Time Out recently named Bray on its list of the world’s most “underrated” destinations, an honour shared with Cuenca in Ecuador, the English seaside town of Plymouth, and all of Mongolia.
It is a fair assessment, too: unless you’ve climbed Bray Head, spent a summer’s evening in the Harbour Bar on the waterfront or eaten an ice cream from Teddy’s, does Bray loom large on your list of seaside destinations worth visiting?
The same can be said about a lot of places in Ireland, which for one reason or another don’t grab the same attention or visitor numbers as elsewhere. Here’s a list of 10 locations (not including Bray) to inspire your next staycation.
Cavan Lakes
The loughs of Kerry or Wicklow may get most of the glory, but it’s the lakelands in Cavan that really shine. There are 365 lakes in the county, from tiny patches of water surrounded by drumlins to island-speckled Lough Oughter. The lake is part of Killykeen Forest Park (coillte.ie), which is good for woodland walks as well as boat rentals from Cavan Adventure Centre (cavanadventure.ie). Moor up at tiny Castle Island in the middle of Lough Oughter, where you’ll find the remains of Cloughoughter Castle.
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Nearby is the reason all the cool kids are coming to Cavan. Cabü by the Lakes (cabu.co.uk) is a woodland bolt-hole made up of log cabins and lake houses; the communal fire pits are perfect for s’mores after a day kayaking on the lake.
This area is all part of the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark (cuilcaghlakelands.org), which stretches from Lough Erne in Fermanagh all the way into Cavan, making it one of only four transnational geoparks in the world.
The region is rich in native fauna – pine martins, otters and bats are just a selection – and you have your pick of historical and geological points of interest, like the healing waters of the Drumod Sulphur Well, or the wedge tombs in the Cavan Burren Park.
Ardmore, Co Waterford
A seaside village renowned for its five-star hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant can hardly be considered underrated, but Ardmore doesn’t get much of a look in compared to some of its more popular peers along the Irish coast. That may all change as more people discover St Declan’s Way (stdeclansway.ie), a 115km-long pilgrim route linking the town with Cashel, Co Tipperary, established in 2021.
Besides the main strand there are wonderful beaches at Ballyquin, 5km northeast of the town, and at Goat Island, 5km to the west. Ardmore Adventures (ardmoreadventures.ie) provides all the activities, from archery and cliff climbing to snorkelling and sea kayaking.
The Cliff House Hotel (cliffhousehotel.ie) attracts the well-heeled and the gourmands, who come for the exquisitely appointed rooms and its superb, Michelin-starred restaurant. For something a little less formal, the White Horses on Main Street has a superb menu of classic Irish dishes with a French twist.
Away from the water, Ardmore’s big draws are its walks (the 5km loop around Ardmore Head is wonderful) and its collection of early Christian remains, including St Declan’s Church and Well, and one of the best-preserved round towers in Ireland. And you can’t leave Ardmore without popping into Ardmore Pottery and Garden (ardmorepottery.com), which sells beautiful handicrafts made by the owner as well as makers from all over the country.
Clare Island, Co Mayo
Ireland’s offshore islands represent an unvarnished past untouched by modernity. While visitors and filmmakers flock to Achill or the Aran Islands, Clew Bay’s Clare Island gets relatively few visitors.
More’s the pity, because the island is a scenic stunner. Two mountains (well, big hills) dominate the interior (and make for great walking), but it’s the sea cliffs that run the length of the north shore that are worth the choppy 5km journey to get here.
Along the way, you might come across the ruins of a Cistercian abbey on the south coast (keys available from the post office next door), where you’ll find the tomb of the pirate queen, Grace O’Malley. Her castle is further east, overlooking the harbour, still impressive despite 500 years of neglect and a 19th century refurbishment by the coastguard.
There are a handful of options for somewhere to stay, including a fabulous hostel (goexplorehostel.ie) in the house once occupied by the O’Donnell clan; and, for something a little fancier, a boutique hotel in the converted lighthouse (clareislandlighthouse.com). This is one of the country’s most romantic bolt-holes, with stunning views from every room, some with open fires and even a sauna. The time to enjoy it is now, as the lighthouse is up for sale.
Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal
One of Donegal’s prettiest villages is Dunfanaghy, a cluster of houses old and new lining the one street at one end of the large, blue-flag Killahoey Strand and in the shadow of the stunning Horn Head. Dunfanaghy has long been popular with holidaymakers from the north, but has been largely ignored by the rest of the country.
While Killahoey is a fine beach, most of the action takes place 5km away at Marble Hill, another blue-flag spot that is actually made up of two beaches. In summer the beach crowds attract the vendors, notably the baristas at the Shack (shackcoffee.ie) and the gelato makers behind Simply De Vine, who have a shop on Main Street too. For a more peaceful experience, make your way to Tramore, hidden behind grassy dunes about 2km west of the village; take the path that starts at the bridge on the road to Horn Head.
Wood-fired artisan pizzas are the draw at the Rusty Oven, in a courtyard at the back of Patsy Dan’s bar, while the Starfish Café and Arnou’s serve up everything from salads to burgers and more. For fine dining, there’s the Cove, a couple of kilometres out of town towards Port na Blagh.
There are a handful of B&Bs, but Arnolds Hotel (arnoldshotel.com) is an elegant classic, a 100-year-old spot run by the fourth generation of Arnolds. Southwest of town is Corcreggan Mill (corcreggan.com), where accommodations range from luxury bell tents and rooms in a converted railway carriage to spotless family rooms.
Ennistymon, Co Clare
It’s hard to stand out when you share a county with the likes of Lahinch, Kilkee and Miltown Malbay, but Ennistymon, a pretty town whose main street is a riot of colourful shopfronts, has been eking out a reputation in recent years as a culinary hotspot. Not that too many people outside “Shtymon” are aware of it, but there is a whole other reason to visit the Clare town besides going to listen to some of the best traditional music in the country (a visit to Cooley’s House is a must).
Sinéad Ní Gháirbhith’s Cheese Press (cheesepressennistymon.ie) sells gorgeous cheese, but what makes this one of the best delis in the west of Ireland is the quality of everything else you can buy (perfect for a picnic in the Burren), from oak-smoked salmon and hams to home-baked breads and beautiful relishes.
You can also pick up picnic necessities at Market House, a deli, farmshop and butchers (locally sourced and organic meats) run by father and daughter Seán and Fiona Haugh. The eat-in cafe serves fine sandwiches, home-made pastries and some of the tastiest scones you’ll find anywhere, while their wine list is populated exclusively by organic and bio dynamic vintages.
The scones are also pretty good at An Teach Bia on Main Street, while over at Oh La La on Parliament Street you will find authentic, Breton-style crèpes and galettes: the buckwheat galette with Clonakilty black pudding, apple compote and crème fraîche is a meal on its own. For well-presented Irish dishes, there’s Byrne’s Restaurant (byrnes-ennistymon.ie), with fine views of the river Inagh.
Co Fermanagh
It may be far removed from the Causeway Coast, but Fermanagh packs a fair punch when it comes to scenery. The main highlights are the wide expanses of Upper and Lower Lough Erne and its 154 islands. If you want to explore, you can rent a boat from Erne Adventures (erneadventures.com) in Enniskillen and head out to the monastic remnants on Devenish Island. If you want more adrenaline, have a go at their hydrobikes or e-boards (a kind of water scooter). You can also see Lower Lough Erne on a helicopter tour with Cutting Edge Helicopters (cuttingedgehelicopters.com).
You’ll need more of your own horsepower to climb the Stairway to Heaven, officially named the Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail (theboardwalk.ie), an 11km trail along gravel paths, boardwalk and stairs through the blanket bog of the Marble Arch Caves Unesco Global Geopark. The view at the top is worth it (though your thighs may never forgive you).
You’ll be looking forward to your bed after that, and your choices include five-star Lough Erne Resort (lougherneresort.com), set on a peninsula with lake views and a Nick Faldo designed golf course; or the more rustic Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel (killyhevlin.com) with rooms and lodges overlooking Lough Erne.
Glasson, Co Westmeath
Despite being one of the Midlands’ prettiest villages, Glasson is the kind of place that most would bypass unless they were headed for the Wineport Lodge (wineport.ie), a fine spot on Lough Ree that made its name thanks to its starring role in RTÉ’s The Restaurant. There’s a lot more going on in this chocolate box village, known as the Village of the Roses for its central core of two-storey rose-covered houses.
The headline grabber is the recent revamp of the Glasson Lakehouse (glassonlakehouse.ie), which has been transformed from forgettable golf resort hotel into a bolder statement of contemporary cool. The look is half alpine lodge, half urban bolt-hole and carries lots of the trademark touches of its owners, the Press Up group, with dark wood, funky neon signs, staff in crisp shirts and jeans, mini-Marshall amps and trays of treats in the bedrooms. The attached golf course, designed in the 1990s by Christy O’Connor Jr, has also been tweaked and is one of the Midlands’ best challenges.
The best way to enjoy a trip on the water? On a boat with a hot tub, of course. The Hot Tub Boat (hottubboat.ie) is just that – a lake cruiser with a hot tub on the deck that fits up to six people. Throw in some bubbles, music piped through the speakers and you’ve got yourself a 90-minute party on Lough Ree – all you need to bring is a bathing suit.
To eat, both the Wineport Lodge and the Glasson Lakehouse have excellent restaurants, but in the village are the Villager (thevillager.ie) and Grogan’s, both serving gourmet pub grub. The latter is a gorgeous 18th-century pub; the front bar has an open fire and a flagstone floor.
Hillsborough, Co Down
Hillsborough and its impressive castle (well, more of a huge Georgian country house; hrp.org.uk) are central to the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Belfast Agreement this month, but even if you’re not interested in the talks and events it’s worth paying the admission to wander the castle itself and its 100 acres of gardens.
While the castle is well known, the village is an underrated delight. On the main drag are great places to eat. A highlight is The Parson’s Nose (ballooinns.com), a gastropub that was once a Georgian town house. There are lasagnes and pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven, and an excellent Sunday roast with treacle-cured sirloin of beef and giant Yorkshire puddings. Pick up sourdough loaves and naturally leavened croissants in the new Roundhouse Bakery (@roundhouse.bakery on Instagram).
Another new addition is the guest house Arthur’s (arthurshillsborough.com), with 12 boujie bedrooms, some with stand-alone roll top baths, set above a coffee shop.
Take a stroll through the Dark Walk at Hillsborough Fort down to the lake, stopping at the playground at Hillsborough Forest if you’ve got kids in tow. There’s a farmers’ market (visitlisburncastlereagh.com) in the fort on summer Saturdays.
Co Leitrim
Yes, the whole county is underrated. For many, Leitrim is not a destination but a place you go through to get to somewhere else – Sligo, Donegal, a cruise on the Shannon. Which suits its cluster of creatives just fine, many of whom came here in recent decades looking for untamed landscapes and cheaper rent. But over the last few years, an increasing number of interesting places have popped up, luring visitors in to see what the county has to offer.
The launch of Gunpowder Gin and the Shed Distillery (thesheddistillery.com) has put the village of Drumshanbo on the map, after being named both spirit brand and distiller of the year in the global Wine Star Awards in 2022. Tours of the distillery end in a beautiful bar, decorated with their distinctive blue glass bottles. Afterwards, head to the floating boardwalk on the nearby Acres Lake and stroll over the water to the local stretch of the Shannon Blueway.
At the end of this trail in Battlebridge, you’ll find one of Leitrim’s newest accommodation options, Drumhierny Woodland Hideaway (drumhiernyhideaway.ie). With forest walking trails and an outdoor spa in the old walled garden, there’s more to see here than just the cabins, though they are a delight, their glass front facades giving unobstructed views of the estate’s native trees.
The Oarsman (theoarsman.com) is a solid gastropub in Carrick town, while in Jamestown The Cottage (cottagerestaurant.ie) is a fine Asian-fusion restaurant. For something healthy in an unlikely setting, Honestly (honestlykitchen.ie) in the former KFC is part farm shop, part ethical fast food joint/drive-through – think Dexter beef burgers from their own farm and pancake stacks for brunch.
Mullet Peninsula, Co Mayo
It’s easy to forget just how big Co Mayo is. Stand in the wilds of the Mullet Peninsula, and well-visited spots like Westport and the Great Western Greenway feel a million miles away. But this is Mayo at its most undiluted – empty white sand beaches, jagged cliffs and rocky outcrops jutting out of the wild Atlantic. Walk the Erris Head Loop and you’ll see it all laid out before you in marvellous desolation, your only company the diving seabirds and the scraggy sheep grazing the clifftop grass.
Drive further along the coastline to find the striking Dún na mBó blowhole, surrounded by an abstract sculpture that perfectly frames this natural phenomena. That artwork is part of Tír Sáile, The North Mayo Sculpture Trail (northmayoarttrail.com) featuring 11 pieces spread along the northern part of the county.
At the bottom of the peninsula, beyond the beautiful beaches of Strand and Elly Bay, is windswept Blacksod and its lighthouse (visitblacksodlighthouse.ie), which played a key role in communicating the weather forecast in advance of the Normandy Landings in 1944. This is also the launching point for boat trips to the nearby islands of Inishkea (blacksodseasafari.ie), where you can explore the deserted villages and hike over the headland to spot the resident colony of seals.
Glamping specialists Further Space (go.further.space) have recently opened a site in Belmullet, with four en suite pods. They’re cosy, but the huge front windows mean you can immerse yourself in the views while lying in bed. The Talbot Hotel (thetalbothotel.ie) in Belmullet town has colourful, quirky rooms and an excellent restaurant specialising in seafood, like Blacksod crab and local lobster.
