Go-to-Ireland.com

In Dublin, Fallon & Byrne changes hands: what lies ahead for the Exchequer Street food hall?

Gwen LE COINTRE — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 11:05:42 +0000

At Fallon & Byrne, the choice begins at the door. On the ground floor, you can shop in a food hall bringing together artisan products from Ireland and beyond. Downstairs, you’ll find the wine bar; upstairs, the restaurant. Since 2006, … [...]

Near Dublin, a 75-metre medieval fort found underground

Gwen LE COINTRE — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 08:51:48 +0000

In Blanchardstown, north-west Dublin, the Sport Ireland campus cross-country course has a 75-metre-diameter circle as its neighbour. It takes archaeological equipment and test trenches to make it out: beneath the surface lies a ringfort, an early medieval fortified rural settlement. … [...]

Ireland named Europe’s most welcoming country by Condé Nast Traveller readers

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:51:37 +0000

A chair pulled closer to make room. A shopkeeper stepping away from their stall for a moment to point you towards the right street. A first name remembered from your very first meeting. These small gestures offer a sense of … [...]

You can learn to ski near Dublin, even without snow!

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:48:30 +0000

South of Dublin, there is a slope where you can put on skis without waiting for a single snowflake. At Kilternan, ski edges grip a synthetic surface, while beginners make their way back up on a moving carpet. It may … [...]

The Kerry Creamery Experience

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:32:52 +0000

In Listry, near Killarney, the Kerry Creamery Experience opens the doors to a creamery that worked with farms across County Kerry from 1919 to 1993. The guided tour shows how milk was received and what the machinery was used for. … [...]

At COP31, Ireland’s traditional pipes ring out

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:17:53 +0000

To play the uilleann pipes, the musician works a bellows with their elbow. The movement is discreet, allowing the melody to unfold without the player having to blow into the instrument. On Friday 13 November 2026, musician Muireann Ní Shé … [...]

The Irish Silver Museum

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:10:16 +0000

A small coin minted in 742 in what is now Iraq eventually made its way to Waterford. At the Irish Silver Museum, it sits alongside a medieval brooch decorated with gold filigree, a sword presented to the city by Edward … [...]

Teeling unveils a 21-year-old whiskey, from bourbon to sherry casks

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:04:53 +0000

Eighteen years in casks that previously held bourbon, followed by three years in Pedro Ximénez casks. For the final chapter of its Rising Reserve series, Dublin-based Teeling has given this second cask type time to leave its mark on its … [...]

Killary Fjord in Ireland: why Lonely Planet recommends this Connemara fjord for 2027

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 13:59:59 +0000

From Leenane, the water appears still beneath the mountains. It could be mistaken for a lake were it not for this arm of the sea stretching towards the Atlantic for some 16 kilometres between Counties Galway and Mayo. It is … [...]

Why do you hear ‘sorry’ so often in Ireland?

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 11:11:06 +0000

Imagine the scene: you have just boarded a bus in Dublin. As you put away your phone, you stop in the middle of the aisle. Behind you, someone says Sorry. You have not felt any bump. They are simply letting … [...]

Special Brittany Ferries offer: Ireland by ferry from €292 with your car!

Gwen LE COINTRE — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 08:26:17 +0000

Two French ports, a car and up to five days on the island: here is what Brittany Ferries’ short-break fares cover, and how to compare them before booking. At Rosslare, the Wexford coast is already within easy driving distance. Arrive … [...]

The snug in Irish pubs: what were these small enclosed rooms for?

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 16:37:02 +0000

At Toners in Dublin, the small room is marked out by a dark wooden partition and frosted glass. You could easily walk past it while looking for a space at the bar. Yet this dividing wall tells part of the … [...]

Alcohol-free Guinness is booming in Ireland: is the Irish pub changing?

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 16:13:21 +0000

At the bar, you recognise Guinness by its pale head and the cascade of bubbles settling in the glass. There is now one detail that can distinguish two similar-looking pints: the “0.0” printed on the glass or tap. According to … [...]

The Yeats Building

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 16:10:01 +0000

At the far end of Hyde Bridge, the Yeats Building stands out for its red brick, gables and irregular silhouette on the banks of the Garavogue. The former bank is now home to the Yeats Society Sligo. Visitors come to … [...]

Doorly Park

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:52:27 +0000

On Kennedy Parade, the Garavogue still flows between the façades of central Sligo. Follow the river upstream and the views begin to change. Trees and reeds take over from the quays, before the hills emerge beyond the opposite bank. Doorly … [...]

Shane MacGowan: U2, Hozier and Glen Hansard cover Pogues songs on tribute album

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:29:27 +0000

Listen to A Rainy Night in Soho, then Bottle of Smoke. In the first, time seems to slow for the length of a love-soaked memory; in the second, everything hurtles along around a bet at the races. Both songs are … [...]

Rothe House & Garden

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:25:31 +0000

From Parliament Street, Rothe House in Kilkenny looks like a somewhat austere stone residence. But step inside and the plot unfolds in depth. One courtyard leads to a second house, then another courtyard, a third house and finally an enclosed … [...]

The Kilkenny Famine Experience

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:21:16 +0000

Beside Kilkenny railway station, stone buildings now form part of the MacDonagh Junction shopping centre. In the 19th century, they belonged to the Kilkenny Union Workhouse, an institution where people without means came in search of shelter and food. The … [...]

Butler Gallery

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 14:13:52 +0000

On John’s Quay, just steps from the Nore, a former charitable home houses one of Kilkenny’s most accessible art venues. The Butler Gallery presents modern and contemporary art in the rooms of Evans’ Home, an 1818 building complemented by newer … [...]

Talbot’s Tower

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 14:07:51 +0000

At the corner of Lower New Street and Ormonde Road, a stone tower marks the point where the Kilkenny city wall changed direction. This is Talbot’s Tower, a former bastion of the medieval city, now surrounded by a small public … [...]

River Nore Linear Park, the Canal Walk and the Lacken Walk

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 14:03:17 +0000

At the foot of Kilkenny Castle, the Nore offers an escape just steps from the shopping streets. From Canal Square, follow a tree-lined path downstream, cross the river via Ossory Footbridge and return along the opposite bank. This is the … [...]

Shee Alms House

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:59:18 +0000

On Rose Inn Street, between the shops and the streets leading to the castle, a small stone façade is worth slowing down for. Its gable faces directly onto the street, its windows are divided by mullions, and carved plaques punctuate … [...]

St Mary’s Cathedral

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:54:41 +0000

Walking up James’s Street, the square tower of St Mary’s Cathedral rises above the rooftops of Kilkenny. Up close, the mass of limestone gives way to detail, from pointed-arch openings to the buttresses that punctuate the walls. Consecrated in 1857, … [...]

Bell’s Field and Patrick’s Hill

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:45:47 +0000

From Cork’s quays, Patrick’s Hill seems to rise straight into the sky. The street is short by the city’s standards, but its gradient invites you to slow down. At the top, on Audley Place, Bell’s Field is just a few … [...]

The Sligo Famine Family Memorial

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:24:19 +0000

On Sligo’s quayside, a bronze child reaches out towards the water. Behind her, two adults stand close together. The Sligo Famine Family Memorial is defined by the contrast between the child’s gesture and the parents’ posture. Erected in 1997, Niall … [...]

Black Freren Gate

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 11:43:35 +0000

At the end of Abbey Street, a stone arch spans the road. Less conspicuous from a distance than Kilkenny Castle or its church spires, it is nonetheless a valuable landmark for understanding the medieval city. Black Freren Gate is the … [...]

Inis Mór in Winter – What Is Local Life Like for Ireland’s Island Communities?

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 09:34:15 +0000

On Inis Mór, stone walls shape a landscape that seems to stand up to the ocean. But as the days grow shorter, the largest of the Aran Islands becomes more than a day trip between ferry crossings. It reveals what … [...]

Winter solstice 2026 at Newgrange: how to watch the sun enter the tomb live

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 09:08:32 +0000

Above Newgrange’s entrance, a rectangular opening is almost imperceptible in the façade. Yet around the winter solstice, it is through this opening that the rising sun enters the Neolithic tomb. It travels along the stone passage for almost nineteen metres, … [...]

Blessington Street Basin

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 09:04:57 +0000

Here is one of Dublin’s best-kept secrets, sure to appeal to those who enjoy places often overlooked by tourists. Blessington Street Basin is a former reservoir in north Dublin, now offering a refreshing waterside walk. A path circles the basin, … [...]

St Anne’s Park

Gwen LE COINTRE — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:59:33 +0000

At St Anne’s Park, a grand avenue gives way to woodland, then a stone bridge to a red-brick stable yard. Between Clontarf and Raheny, in north-east Dublin, this public park of almost 90 hectares has retained the layout of a … [...]