20 of the most beautiful villages and small towns in Ireland
Ireland’s beautiful villages and small towns, with their clusters of whitewashed cottages, mossy churchyards and low-rafter pubs that still sell groceries along with a pint of stout, are living time capsules of the past. Some have only a single street lined with neat rows of slate roofs, rich lime render and solid sash windows, where locals gather in pubs that have had the same family names hanging over their half-doors for generations.
Dingle, Roundstone and Inistioge draw film crews from Hollywood, while Dalkey is awash with famous locals – from rock band U2 to temporary lockdown resident, actor Matt Damon. As remarkable for their setting as their character, they are often discovered around the bend of a road over a high plain or at the foot of a hilly lane, shimmering against the ocean after a summer shower or in the folds of a valley.
Getty ImagesKinsale, County Cork
Kinsale’s narrow, cobbled lanes, 19th-century architecture lacquered in dazzling colours and sturdy-beamed old-world pubs evoke the very essence of a pirate’s enclave. In fact, Daniel Defoe’s inspiration for Robinson Crusoe (Alexander Selkirk) set sail on his misadventure from this handsome port in 1703. Today, Kinsale’s location as the trailhead for the Wild Atlantic Way, its seafood offerings such as the succulent lobster at quayside Fishy Fishy, craft stores and hillside setting draw year-round visitors.
Find out which other towns feature alongside Kinsale on our list of the most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland
Getty ImagesRoundstone, County Galway
Close your eyes – and picture the perfect Irish village in your mind. Chances are it’ll have ocean views, a vibrantly painted streetscape and bobbing fishing vessels in its harbour. Throw in a backdrop of the Twelve Bens mountain range and Connemara’s awe-inspiring landscape and you’ll have visions of Roundstone in Galway. The main street straddles a steep hill overlooking the Atlantic, where visitors linger to drink in the view with a bowl of chowder or glass of creamy stout at O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar.
Getty ImagesInistioge, County Kilkenny
The 19th-century Irish village square was the marrow of rural commerce and Sunday-morning gossip in its time, and the handsome buildings that line Instioge’s green are perfectly formed edifices from that time. The setting has enticed Hollywood – providing a rustic Georgian background for films such as Widow’s Peak (1994) and Circle of Friends (1995.) An elegant 10-arch limestone bridge spans the River Nore and links the village to its farmland surroundings.
Doolin, County Clare
Set on a limestone plateau at the point where the Cliffs of Moher plunge into the ocean, this brightly painted ribbon of thatched buildings has borne the brunt of the Atlantic’s force for centuries. These days summertime visitors clamour beneath the low-hanging joists of Gus O’Connor’s on Fisher Street to hear traditional music. In shoulder season, the village regains the rhythm of a fisherman’s port as ferries dart to and from its pier to the Aran Islands.
Getty ImagesAdare, County Limerick
With its neat rows of thatched cottages, Adare could be lifted straight from a John Constable painting of a county shire. The River Maigue weaves its way through the village, and lying by its banks are the ruins of Desmond Castle and a Franciscan Monastery – and the decadently refurbished Adare Manor, one of Ireland’s most opulent hotels. The main street is crammed with cafés, craft shops, pubs and restaurants.
Read our full review of Adare Manor
ShutterstockBaltimore, County Cork
This west Cork village dips and glides down narrow lanes flanked by Victorian cottages with sash windows and sandstone walls. Its shorefront is a hive of activity, with a cluster of small pubs and 13th-century Dún na Séad Castle. Take a whale-watching tour from the harbour, or idle at Casey’s of Baltimore hotel to eat mussels and drink home-brewed beer while looking out at the white sailboats speckled against the cobalt sea.
AlamyDalkey, County Dublin
While Dublin City has absorbed other bordering towns into its suburban sprawl, Dalkey has retained its independent, seaside-village vibe, attracting A-list residents. The centre has remained medieval in character, with rambling narrow lanes that lead into Castle Street, the main thoroughfare. Two Norman castles and an appealing tapestry of granite and redbrick pubs and restaurants line the street. The village tumbles east, towards the sea – while its hillside has panoramic coastal views.
These are the best castles in Ireland.
Getty ImagesDingle, County Kerry
This town's dramatic oceanfront setting near the southern tip of a peninsula, and its comely streetscape, have drawn visitors for decades. Yet its provincial charm remains, due partially to the fact that Dingle is a designated Irish-speaking region – or Gaeltacht. Its terraced pastel buildings wrap around the pretty port, where trawlers dock daily to supply chefs, such as the crew at seafood restaurant Out Of The Blue, with fresh catch.
Getty ImagesCashel, County Tipperary
This quirky, lamplit settlement lies in the shadow of the Rock of Cashel – a medieval ruin set on a colossal limestone outcrop. More than 1,000 years ago it was the palace of Ireland’s High King, Brian Boru. Below, the village’s narrow, twisting streets are a mishmash of an architectural timeline. There’s The Cashel Palace Hotel, a crimson-bricked Palladian mansion; lots of Georgian fanlights; Victorian houses; and compact 15th-century Kearney’s Castle, wedged tightly between 19th-century terraced buildings.
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Getty ImagesDunmore East, County Waterford
Snaking around its amber-shaded sandstone coastline, which twists and turns past pristine beaches and secluded coves, Dunmore East’s streetscape is like a pinball ramp that finally plateaus by its Doric column-esque lighthouse on the pier. Dotted along the way is Ireland’s finest collection of thatched cottages, and the uninterrupted view across the harbour bay to another lighthouse – the world’s oldest functioning, on County Wexford’s Hook Head – is spectacular.
ShutterstockWestport, County Mayo
With its neat planned Georgian streets and octagonal marketplace, Westport seems to have been designed with ambitious growth in mind. Luckily, it remains pint-sized in scale, with a mini grid layout that’s defined by the Carrowbeg River. Handsome, cheerfully painted buildings, drenched in flowers, lure visitors to a number of fine-dining options, or to experience the traditional music scene at Matt Molly’s Pub. Westport is the trailhead for the Great Western Greenway – an ocean-view walking and cycling trail that links the town to magnificent Achill Island.
Getty ImagesBirr, County Offaly
This miniature Midlands hamlet has many grand edifices and architectural influences, from its Gothic castle to its neoclassical town hall. Every building appears as though it has been carefully placed by a porcelain collector, each emanating from the village square. The grounds of Birr Castle Demesne curve along the village walls and the River Camcor, and visitors can explore the castle’s past as a centre of astronomy by visiting its 19th-century telescope.
Danita Delimont / Alamy Stock PhotoCarlingford, County Louth
Nestled on an inlet that splits the Cooley and Mourne Mountains on the shoreline of Carlingford Lough, this comely corner of Louth is steeped in history. The turbulent Cromwellian years, or later, when the village’s economy tanked as herring stocks inexplicably disappeared from the lake, left development in limbo for centuries. The result is that ancient infrastructure is now part and parcel of everyday life in Carlingford Village. Keep your eyes peeled for historical markers, such as the arched gate that offers access to town, a limestone tower that stands like a centurion over a public house, or the crumbling remains of King John’s Castle that keeps watch over the pier. Scattered in the maze of narrow, winding streets are further reminders of times gone by – such as PJ O’Hares, a vintage pub where hearty fare and fresh seafood are served by a roaring fire on days when a chilly wind swirls up from the lake.
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Design Pics Inc / Alamy Stock PhotoEnniskerry, County Wicklow
Harmonious town planning transformed this 19th-century collection of tenement houses into one of the most stunning villages in Ireland – but, of course, its setting in a lush green valley at the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains doesn’t hurt either. Streets converge onto a small, curved plaza where a copper-capped clock tower has kept with the town’s slow pace of life since St Patrick’s Day 1843. Today, visitors pass time with a scone and a hot beverage in the charming tea shops, or at the Avoca Terraced Café at Powerscourt Estate that lies on the outskirts of town. The 47-acre tiered garden has ornamental lakes, fountains, a waterfall, splendid blooms, and an on-site whiskey distillery. Enniskerry’s character is so beguiling that it attracted Disney executives to film Disenchanted (2022) with actors Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams.
Lisandro Trarbach / Alamy Stock PhotoKinvarra, County Galway
This pretty harbour-front village is the perfect stop-off for those touring Ireland’s glorious west coast. Its low-lying streetscape overlooks Galway Bay and it has a fine selection of craft shops, cafés, inns and pubs. Just off the main street by the pocket-sized marina, The Pier Head Bar is the place to while away an hour or two over a bowl of seafood chowder or mussels. If you time it right, Cruinniú na mBád, a regatta of local vessels, brings a frenzy of colour against the deep blue backdrop every summer. Perched on a small ocean-ridged bluff on the outskirts of town is one of Ireland’s most beautiful landmarks – Dunguire Castle, standing proudly like a displaced rook from a chess set. Architects of modern Irish literature such as Yeats, Lady Gregory and Synge gathered here to conjure up great theatrical plans as the Atlantic winds scaled the rooftop in the early days of the last century.
Getty ImagesEyeries, County Cork
Like a giant box of macarons, radiantly painted little Eyeries would cheer up even the dullest of days. Its location, at the south-westerly tip of Ireland on the Beara Peninsula, means that it’s off the main tourist trail, but bang central in one of the most remarkably beautiful corners in the country. The village is high on a slope that overlooks Coulagh Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with unbroken views across the entire peninsula. The sky is big here, with kaleidoscopic sunsets that reflect and ripple off the water below. The village dips and soars over its hilly terrain – and apart from Causkeys Bar and a few cafés there’s little else to do but meander down to the coast and find a quiet cove for the day. A little further south, Allihes is another pastel-shaded village with a copper mining history and a superb white sandy beach.
Eye Ubiquitous / Alamy Stock PhotoBunratty Village, County Clare
Bunratty packs a lot of gorgeousness in its diminutive, winding river-sculpted contour. Dominating the village and surrounding countryside is a sturdy 15th-century castle that was once the palace of a powerful chieftain. Today it still bears the scars of Cromwellian cannonballs and mixed fortune, but with a sensitive restoration and conversion of its grounds into a model Irish hamlet, it has become a village within a village, attracting visitors throughout the year. Beyond the castle walls is cheerfully painted Durty Nelly’s Pub – it operated as a toll booth in the early 19th century when Bunratty was a mini-metropolis that served as a water gateway to the Shannon River. A pedestrian limestone bridge, a canopied courtyard, a former stagecoach inn and the garden of the thatched and slated JP Clarke’s Pub draw al-fresco dining aficionados to savour the ripe produce of the local landscape.
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Hemis / Alamy Stock PhotoSlane, Co Meath
Legend has it that Saint Patrick lit the bonfire that ignited Christianity in Ireland on a hill overlooking Slane. A few fields and a millennium and a half away, rock legends from David Bowie to U2 have ignited the same delirium in people – but this time it’s the fans that gather to hear their music in the natural amphitheatre. However, there’s a lot more to Slane than saints and singers. In the heart of the village, four identical and very handsome mid-18th-century houses stare each other down diagonally from across an octagonal crossroads. One theory is that they were the homes of warring sisters, which would be typical of Slane’s idiosyncratic charm. Beyond the obvious Georgian symmetry and quadruplet houses, there’s something delightfully quirky and offbeat about the village – such as the broad and narrow architecture on Main Street or the 13 rounded and pointed arches in the bridge that crosses over the River Boyne and into the village centre.
Getty ImagesInisheer, Co Galway
Inisheer is a patchwork of townlands, strewn across the northern region of the smallest Aran Island. It’s darned together by a warren of lanes with dry stone walls that connect cottages to the church, shop, community centre – and of course, the pubs. Tigh Ned is a simple limestone and whitewash spot, where locals go to savour fresh catch and soak up the views. When the weather is wild, the island almost hunches down against the elements, but when it’s fine the setting is full-on tropical, with the village’s bone-white sandy beach leading to impossibly clear turquoise water. The island is virtually car-free, so a venture to the west side to view County Clare’s magnificent coastline is the best way to idle away an afternoon. It’s also a native Irish-speaking location– so a ‘cúpla focal’ (few words) might come in useful.
Dorling Kindersley ltd / Alamy Stock PhotoKillaloe, County Clare and Ballina, County Tipperary
These two distinctly different sister villages are linked by a narrow limestone bridge with 13 elegant arches. In Killaloe, County Clare, a pretty cluster of vernacular buildings slope down towards the waterside where colourful boats are moored and ready to venture out onto Lough Derg – arguably Ireland’s most beautiful lake. The village has higgledy-piggledy streets built into a hillside that shoulders the worst of any rainfall or wind. At the foot of the hill overlooking the lake is a 12th-century Romanesque cathedral, St Flannan’s, which houses rare inscriptions and carvings from the centuries when local residents, the O’Brien chieftains, ruled Ireland. Across the bridge in Ballina, County Tipperary, visitors can explore Lough Derg aboard the Spirit of Killaloe, a passenger craft – or just drink in the lake views at Goosers, a traditional thatched pub close to the water’s edge.