If you're looking to explore your own country to the fullest or you're simply taking a short break to the Emerald Isle, there are certain places that are a must to go to in the beautiful and homely country of Ireland.
To start off our list we're going to look at the strikingly beautiful and culturally vibrant city of Galway.
Galway
Galway, being Irelands third largest city has a wide range of possibilities when it comes to visiting for the first time. As a harbour city located on the west coast of Ireland it lies where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean. At the heart of the city and the heart of the people is the Eyre Square, a vibrant cultural hub lined with shops and traditional Irish pubs which give off a sense of home. If you're lucky enough to visit Galway city at night you'll find that there is a wide range of live performances gracing the city, from folk music to more modern performances depending on your preferences. Overall Galway is known for its beautiful scenery and vibrant night life with a touch of Irish history, a must go for anybody with an interest in Irish heritage and having a good time.
Our second location, although also gracing the west coast is located farther north than the previous highlight in our list.
Sligo
Sligo is a city which has been a cultural hub for many years. With that, not only is Sligo a cultural hub but it is home to some of the countries most beautiful scenery such as Ben Bulben and the Ox Mountains. Moving toward the coast we see coastal harbour villages such as Mullaghmore and surfing hot spots like Strandhill, famous for its wild Atlantic waves. This is unsurprising given the Irish name 'Sligeach' means the 'Place of Shells'.
As we take a deeper look into the significance of this town which home to a mere 20,000 inhabitants we see the emergence of great culture and history. Sligo was once the home of the great 1916 warrior Countess Markievics and the world renowned William Butler Yeats, a once in a century poet. Sligo is the only county to have ever hosted the infamous Irish music festival known as the Fleadh Cheoil two years in a row, a huge festival which attracted over 100,000 people per year. This figure was accommodated by the large number of traditional Irish pubs located in the city, assisted by some of the greatest Irish musicians the country has to offer.
Our third location is our largest and most famous city, Dublin.
Dublin
Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland and easily solidifies its spot on this list. Housing almost 1.5 million people from Ireland and the rest of the world there is a huge amount to do and see in this city. If you like going to museums you may want to go to our Natural History Museum. If you want to see something a little different you can spend your time at the Guinness Storehouse learning how to pour your own pint of Guinness.
Did you know that there are 10 million pints of Guinness produced daily in Dublin?
Dublin contains 666 licensed pubs, but don't let that figure put you off because some of these pubs have been around since the 1100's! Finding the perfect pint has never been so easy, all you have to do is enter into any of the great pubs in Temple Bar, the centre of Dubin's nightlife.
If you fancy something a little more relaxed you can go for a walk along the quays of the River Liffey or head on over to Stephen's Green, where you can take a moment to appreciate the nature and architecture of the city. When you're finished taking the city in you may want to do some shopping on one of our main shopping streets such as Henry Street and Grafton Street, home to some great brands like Brown Thomas.
Our fourth location to make it onto the list is Cork City, the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland!
Cork
Cork city is located in the south of Ireland and is the most southern location to make it onto this list. Cork is home to over 200,000 inhabitants and is a very beautiful city, built around the River Lee. Cork was the European Capital of Culture for 2005, and in 2009 was included in the Lonely Planet's top 10 "Best in Travel 2010". Another fun fact about Cork is that it actually has the second largest natural harbour in the world next to that of Sydney, Australia!
As you can see Cork is shaping up to be a must see. Historically, Cork has been the focus for several great events in Irish history, these of which include but are not limited to; The final port of call for the late Titanic, the planting of the first potato brought to Ireland by Sir Walter Raleigh and having the oldest Yacht Club in the World founded in 1720!
If you want a mixture of culture, heritage and scenery Cork should be at the top of everyone's priority list.
Our final destination is a small town called Carrick-on-Shannon, famed for its nightlife and vibrancy.
Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon is located in County Leitrim, and as the name would suggest is located on the River Shannon. Carrick-on-Shannon offers a range of activities from general exploring of the large number of pubs in its midst to the renting of boats and fishing tours available to the general public there. If you're adventurous enough you can even take a boat down to one of our biggest lakes, Lough Key, home to Lough Key Adventure Park and beautiful scenery only found in Ireland.
Known as Carrick to the locals and many who frequent this vibrant town, it is known for its wild stag and hen nights. Whenever you decide to finally visit this place you're almost guaranteed to see some sort of mischief go down be it one or the other!
Wrap Up
Whether it's Cork or Carrick that took your fancy there's no doubt that no matter where you go you will have an experience you'll never forget.
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