that will blow your mind. With crystal clear waters and beautiful golden sand, Eyrephort Beach is the perfect place to unwind on your trip. 10. The “Four Peaks” Challenge Road Trip O’Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare and it houses numerous sculptures, monuments, shops and historic buildings. One of the widest streets in Europe, it is home to The Spire (Monument of Light), a large needle-like monument that stands 120m (394ft) high and is the city's most visible landmark. Notable statues include those of political leader Daniel O’Connell, Sir John Gray, James Larkin and Charles Stewart Parnell. A statue of playwright Oscar Wilde reclines on a bed of quartz near his home on Merrion Square with a wry smile that conveys playful puzzlement. About 120 years after he was imprisoned for gross indecency, almost to the day, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage by popular vote, and Wilde’s hometown was engulfed with rainbow flags for the occasion. Pop to The International Bar for very authentic, often local music. One of the city's best comedy venues is also upstairs if you fancy a laugh. Locals' favorite, The Workman's Club, features everything from acoustic warblers to electronic harmonizers. It costs nothing to enjoy the nightly traditional sessions in O’Donoghue’s, where folk and trad legends, The Dubliners, cut their musical teeth in the 1960s. 20. Take a brisk walk at one of the city's beaches

The scent of aromatic spices is carried on the fresh Atlantic breeze that passes through the cobbled lanes off Quay Street, the medieval heart of Galway. Top local restaurants like Ard Bia at Nimmos cluster around its southern tip at Spanish Arch because of its romantic setting, making it one of the best places for couples to visit in Ireland. It was once a trading post where galleons carried cargos of wine and food.

Planning tip: After you've built up an appetite, make your way to teaShed Café for some tea and tasty homemade treats. 15. Take the ferry to the Aran Islands Some are open to visitors, including the Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, home of the ever-so-popular Gunpowder Irish Gin. Learn to make your own gin at Listoke Distillery, Ireland's only gin school. And there’s even a curated gin trail in Castlebar that allows gin lovers to taste the latest products on the market during a pub crawl. 12. Tour “Ireland's Alcatraz” If the world knows about Inch Strand, then this huge Blue Flag beach about 13km (8 miles) northwest of Tralee is very much a local favorite. On summer weekends – or anytime it’s not raining – folks from Tralee and around make their way here to walk the full length of its 6km (3.7 miles), making it one of Ireland’s biggest beaches. Thanks to the warming waters of the Gulf Stream, a swim here isn’t the mark of madness, especially in those glorious September days when the sea is softened by a long summer, but even if you don’t fancy getting into the water, there are some stunning views from the 10m-high (33ft) dunes – look southwest and take in the glory of Mt Brandon and the Dingle Hills. Leopold Bloom mused in James Joyce's Ulysses that a good puzzle would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub. Even in these times of green juices and heart-monitoring apps, the pub remains the alpha and omega of social interaction in Dublin. The city's relationship with alcohol is complex and conflicted but, at its very best, a night out in the pub is the perfect social lubricant and one of the highlights of a visit to Dublin.Planning tip: We recommend taking at least two weeks to complete this road trip if you want to see as much as possible. 3. The Ring of Kerry The drive will take you through narrow roads that cut through this barren landscape to sheer cliffside views. Usually, road trips are all about the journey, but this one is a little bit different. The four peaks challenge is where hikers attempt to complete the four highest peaks in each province of Ireland. This can be timed or taken at a leisurely pace, but some people strive to complete it in 24 hours. An imposing grey building, built in 1796, it's played a role in virtually every act of Ireland's painful path to independence, and even today, it still has the power to chill. Sometimes referred to as "The Bastille of Ireland", Kilmainham Gaol was decommissioned in 1924 and is now a museum with an enthralling exhibit on the history of Irish nationalism.