scenic drives ireland

The journey to Wexford by road or river has many pleasant views, and some bends of the river are particularly fine. The last stages lie through the Barony of Shelmalier, which has always had a population of net-fishermen and fowlers. The'bold Shelmalier' with his long barrelled duck gun was a formidable marksman in the Wexford insurgent army. He is commemorated in may ballads. West of Enniscorthy are the Blackstairs Mountains (highest point Mount Leinster, 2,610 feet), which form par...

These scenic tours are designed to help you get the most from your motoring holiday in Ireland - to show you the most beautiful scenery, and to introduce you to Ireland's many interesting cities and towns.

As all tours are circular you can commence at any point of the given routes. The daily distance covered is shown with each tour, in kilometres and miles (in italics)....

The southern thumb of Offaly, incorporating the neat villages of Dunkerrin, Moneygall, and Shinrone, is Ely O'Carroll land, an area rich in history. Mount Saint Joseph Abbey is on the road to Roscrea. This Cistercian Abbey has a renowned guesthouse where visitors are always welcome. It is a gret place to relax and ponder on the meaning of life. The monks invite the public to join with them in the Daily Offices. From the Monastery, as Mount Saint Joseph is locally called, we travel along...

So complex is north Donegal's coast line that any tour can take many variations depending how much time you have. Best views are from minor roads rather than the N56, but skirting the peninsulas is time-consuming, and roads may be poorly surfaced. The highlights of the journey are the sculpted rocks at Crohy Head near Dungloe, the fiery headland known as Bloody Foreland and the panoramic seascapes around Horn Head and Rosguill. If you still have time and a taste for this gorgeous scenery, F...

You're never far from Benbulben on this tour, the mountain that so inspired Yeats. The coast is quiet and much broken; inland are lakes and pastures.
This area is called 'Yeats Country' as the poet passed much of his childhood and was eventually buried here, though his adult life was largely spent in Dublin, and in Galway at Thoor Ballylee or at Coole Park.
Above Sligo Town the curious hulk of Benbulben looms like a capsized ship, its flat limestone top scored by erosin. Off...

"From rock strewn desolation to wooded glens and luxuriant gardens warmed by the Gulf Stream: the coastline of the Beara Peninsula twists 'round creeks, sandy bays, harbours and headlands, luring the traveller to fresh discoveries"...

North East Tour Two Circular tours-one north, the other south of Belfast. Day 1 North Coast Tour 288km. Travel north out of Belfast through Carrickfergus to the car ferry port of Larne. Continue along the scenic route to Cushendall and Ballycastle, enjoying the gently scooped out contours of the Antrim Glens to your left. Continue to the popular town of Ballycastle famous for its Ould Lammas Fair before following the road to portrush via the Giant’s Causway. Pass through Portrush and Cole...

Waterford and the Comeragh Mountains One day scecic tour 177km Depart New Ross and follow the coast to Ballyhack crossing to County Waterford by the Passage East car ferry. Follow the coastline to Dunmore East passing Woodstown Strand with its beautiful sandy beach and on to the popular seaside resort of Tramore. Continue on by the scenic coast road by Annestown and the fishing village of Bunmahon towards Dungarvan. Dungarvan is attractively situated south of the Comeragh and monavullagh Mountai...

Among the scenic drives in the North -Sligo area, on of the most spectacular is the tour of Gleniff Horseshoe (which starts at Grange). The road runs around the Glen, past Truskmore (644m / 2,11tft) and affords fine views of the immense limestone cliffs. On the west side near the head of the Glen and 300 m( 1000ft) above the road is Diarmuid and Grainne's Cave. There are several chambers in the cave. The entrance is over 30m (100 ft) wide and 12m (40ft) high. Map of tour on display at G...

"Through a countryside immortalised in the writing of W B Yeats, Nobel Prize winner in 1923, and captured on canvas by his brother Jack B Yeats, a countryside which they thought of as the "Land of Heart's Desire"....