129 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Ireland - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Ireland

Dublin, Ireland

The Long Room Library at Trinity College

The gorgeous library at Trinity College is home to remarkable treasures of Irish identity.

The Glen

A tiny microvalley etched into the side of Knocknarea Mountain hides another world.

Skellig Michael

Perfectly preserved ancient monastery in an impossibly dramatic location on a rocky island in the Atlantic.

Added by humanist

Dublin, Ireland

St. Michan's Mummies

An Irish church where you can shake hands with an 800 year old mummy.

Added by CPilgrim

Kilkenny, Ireland

Dunmore Cave

This Irish show cave is said to have been the site of a Viking massacre that claimed 1,000 lives.

Added by scotti16ape

Newgrange

The ancient tomb acts as a calendar that keeps perfect time.

Galway, Ireland

Brigit's Celtic Garden

The world of the ancient Celtic civilization explained through a bewitching 11 acre garden.

Added by Mylesnag

Wicklow, Ireland

Victor's Way Indian Sculpture Park

An eccentric garden of Indian sculptures in the green of Ireland dedicated to Alan Turing.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

See All 129 Things to Do in Ireland See All 129 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in Ireland

Stinging Nettles

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Blaa Bread

Gastro Obscura

Blaa Bread

This adaption of French refugee bread is now a protected Irish specialty.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Bog Butter

Gastro Obscura

Meats & Animal Products

Bog Butter

Unearthed after centuries in peat bogs, these blocks of aged dairy have an incredibly funky flavor.

Gastro Obscura

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell

Colcannon

Gastro Obscura

Colcannon

A hearty Irish staple that can tell your fortune.

Gastro Obscura

matthewtaub

Added by matthewtaub

See all 8 things to eat in Ireland See all 8 things to eat in Ireland

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Recent Ireland Activity

ronanmurray has been to Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio

ronanmurray has been to Newgrange

ronanmurray has been to Fort Dunree

ronanmurray has been to Saint Oliver Plunkett's Head

ronanmurray has been to Jumping wall of Kildemock

Stories
About Ireland

The manuscript bound into the printed text.

Found: A Medical Manual Linking Medieval Ireland to the Islamic World

Knowledge transcends borders.

by Noor Al-Samarrai

The letters had been hidden beneath the gorse.

Ireland's Coast Has Giant, Hidden Signs Telling Pilots Where They Are

A wildfire has just uncovered one of these "Éire" signs from World War II.

by Sarah Laskow

August 06, 2018

The rings may have served as a kind of ancient currency.

Found: Mysterious Gold Ornaments, Buried in an Irish Country Field

The function of these ancient rings is not yet known.

by Natasha Frost

Path to Carrive Mass Rock.

The Secret Paths That Led Ireland’s Catholics to Forbidden Mass

Passages to salvation from a time of persecution.

by Anika Burgess

January 10, 2018

Beehive huts on Skellig Michael, looking across to Little Skellig.

The Real-World Architecture of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Hideaway

The huts of Ahch-To exist here on Earth.

by Alex Weinberg

January 02, 2018

Bollards usually stay pretty solidly in the ground.

Who Steals a Bollard?

An Irish pub reports that a woman pulled a steel bollard right out of the ground.

by Sarah Laskow

December 15, 2017

These waves off of Ireland's Clogher Beach are nothing compared to the Night of the Big Wind.

The Long Legacy of Ireland's 'Night of the Big Wind'

Before the Great Famine, the country experienced a storm that left a lasting mark.

by Eric Grundhauser

November 09, 2017

Boglands have surprisingly powerful preservative potential.

I Can't Believe It's Butter That Was Buried in a Bog!

Following an ancient Irish practice, one man made his own bog butter.

by Sarah Laskow

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