Camille DeAngelis - Moon Ireland

the Cliffs of Moher.

Ireland is the sort of place you long to visit one dayand then, once youve been, you forever dream of returning. Boom times or bust, whether her children are emigrating or coming home again for good, this country is as proud of its rebels, saints, and bards as it ever was.

It isnt only the remote abbey ruins, fairy-tale castles, and prehistoric stone monuments that give Ireland its haunting flavor. Evidence of ordinary lives is everywhere, too: the rural farmsteads rendered bleak by the lashing rain, statues of the Madonna in roadside niches, the Irish language stubbornly reasserting itself on every road sign. These glimpses of a vanishing Ireland can only add to the texture of your visit.

For all its smartphones, wind turbines, and modern enterprise, its safe to say this countrys most beloved attributes will never change: Potatoes are still the fifth food group, stout is still a meal in a glass, a traditional music session is the perfect end to the day, and the Irish are as hospitable as ever. In its people, legends, and landscapes, Ireland ignites the imagination in a way few other earthly places can.

9th-century high cross at Kilree

the Mussenden Temple at Downhill

The Cliffs of Moher: No postcard can convey the misty magnificence of this natural wonder standing sentinel over the waves (

Ruins: History haunts the landscape at sites such as Br na Binne ( ), a dramatically perched castle-fortress.

Killarney National Park: This glorious parks glens, mountains, lakes, and waterfalls are among Irelands most fantastic scenery ( ).

Scenic Drives: The Emerald Isle abounds with breathtaking drives. Two of the most dramatic are the Ring of Kerry ( ).

The Book of Kells: Pages of Irelands most famous illuminated manuscript are on display at Trinity Colleges Old Library in Dublin ( ).

Galway City: This sparkling medieval city on the west coast has a friendly, laid-back vibe and bohemian vitality ( ).

Aran Islands: Off the Galway coast these three enchanting islands are romantic and remote, echoing with an old way of life ( ).

Traditional Music: Head to a pub to experience Irelands folk music, by turns rollicking and otherworldly ( ).

Belfasts Black Taxi Tour: This eye-opening excursion explores working-class, sectarian Belfast and its murals, with a running commentary on the citys political history ( ).

Derry City Walls: Derrys 17th-century walls offer views of both the old city and the Bogside peace murals ( ).

Where to Go

Dublin

Unless youre flying into Shannon, the fast-paced, cosmopolitan capital of the Irish Republic will be your first stop. Many visitors tour the Guinness Brewery and go for afternoon pub crawls in the Temple Bar neighborhoodbut be sure to seek out culture outside the pubs, too. Art, architecture, archaeology, and book lovers can occupy themselves for days at Trinity College, where the Book of Kells is on display; the National Gallery; the neo-Gothic Christ Church Cathedral; and the National Museum of Archaeology and History. Its worth passing an hour or two on St. Stephens Green just watching all of Dublin go by.

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin

Around Dublin

The first Neolithic farmers settled in the fertile Boyne River valley. The best-known prehistoric site at Br na Binne is Newgrange, but for a glimpse of unexcavated tombs, visit the more remote Loughcrew Cairns. Wee County Louth offers distinguished monastic sites at