Family Attractions & Zoos

Zoos, aquariums, theme parks, and visitor attractions

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GeneralCork

Stone of Eloquence

The Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the centre of Cork City, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens. The word blarney has come to mean "clever, flattering, or coaxing talk". Irish politician John O'Connor Power defined it this way: "Blarney is something more than mere flattery. It is flattery sweetened by humour and flavoured by wit. Those who mix with Irish folk have many examples of it in their everyday experience." Letitia Elizabeth Landon described its contemporary meaning in an article entitled "Blarney Castle" in 1832.

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GeneralMayo

Knock Shrine

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock, commonly referred to as Knock Shrine, is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site and national shrine in the village of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland, where locals claimed to have seen an apparition in 1879 of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist, angels, and Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God).

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GeneralAntrim

Old Bushmills Distillery

The Old Bushmills Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, established in 1784 and owned by Proximo Spirits. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush. The distillery is a popular tourist attraction, with around 120,000 visitors per year. It produces the Bushmills brand of Irish whiskey. The company that originally built the distillery was formed in 1784, although the date 1608 is printed on the label of the brand – referring to an earlier date when a royal licence was granted to a local landowner to distil whiskey in the area. After various periods of closure in its subsequent history, the distillery has been in approximately continuous operation since it was rebuilt after a fire in 1885.

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GeneralDown

SS Nomadic

SS Nomadic is a former tender of the White Star Line, launched on 25 April 1911 at Belfast, that is now on display in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. She was built to transfer passengers and mail to and from the ocean liners RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic. She is the only surviving vessel designed by Thomas Andrews, who also helped design those two ocean liners, and the last White Star Line vessel in existence today.

GeneralOffaly

The Great Telescope 'Leviathan'

The Leviathan of Parsonstown, or Rosse six-foot telescope, is a historic reflecting telescope of 72 inches (1.83 m) aperture, which was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100-inch (2.5 m) Hooker Telescope in California in 1917. The Rosse six-foot telescope was built by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse on his estate, Birr Castle, at Parsonstown (now Birr) in Ireland.

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GeneralCork

Garnish Island

Garinish, or Garnish Island, (Irish: Garinis; also known as Ilnacullin) is an island in Glengarriff Bay, an inlet of Bantry Bay, near the shore of the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland. It is a tourist attraction with walled gardens and a Martello tower.

GeneralDún Briste

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GeneralMayo

Dún Briste

Dún Briste (Irish for 'broken fort') is a natural sea stack or pilaster – in geomorphology called a stack – off the western coast of Ireland in County Mayo. It consists of sedimentary strata that was deposited during the Carboniferous period, possibly Mississippian, approximately 350 million years ago.

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Zoo AquariumAntrim

Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoological Gardens (also known as Belfast Zoo) is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is in a relatively secluded location on the northeastern slope of Cavehill, overlooking Belfast's Antrim Road. Opened in 1934, it is the second-oldest zoo in Ireland, after Dublin Zoo, which opened in 1831. Belfast Zoo is one of the top fee-paying visitor attractions in Northern Ireland, receiving more than 300,000 visitors a year. Located in north Belfast, the zoo's 55-acre (22 ha) site is home to more than 1,200 animals and 140 species. The majority of the animals in Belfast Zoo are in danger in their natural habitat. The zoo carries out important conservation work and takes part in over 90 European and international breeding programmes which help to ensure the survival of many species under threat. The zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

Mellifont Abbey — photo by Hopmans at nl.wikipedia

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GeneralMeath

Mellifont Abbey

Mellifont Abbey (Irish: An Mhainistir Mhór, literally 'the Big Monastery') was a Cistercian abbey located close to Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the Synod of Kells-Mellifont. After its dissolution in 1539, the abbey became a private manor house. This saw the signing of the Treaty of Mellifont in 1603 and served as William of Orange's headquarters in 1690 during the Battle of the Boyne. Today, the ruined abbey is a national monument of Ireland and accessible to the public. The English language name for the monastery, 'Mellifont', comes from the Latin phrase Melli-fons, meaning 'Font of Honey'.

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GeneralWicklow

Victor's Way

Victor's Way (previously Victoria's Way), located near Roundwood, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a privately owned meditation garden which contains black granite sculptures. The 22-acre (9 ha) property contains over 30 sculptures. As of 2025, the property was "closed [..] permanently" and not open to visitors.

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GeneralGalway

Turoe Stone

The Turoe stone is a 1.2 metre tall granite stone decorated in a Celtic style normally located in the village of Bullaun, County Galway, Ireland, 6 km north of Loughrea off the R350 regional road. It probably dates to about the period 100 BC to AD 100. The stone is usually positioned on the lawn in front of Turoe House, set in a concrete base surrounded by a metal cattle grill. The Turoe stone is National Monument of Ireland Number 327 (NM#327). As of 2025, the stone had been moved temporarily to an Office of Public Works depot in Athenry for conservation.

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GeneralCork

Collegiate Church of Saint Mary

The Collegiate Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, also known as St Mary's Collegiate Church, is a large Anglican church in Youghal, east County Cork, Ireland. Dating to roughly 1220 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it is part of Youghal Union of Parishes, in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. St Mary's RMP (Record of Monuments and Places) number is CO067-029003.

GeneralCork

Doneraile House

Doneraile Court is a late-17th century country house near the town of Doneraile in County Cork, Ireland. It stands in 160 hectares (400 acres) of walled parkland known as Doneraile Park or Doneraile Estate. The house remained the seat of the St Leger family from the time of construction until the mid-20th century. The park, which is managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW), is open all year with free admission. As of 2023, Doneraile Park was the most visited free tourist attraction in County Cork, and the fifth most visited OPW site in the country.

GeneralCork

Trabolgan Holiday Village

Trabolgan (Irish: Trá Bholgan, meaning 'strand of Bolgan') is a self catering holiday village on a 140-acre (0.57 km2) site which was a former country estate in the civil parish of Trabolgan, County Cork, Ireland. The holiday camp was registered on 1 May 1984 (1984-05-01) and officially opened on 29 June 1985 (1985-06-29).

GeneralAntrim

Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Centre

The Andrew Jackson Centre, also known as the Andrew Jackson Cottage, is the ancestral home of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States. It is located in the village of Boneybefore in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The centre consists of a refurbished traditional thatched Ulster–Scots farmhouse, which is known to have been built in the 1750s and was home to Andrew Jackson's parents shortly before they emigrated to South Carolina in the United States. The interior of the farmhouse is effectively a small museum, consisting of original rooms decorated in the style of that period and featuring an extensive display on the life of Andrew Jackson. The cottage's grounds feature the US Rangers Centre, which pays homage to the soldiers of the First Battalions of the elite US Rangers, which was first "activated" in the town Carrickfergus in 1942. The Carrickfergus Borough Council made efforts to make the centre more accessible to tourists. These include the installation of new information plaques in the recent standardised style of those found elsewhere in Carrickfergus, as well as the installation of roadsigns that more clearly show its location. These changes were put in place in an attempt to promote the town's historical Ulster-Scots connection to the United States, a connection that many locals take a great deal of pride in. The Carrickfergus Borough Council was consolidated in 2015 into the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, who have since opened the cottage five days a week for public visits.

GeneralGiant's Causeway

GeneralAntrim

Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway (Irish: Clochán an Aifir or Clochán na bhFomhórach) is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (five kilometres) northeast of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and a national nature reserve by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland in 1987. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant's Causeway was named the fourth-greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have between four and eight sides. The tallest are approximately 12 metres (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres (92 ft) thick in places. Much of the Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site is owned and managed by the National Trust. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland, receiving nearly one million visitors in 2019. Access to the Giant's Causeway is free of charge: it is not necessary to go via the visitor centre that charges a fee. The remainder of the site is owned by the Crown Estate and several private landowners.

GeneralOffaly

St. Manchans Shrine

Saint Manchan's Shrine is a large (60-cm wide) 12th-century Irish house-shaped shrine dedicated to Manchán of Lemanaghan (died 664), now in Boher Roman Catholic Church, outside Ballycumber, County Offaly. Built to hold human remains, still intact and presumably of Manchán himself, the relic container consists of a wooden core made of yew, placed on four cast bronze feet, overlain by silver plates containing gilt, cast copper alloy and bronze decorations, with large bosses. The shrine has a long history and has survived a number of sackings and fires. It was in poor condition when discovered in the collection of the Mooney family of Doon, County Offaly in 1821, with many of the figures and bosses missing; some of the current elements were added during late 19th century restorations. Its style is a mixture of Irish and Viking art, and is described by the art historian Rachel Moss as "exceptional in its scale, form and quality of workmanship."

GeneralKerry

Kerry Bog Village

The Kerry Bog Village is an open-air museum situated in west County Kerry focused on the history of Ireland and culture. It is a popular tourist stop along the Ring of Kerry, between the towns of Killorglin and Glenbeigh. The outdoor museum recreates traditional Irish thatched cottages and the lives of their inhabitants during the 19th century. The museum founder also played a role in reviving the Kerry Bog Pony as a viable breed. The village's operators describe it as the “only one of its kind in Europe,” referring to its unique combination of restored 19th-century thatched cottages, traditional rural artifacts, and efforts to revive the Kerry Bog Pony breed.

GeneralBook of Kells

GeneralDublin

Book of Kells

The Book of Kells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis; Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais; Library of Trinity College Dublin, MS A. I. [58], sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illustrated manuscript and Celtic Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in Ireland or Scotland, and may have had contributions from various Columban institutions across Ireland and Scotland. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is regarded as a masterwork of Western calligraphy and the pinnacle of Insular illumination. The manuscript is named after Abbey of Kells, County Meath, which was its home for centuries. The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass those of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism, and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations. The manuscript today comprises 340 leaves or folios; the recto and verso of each leaf total 680 pages. Since 1953, it has been bound in four volumes, 330 by 250 mm (13 by 9.8 in). The leaves are high-quality calf vellum; the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures, marking the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The Insular majuscule script of the text appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron gall ink, and the colours used were derived from a wide range of substances, some of which were imported from distant lands. The manuscript is on display to visitors in Trinity College Library, Dublin, and shows two pages at any one time, rotated every 6-8 weeks. A digitised version of the entire manuscript may also be seen online.

GeneralOffaly

Clonmacnoise

Clonmacnoise or Clonmacnois (Irish: Cluain Mhic Nóis) is a ruined monastery in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th century it had close associations with the kings of Connacht. Saint Ciarán founded the monastery in the ancient territory of Uí Maine at a point where the major east–west land route (Slighe Mhor) meets the River Shannon after crossing the bogs of Central Ireland known as the Esker Riada. The strategic location of the monastery helped it become a major centre of religion, learning, craftsmanship and trade by the 9th century; and together with Clonard it was one of the most famous places in Ireland, visited by scholars from all over Europe. From the ninth until the eleventh century it was allied with the kings of Meath. Many of the high kings of Tara (ardrí) and of Connacht were buried here. Clonmacnoise was largely abandoned by the end of the 13th century. Today the site includes nine ruined churches, a castle, two round towers and a large number of carved stone crosses and cross-slabs. The Irish government's Office of Public Works manages the preserved ruin. An Interpretive Centre is open to the public, the graveyard is in use and religious services take place in a modern chapel.

GeneralLaois

Heywood Gardens

Heywood House and Gardens is a Georgian house and gardens in County Laois, Ireland. The estate was developed in the late 18th century by Michael Frederick Trench, a politician, landowner and architect. He built a substantial house and laid out an extensive park, under the direction of James Gandon. In the early 20th century, Heywood was owned by Sir Hutcheson Poë who commissioned Edwin Lutyens to develop the gardens immediately surrounding the house. Lutyens engaged his long-time collaborator Gertrude Jekyll to undertake the planting. The house was demolished after a fire in 1950 and the gardens are now in the care of the Office of Public Works.

GeneralGalway

Brigit's Garden

Brigit's Garden is a garden in County Galway, Ireland, located to the west of Lough Corrib. It is open to the public and is dedicated to the goddess Brigid and the Celtic calendar. The founders describe it as "place of connection with nature, beauty and Celtic heritage".

Zoo AquariumDublin

Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo (Irish: Zú Bhaile Átha Cliath), in Phoenix Park, is a zoo in Dublin, Ireland, and one of Dublin's most popular attractions. Established and designed in 1830 by Decimus Burton, it opened the following year. Today, it focuses on conservation projects, breeding programmes, and growing awareness for animals. Its stated mission is to "work in partnership with zoos worldwide to make a significant contribution to the conservation of the endangered species on Earth". Covering over 28 hectares (69 acres) of Phoenix Park, the zoo is divided into habitats including the Himalayan Hills, Wolves in the Woods, the African Savanna, Kaziranga Forest Trail, South American House, Zoorassic World, Gorilla Rainforest, Orangutan Forest, Sea Lion Cove, and Family Farm (as of July 2022). Overall, the zoo houses about 400 animals across 100 species and attracts over one million visitors each year.

GeneralAntrim

Belfast City Hall

Belfast City Hall (Irish: Halla na Cathrach, Béal Feirste) is the civic building of Belfast City Council located in Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It faces North and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre. It is a Grade A listed building.

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