TOP 7 THINGS TO DO IN IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

I have always thought about travelling to Ireland, after watching so many movies that are set in the beautiful countryside of Ireland. I booked a trip through TourRadar with Shamrocker Adventures and decided to travel on the All Ireland Rocker 7-day Tour around Ireland. Starting in Dublin and heading north to Belfast, Derry (Londonderry), Ballintoy and the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. Then driving south and seeing the magnificent Cliffs of Moher before arriving in Galway and taking a ferry over to the Aran islands. A few stops in some cute Irish towns and pubs, driving through the Dingle Peninsula and lastly ending the tour by kissing the Blarney Stone at the Blarney Castle.

Why is this place not on your bucket list already?! With cute towns, an abundance of Irish pubs, friendly locals, new experiences, beautiful landscapes, eating yummy food and meeting new people. I had seven days to see as much of Ireland and I tell you what the tour was jammed packed with so many new experiences and I got to see so much of Ireland and Nothern Ireland.

If you want to see what I got up to in Ireland, then keep scrolling for more info & photos from my travels.

1. Dingle Peninsula

The Dingle Peninsula is located on Ireland's southwest Atlantic coast. Surrounded by sandy beaches, cliff edges, rolling hills, cute animals and amazing views. Our tour stopped in the little cute seaside port town of Dingle for lunch before heading out on the road. Dingle looks like something out of a movie, a little Irish seaside town with cute pubs and little shops. The tour bus drove down a winding one-lane road along the coast, the bus was literally taking up the whole lane and I thought we would go off the edge of the cliff!!!. We stopped at the most scenic Irish beach called Slea head beach. Would highly recommend that you visit the Dingle Peninsula if you travel to Ireland!

Location: 52.2041° N, 10.1243° W

2. Giant's Causeway

The Giant’s Causeway is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland. The large hexagonal volcanic rocks can be seen from the cliffs above! It is so magnificent to see in person, I couldn’t believe that it was real! The legend of the Giant’s Causeway is that the columns are the remains of a causeway, built by a giant. The Irish giant was challenged to fight a Scottish giant and therefore built the causeway across the northern channel so that the two giants could meet.

I suggest that you take the scenic walk along the top of the cliff and see the view from above. The trail then leads to some stairs that go down the side of the cliff and to the hexagonal rocks, where you can take photos and walk along the shore. There is a shuttle bus that runs from the visitor centre to the Giant’s Causeway and is great if you are unable to walk along the trails.

Location: 44 Causeway Rd, Bushmills BT57 8SU, UK

3. Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare in Ireland. The sea cliffs run for about 14 kilometres!! The cliffs offer spectacular views along Ireland’s coast. The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Ireland! You can see in the photos below how amazing these cliffs are. You can see some people hanging over the edge of the cliffs!  The cliffs appeared in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince and we were shown which parts were in the film.

Location: Lislorkan North, Liscannor, Co. Clare, Ireland

4. Inis Mór - Aran Islands

As part of the Shamrocker Adventures Tour, we got to visit Inishmore in the Aran Islands. We got a bus to the Rossaveal ferry terminal and then took a scenic ferry trip to Inis mór. The Aran Islands is a group of three islands located at the mouth of the Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. We rented bikes and spent the whole day riding around the islands! It was a really fun day! I got to see some cute animals and we had the best weather on the day and the sky and water looked really blue. Along the road we took on the bikes, there is a beach called Kilmurvey Beach…it looked stunning (check out the photos below).

I would recommend you go to Inis mór (Inishmore), it is so worth it and is a great day out in the sun. Even if you aren’t on the Shamrocker Adventure Tour, you can take the ferry across and rent the bikes from the rental shops. It is a short walk to the local shops from the ferry terminal, there is a supermarket, restaurant (with really yummy burgers), tourist information centre and bike rental shops.

Location: 53.1289° N, 9.7197° W

5. Ballintoy / Ballintoy Harbour

Ballintoy is a very small town in Northern Ireland, with a population of only 165 people! Ballintoy Harbour is a short walk or you can drive off the main street in Ballintoy. The harbour is a really cute location and it looks amazing in person. I recommend checking out Ballintoy harbour and seeing the amazing views of Ireland’s coast. Ballintoy Harbour is one of the filming locations used in the Games of Thrones TV series. The harbour is the setting for the Iron Islands in Games of Thrones!

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge was on the top of my list for things to see in Northern Ireland. It is located in Ballintoy, just a short walk from the town centre. The rope bridge is suspended over the Atlantic ocean almost 30m above sea level. The bridge was built 350 years ago by a salmon fisherman, to connect his fisherman’s cottage to mainland Northern Ireland.

Location: 55.2364° N, 6.3591° W

6. Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle is situated in Blarney Village which is 8 km northwest from Cork city in the South of Ireland. Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland, and the River Martin. The castle is known for the Blarney Stone, which is located at the top of the Castle. Millions of people have climbed the stairs to kiss the Blarney Stone and gain the gift of eloquence. Its powers are unquestioned but its story still creates debate. Kissing the Blarney Stone is said to give you the gift of the gab. You can also walk around the castle and the beautiful gardens that are all around.

Location: Monacnapa, Blarney, Co. Cork, Ireland

7. Dark Hedges

The Dark Hedges is located on Bregagah road in Northern Ireland. In 1775 James Stuart built a new house, called Gracehill House. He planted over 150 beech trees along the entrance along the road to the estate. You can see Grace hill house today and it looks amazing at the end of the street with all the trees along the road!

The street is one of the filming locations from the Game of Thrones TV Series. I am a fan of the show and loved seeing the filming locations. Even if you don’t watch the show, the Dark Hedges is worth stopping at! The whole street is lined on both sides with trees. I recommend that you visit early during the day to avoid the crowds. I arrived at the Dark Hedges in the afternoon and it was full of tourists, but still got some pictures away from the crowds.

Location: Bregagh Rd, Stranocum, Ballymoney BT53 8PX, UK

IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE ALL THIS AND MORE, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CHECKING OUT THE 7 DAY TOUR I DID IN IRELAND WITH TOURRADAR