Rita Stiens - MARCO POLO Travel Guide Ireland

From high-calibre art by Rembrandt and Goya to the Irish painters and the whole thing for free

A trendy Dublin quarter: chic shops, cool nightlife, and plenty of cultural events

Discover the world-famous Book of Kells in the old library of Dublins Trinity College

Sublime high crosses are testimony to Early Christianity on the Emerald Isle

An architectural wonder delivering a luminous surprise at winter solstice for the past 5000 years

A picture-postcard little town: every corner reveals a new vista

At the heart of Killarney National Park: the gem amongst Irelands many manor houses

Its all in the mix: Irish landscape of coastal cliffs, beach, swell, mountains and green valleys

Looking for Gaelic Ireland? This is where it lives on

Bizarre lunar landscape with caves, orchids and prehistoric monuments

Better not suffer from vertigo here: the vertical cliffs of sandstone and schist reach heights of up to 665 ft

Bare landscape with stone walls and white beaches the starting point for a fantastic bike tour leading along a beautiful coastline

Tens of thousands of hexagonal basalt columns plus a fairy-tale story: an enchanting sight, the Irish contribution to the Wonders of the World

Medieval castle dating back to the 12th century. perfectly restored, with magnificent furnishings and a corridor full of paintings, the famous Long Gallery

Kings, clan chiefs and saints: this imposing plateau in the Midlands was already worshipped by the Celts as a sanctuary

To see the spectacular natural wonder of the Cliffs of Moher (up to 656 ft high) from the boat is a particularly intense experience. An added bonus of this trip, buffeted by the waves of the Atlantic: you can observe puffins and other sea birds nesting at other inaccessible sites

Lunch or afternoon tea at Muckross Garden Restaurant in Killarney: the large terrace with views of the old greenhouses and the Victorian landscaped park of the manor house is unique

At some 60 miles, the Ring of Beara is a great alternative to the better-known (and oh, so busy) Ring of Kerry; also, the Beara Peninsula boasts lush vegetation and a dramatic coastline

Small, unpretentious and famous with all fans of Irish folk: the owner of the spick-and-span Matt Molloys pub in Westport is Matt Molloy, no less, whos been playing the flute with the Irish band The Chieftains for the past 30 years

Fans of the great poet WB Yeats meet every summer in Sligo for the two-week Yeats International Summer School

The classiest B&B in all of Ireland, without a doubt: reside between antiques in the wings of historic Bantry House some rooms even have a view of Bantry Bay

Once used to determine the temperature of the moon, this ancient telescope is still working perfectly get a closer look at Birr Castle

Jams in Victorian terracotta pots, sugar rock in luminous colours: the products for sale at the Avoca Store in Powerscourt House are a visual treat

Nothing for scaredy-cats: the dramatic 30-metre cable-car trip leads across the spectacular Dursey Sound to the rocky Atlantic islet of Dursey Island

Find out how a bodhrn drum is hand-made the traditional way from goat skin in Malachy Kearns workshop in the harbour town of Roundstone

Mountains, brooks and waterfalls, mist, moss and sheep: the picturesque valley of The Vee is nearly too pretty to be true