Search icon

Good News

07th Nov 2020

A top travel publication has compiled a list of the 12 most beautiful Irish towns and villages 

Sarah Finnan

They even gave a shout out to honorary Irishman and Dalkey’s “temporary lockdown resident” Matt Damon.

Ever thought about what places would feature in a roundup of the most beautiful Irish towns and villages? The folk at Condé Nast Travel sure have. Compiling a list of just that, they’ve ranked their top 12 picks and it’s making us very proud to be Irish.

Saying that each of their chosen picks is “as remarkable for their setting as their character”, places all across Ireland were mentioned. Here’s what the travel experts at Condé Nast had to say:

“Ireland’s beautiful villages and small towns, with their clusters of whitewashed cottages, mossy churchyards and low-rafter pubs that still sell groceries along with a pint of stout, are living time capsules of the past.”

Claiming that places are often discovered “around the bend of a road over a high plain or at the foot of a hilly lane”, their top 12 is as follows:

  1. Kinsale, Co Cork
  2. Roundstone, Co Galway
  3. Inistioge, Co Kilkenny
  4. Doolin, Co Clare
  5. Adare, Co Limerick
  6. Baltimore, Co Cork
  7. Dalkey, Co Dublin
  8. Dingle, Co Kerry
  9. Cashel, Co Tipperary
  10. Dunmore East, Co Waterford
  11. Westport, Co Mayo
  12. Birr, Co Offaly

Condensing the most beautiful Irish spots to just 12 picks is no easy feat and obviously, there are plenty of other places that deserve a mention – we’re only gorgeous after all.

Header image via Shutterstock/Dingle Peninsula 

READ NEXT: The country’s best hotel has been revealed and it can be found in Limerick 

Topics: