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The elder statesman of Ireland’s universities, Trinity is also one of the oldest in Europe. Its buildings and grounds are a landmark in the heart of the city.

Known colloquially as the “People’s Cathedral”, this is one of the earliest Christian sites in the city and is the Protestant community’s main place of worship in the capital.

It is really the Blarney Stone, believed to have been brought to Ireland during the Crusades, that brings visitors flocking here in their masses. Legend has it that whoever kisses the stone will be given the gift of eloquent speech. The castle itself dates from the mid-15th century and the Banqueting Hall and Great Hall are fine examples of architecture of the period.

Blarney Castle

Five miles (8 km) of sheer cliffs rising as much as 650 ft (200 m) up from the pounding Atlantic, this is one of Europe’s grandest stretches of coastline. Take the cliff-edge footpath round to O’Brien’s Tower, which gives a stunning view.

Officially Ireland’s second city, built on either side of the River Lee, Cork is a true rival to Dublin according to the local residents, of which there are around 140,000. The picturesque quays both north and south of the river, linked by an array of bridges, offer spectacular views. The numerous waterways, narrow alleys and Georgian buildings, together with the balmy climate, often lend the city a more continental than Irish atmosphere.

At the heart of Derry (Londonderry) is a fascinating walled Plantation town, its 350-year-old fortifications almost intact. Free Derry Corner, where a wall is painted with the words “You Are Now Entering Free Derry”, is the most famous of the town’s many political murals.

At the heart of Derry (Londonderry) is a fascinating walled Plantation town, its 350-year-old fortifications almost intact. Free Derry Corner, where a wall is painted with the words “You Are Now Entering Free Derry”, is the most famous of the town’s many political murals.

Donegal is most famous for its tweed production (see Tweed) with Magee’s the biggest manufacturer based here. The Diamond, a triangular central market, is at the heart of the town and an obelisk in the centre commemorates four Franciscans who wrote Annals of the Four Masters in the 1630s. This extraordinary opus follows the history of the Gaelic people from the Great Flood up to the 17th century.

This likeable little town, with its bright shopfronts and music pubs, first grew up in the 13th century around the Franciscan community of Ennis Friary. Shut down in 1692, the abbey fell into ruin but what survives – mostly 15th-century – includes the richly carved MacMahon Tomb.

The pleasant, bustling regional capital started life as a fortress of the O’Connors of Connacht. Colonized in 1232 by Anglo-Normans, it became a prosperous seaport: some fine buildings survive, notably 16th-century Lynch’s Castle (now a bank), and 14th-century St Nicholas’s Church. A great atmosphere, with plenty of music and traditional shops.

Galway City

A large part of the charm of this important monastic site is its location. The name translates as the “valley of the two lakes”: the Upper Lake provides some of the most splendid scenery, with wooded slopes and a plunging waterfall, while the Lower Lake has a feeling of spirituality with the monastic ruins all around. St Kevin, a member of the Leinster royal family, founded the monastery during the 6th century and it became a renowned centre of Celtic learning.

Upper Lake, Glendalough

On the doorstep of the Ring of Kerry, with a clutch of excellent hotels and old-fashioned ponies and traps, it’s not surprising that this attractive town becomes inundated with visitors in summer. The shops and restaurants are worth the visit, let alone the surrounding scenery.

The three lakes in this region, Upper, Middle (Muckross) and Lower (Lough Leane), are linked by the Long Range River and are all incorporated into the stunning 100-sq km (40-sq mile) Killarney National Park. Flanked by mountains, and with a varied landscape of woodland, heather and peat bogs, the area offers a range of beautiful walks and drives.

Upper Lake, Killarney

A grim portrait of industrial Limerick, the third-largest city in the republic, was painted by Frank McCourt’s novel Angela’s Ashes (see Frank McCourt). It’s not that bad now. The city centre has good restaurants and pubs and a pleasant atmosphere. Historical sights include the imposing King John’s Castle, built in 1210, containing a display on the town’s 800-year history. Don’t miss, either, the Hunt Museum, a magnificent collection of Irish antiquities inside the beautiful 18th-century Old Custom House.

Just north of Sligo is Drum-cliffe church, where WB Yeats is buried, and the visitors’ centre focuses on items and books relating to the poet. The area was a great inspiration to Yeats and he was a frequent visitor at the rather forbidding Lissadell House a few miles to the west. Lissadell was home to the Gore-Booth family, who were active in the fight for Irish freedom.

Dublin’s “second” cathedral and long-time rival to Christ Church. Apart from the many monuments and plaques commemorating deceased dignitaries, and some fine architectural features, St Patrick’s most interesting association is with Jonathan Swift. Appointed dean at the beginning of the 18th century, Swift carried out much of his work from the cathedral. You can see his death mask, writing desk and chair in the north pulpit and the memorial to himself and “Stella” lies just inside the entrance.

Ireland’s premier institute of education was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I on the site of an Augustinian monastery. A Protestant-only college at its start, Trinity did open its doors to Catholic students in 1793, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the Catholic Church relaxed its opposition to the college. Its quadrangles are peaceful havens, and its priceless Book of Kells a highlight.

This busy market town is home to the excellent Model Arts Centre, which incorporates the Niland Collection of Jack B Yeats’s paintings, as well as quirky, arty shops, good book-shops and fine restaurants. To the east of town is the lovely Lough Gill, with a number of woodland walks. The brooding outline of Ben Bulben Mountain and the beaches of Strandhill and Rosses Point are only 10 minutes’ drive away.

Surviving sections of Waterford’s city walls show clearly the limits of the original Viking settlement, also bordered on one side by the River Suir. Today that waterfront, with its lively and attractive quays, is the focal point of the town. The 18th-century City Hall houses important local memorabilia, and hosts the Waterford Show, an entertainment about the town’s history.

Most visitors to Waterford come specifically to see its famous glassworks – and buy whatever they can afford of its renowned “crystal”. First opened in 1783, closed in 1851 and reopened in 1947, the factory has always used the same production methods, every item being individually hand-crafted. A 40-minute tour and a film show off the astonishing skill of the glassblowers and cutters, while the Crystal Gallery displays an array of what is made.

About 30 km (18 miles) east of Cork, Youghal (pronounced “Yawl”) has a great location on both the Atlantic Ocean and the tamer banks of the River Black-water’s estuary. The impressive walls enclosing the town are evidence of its vulnerability to attack from France and Spain – it was once one of the most heavily fortified seaports on the British coast. Queen Elizabeth I bestowed Youghal on Sir Walter Raleigh in gratitude for faithful service. Under Cromwell, however, the town became an English Protestant garrison.

The Causeway, a designated a World Heritage Site since 1986, is a truly remarkable natural spectacle, its thousands of extraordinary hexagonal pillars of basalt rock clustered like a gigantic piece of honeycomb. The rocks descend from seafront cliffs into the water and disappear from view. Supposedly created by legendary warrior Finn MacCoul as his stepping stones to Scotland (see Finn and the Salmon of Knowledge), the Causeway was really created by a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. There’s a useful visitors’ centre nearby.