Great Britain's neighbor has long been an attractive destination for European tourists dreaming of delicious beer, hundreds of legends revived and endless haze-covered expanses. Excursions in Ireland for Russian travelers are still a new business, only gaining momentum.
Why is Ireland interesting for foreign visitors? First of all, for its unearthly landscapes, the harsh northern beauty of the Atlantic coast. The second attractive moment is theatrical performances of Dublin theaters and the famous Irish dances, fascinating with the frantic rhythm and coherence of movements of the dance marathon participants. The third point, more likely for the male group of travelers, is the excellent local beer.
Thematic excursions in Ireland
Tourism in this country is still at the stage of formation, at the moment there are three main directions:
- excursions to natural attractions and miraculous monuments;
- routes related to the study of historical and cultural heritage, ancient castles, cathedrals, religious buildings;
- combined tours that allow you to combine acquaintance with the architecture and culture of cities with visits to national parks and beautiful corners of nature.
A special place is occupied by the Irish capital - magnificent Dublin, founded in the 9th century. The city has preserved many historical monuments, masterpieces of medieval architecture, the visiting card is St. Patrick's Cathedral. There are green corners in the main city of Ireland, most often tourists visit the coast of Dublin Bay and the Liffey River Valley.
Eco-tourism fans can choose County Donegal, located in Northern Ireland, on the ocean coast. The area looks very harsh and at the same time picturesque, many guests have the feeling that this is how the end of the world should look like.
Beautiful seascapes can be found in the west of the country, there are numerous bays, bays, beaches. In County Clare, there is the Barren area, which is famous throughout the country for its gloomy underground caves and karst chasms. On the other hand, the region contains artifacts associated with the ancient inhabitants of these lands - ancient castles, "ring forts" and megalithic graves.
Traveling around Ireland, in almost every county you can see ancient gloomy castles, the most famous of them are Bunratty, Calduill, Ballyley, castles in Limerick and Lowe, which belonged to King John. In this country there are also castle complexes built by the Vikings, the most famous of them, founded in 914, is located in Waterford.
Monastic complexes and magnificent cathedrals are also on the list of attractions. Each of the Irish cities has its own business cards, in Dublin - the Cathedral of St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. Kanike, Abbeys - Kong, Kells or Millifeont. There are also more ancient cult buildings, somewhat similar to Stonehenge and the famous Egyptian pyramids - the mounds of Newgrange, Dout and Naut.
Excursions to the main attractions
Each guide in Ireland singles out his favorite objects, but among them there are those that occupy the first lines in all ratings. The main treasures of the country include the Bunratty Castle, which has preserved the atmosphere of the 15th – 16th centuries, next to it there is a magnificent ethnographic park, a vivid illustration of the 19th century.
In the middle of the last century, the castle was restored and today it receives visitors. The expositions have preserved the old furnishings, the furniture dates from the 15th – 16th centuries, paintings and chic tapestries are a little younger. Traveling around this castle, guests have the opportunity to get acquainted not only with the life of the former owners, but also the staff. In the vicinity of the complex there is an ethnographic park, an open-air museum, a smithy and a mill, houses of farmers and fishermen are presented.
Dublin's main cathedral is a visiting card not only of the capital, but of the whole country. This is due to its venerable age, the cathedral was founded in 1031. Over the centuries, it has been rebuilt several times; features of various architectural styles are noticeable in it. Of the sights of the temple, the following can be noted: the tomb of the Knight Strongbow of the XII century; choirs and aisles dating from the 12th – 13th centuries, tiles - also from the 13th century; chapel of St. Lawrence; crypt of the cathedral. In addition to its direct purpose, the cathedral is used by residents of Dublin for holding exhibitions thematically related to this beautiful religious building.
A worthy competitor to the cathedral is St. Patrick's Cathedral, in terms of size it ranks first in the country. It was built in the XII-XIII centuries. at one time its dean was the famous writer Jonathan Swift, who invented the famous traveler Gulliver.
