Flights to Ireland

Ireland: interesting facts

Ireland is an island nation on the island of the same name and shares borders with the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

The inland of Ireland consists mainly of plains which are surrounded by a hilly area. Ireland is divided up into 4 provinces: Ulster in the north, Leinster in the east, Munster in the south and south-west and Connacht in the west. The longest river on the island is the Shannon, it flows from north to south. In the plains there are also a great number of lakes which to a large extent determine the landscape. The highest mountain in the country is the Carrauntoohil (1,041 m; 3,415 ft), it is in the south-west of the island in the Macgillicuddy’s Reeks.

The climate of Ireland is very changeable. Tourists will normally perceive the climate as cool, as very hot days and very cold days are practically non-existent. Visitors should always have an umbrella or a raincoat at the ready. In the months from October to April a cold wind sweeps over the island and visiting the island in December and January should be avoided as the harsh winds are then accompanied by cold and very humid air with temperatures around 0°C, and sometimes a little snow.
 

Ireland: travel tips

Significant airports in the Republic of Irland are in Dublin, Shannon, Cork and Kerry. These airports are served by significant scheduled and low-cost airlines on a regular basis. 

There are also regular ferry services from the European mainland to Ireland, for example via Roscoff (France) to Rosslare (in the south-east of Ireland) and from Cherbourg either to Rosslare or directly to Cork.

Getting around once there is fast overland - there are regular bus services to most cities and major towns throughout the country. The country itself is fairly small. 

Ireland: Dublin and other attractions

Dublin is the capital city of Ireland. It is the biggest city in Ireland and is on the east coast. The International Airport Dublin (DUB) is about 9 km (5.5 miles) north of Dublin’s inner city. Places of interest in Dublin are Christ Church Cathedral - Dublins oldest building, Dublin Castle - the heart of Irish history, Trinity College, The National Gallery of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the “trademark” of Dublin: the Spire (a metal pillar of 120m on O’Connell St.). Phoenix Park, the biggest city park in the world including Dublin Zoo, Merrion Square with the monument of Oscar Wilde, the Guinness storehouse and The Old Jameson Distillery are also worth a visit.

Other interesting cities are Cork - second largest city in the Republic of Ireland, Limerick, Galway and Kilkenny. Places of interest in the country include Connemara, Dromineer, the Bru na Boinne - with its prehistoric stone graves, the Cliffs of Moher - 200 metre (656 ft) high cliffs falling vertically into the sea and the Ring of Kerry - 200 km (124 miles) of country road surrounding the island of the same name.