Dublin | Kildare | Laois | Longford | Louth | Meath | Monaghan | Offaly | Westmeath | Wicklow

Dublin is Ireland’s biggest county in terms of population and it’s still expanding towards surrounding counties.

Dublin city, the Republic’s capital, is one of Europe’s most attractive cities, and it’s a major social hot-spot too. It’s a leading cultural centre for music and the arts and is full of visitor attractions.

Kildare is one of the most prosperous counties because of its superb farmland and bloodstock industry. It is Ireland’s equine centre, with the National Stud in Kildare town, more studs than you can count and three leading racecourses within its boundaries.

Laois is Ireland’s most inland county and is real farming country but it does have natural attractions such as Slieve Bloom Mountains and the Rock of Dunamaise, as well as great gardens Abbeyleix, Emo Court and Heywood, while Stradbally hosts an amazing Steam Rally each August.

Longford is a quiet farming county of rolling plains and picturesque stretches of water, giving outstanding opportunities around Lough Ree and Lanesborough for fishing enthusiasts. Other attractions include the Royal Canal and the 500-year old Aughnacliffe dolmen.

 Louth, with coast and mountainous terrain Ireland’s smallest county is a county of contrasts. It is ideally placed between the capital Dublin and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Dundalk in the north of the county and Drogheda in the south are modern, commercial and culturally astute towns with a wealth of historical and archeological sites to be found throughout the county.

Meath, once the territory of the High Kings of Ireland, is the country’s heritage capital, with an abundance of historic monuments such as megalithic tombs and passage graves at Newgrange, Dowth, Knowth and Loughcrew, the Hill of Tara, castles or monastic houses and great houses of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Monaghan is characterised by rolling hills or drumlins, with no major mountain ranges or rivers. It does have a number of very attractive lakes – for example, Muckno, Glaslough, Erny and Dartry – which makes it a favoured spot for angling enthusiasts.

Offaly is a largely low-lying area dominated by four bog lands, most notably the Bog of Allen. It is also home to the ecclesiastical city of Clonmacnoise and can boast of attractive places such as Birr (with the famous Rosse Telescope), Kinnity and Tullamore.

Westmeath is a county of remarkable beauty and diversity, renowned for rich pastureland and spectacular lakes that are perfect for fishing, cruising and water-sports and famous for its cattle, Mullingar Pewter, its scenery and the canal.

Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland, is one of Ireland’s most beautiful counties in Ireland, blessed as it is with stunning and varied scenery with the Wicklow Mountains as a back-drop, a spectacular coastline and some of Ireland’s best-preserved early Christian remains, especially at Glendalough.

Absolute Must See

• The Book of Kells in Trinity College Dublin
• National Museum of Ireland, Dublin
• Guinness Brewery, Dublin
• Old Jameson Distillery, Dublin
• Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens, Kildare Town
• Mellifont Abbey in County Louth
• Hill of Tara in County Meath
• Passage Graves at Newgrange, Knowth & Dowth, Meath
• Carrickmacross Lace Museum, Monaghan
• Clonmacnoise Visitor & Interpretive Centre, Offaly
• Glendalough in County Wicklow
• Russborough House & Gardens, Wicklow

Did You Know?

• Robert Gregg, born in Monaghan in 1867, invited the Gregg Shorthand technique used all around the world.
• The oldest school in Ireland is the St.Patrick’s Cathedral Choir School in Dublin which was founded in 1432.
• Cecil Day-Lewis, who was England’s Poet Laureate between 1968 and 1972, was born in Ballintubbert, Co.Laois in 1904.
• The inspiration for Oliver Goldsmith’s famous poem ‘The Deserted Village’ was Glasson, County Westmeath.
• The Athlone-born tenor John McCormack was made a Papal Count in 1928 for his services to the Roman Catholic Church and to Catholic charities.