The Most Romantic Places in Ireland
- Danielle Dybiec
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
A friend of mine has a special relationship with Ireland because she got married at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland (pictured above). They return next summer to celebrate their 15th anniversary and will be staying at two other lovely manor home hotels too as they fall in love with Ireland and each other all over again. Have you been dreaming of exploring romantic Ireland with someone you love too?
Personally, you know I love traveling solo and have your back too, solo wanderers. One of my favorite ways to travel is actually with an escorted group! You can make friends or hang back when you want to. (I see you, fellow introverts.) I'm traveling with Globus (a client favorite) on their Irish Escape tour this winter, taking advantage of low, off-season rates to soak in all the magic of Ireland without any crowds.
Whatever time of year and no matter with whom you experience it, Ireland will win your heart.
Excerpt of 11/1/22 article produced by Virtuoso with Tourism Ireland can be found here.
Cliffside walks, fairy-tale mansions, and cozy candlelit dinners for two – it’s easy to fall in love in (and with) the Emerald Isle.
There’s a reason why so many rom-coms are set in Ireland. Sunset embraces on dramatic cliffsides overlooking the Atlantic, horseback rides across the so-green-it-looks-Photoshopped countryside, and intimate evenings spent fireside in castle hotels – we’re hooked.
Whether you’re planning a honeymoon, toasting an anniversary, or even looking for love yourself, here’s where you can get a taste of Ireland’s allure.
Soak up Ireland’s natural beauty, from coastline to countryside.
Whether you’re walking the beach together in a pair of wellies or driving the Wild Atlantic Way, you’ll fall for the country’s landscapes and wildlife. Cliffside walks on almost every coast – including Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route, the western Cliffs of Moher, or the southern Ballycotton Cliff Walk – all come with a soundtrack of ocean waves and breeding seabirds. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group helps track and protect a range of species, which you can spot off the southern coast of County Cork (between September and January) and along the west coast up to Donegal.
Further inland, keep an eye out for rare Irish orchids or vivid blue gentians among limestone plateaus on The Burren (a scenic rocky region in southwest County Clare) or on a remote stretch of peat bog in northwestern County Mayo. After nightfall, head to one of the country’s three designated dark-sky areas – Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve, Mayo Dark Sky Park, or OM Dark Sky Park & Observatory in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland – to spend a quiet moment under the constellations.
Find an unexpected saint in Dublin.
Saint Patrick may be Ireland’s patron saint, but he’s not the only one with a Dublin connection. A Valentine’s Day trip may be the most fitting time to visit the relics of Saint Valentine (gifted by Pope Gregory XVI), which sit beside his statue in a box at Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin. Afterward, sip Champagne and tuck into tiered trays of salmon sandwiches and buttermilk scones during afternoon tea in The Lord Mayor’s Lounge at the 265-room Shelbourne hotel. For a romantic dinner, book a cozy banquette at the 142-room Merrion Hotel’s two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. The French-inspired cuisine includes dishes such as peppered lamb with charred-aubergine caviar or Wicklow Sika venison with red wine, sweet onion, and clove.
Just south of Dublin, County Wicklow (nicknamed the “Garden of Ireland”) is home to Powerscourt Estate. This eighteenth-century manor house on 47 acres includes terraced Italian gardens, Sugar Loaf Mountain views, and a Japanese garden filled with stone lanterns, pagodas, and a wishing pond. The property is a popular spot for outdoor weddings or intimate ceremonies in the marble entrance hall and column-lined Georgian ballroom, and the estate’s 198-room Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa can host your first night as newlyweds.
Spend the night in an Irish castle hotel.
It’s hard not to feel like you’re in a rom-com when your accommodation is plucked straight from the pages of a fairy tale. The 800-year-old, 83-room Ashford Castle in western Ireland’s County Mayo comes with all the classic features: turrets and battlements, suits of armor, and ornate wallpaper, as well as a modern eye toward sustainability by reducing single-use plastics and prioritizing local, organic foods. After a good night’s sleep, walk through the forest with the estate’s Irish wolfhounds or bundle up for a motorboat cruise on Lough Corrib.
If you’re road-tripping along the Wild Atlantic Way, stop at the 97-room Dromoland Castle, where you can bike around the 450-acre grounds or go for a swim in the indoor pool. Farther south in County Limerick, dine on dry-aged duck served with beetroot and elderberries or monkfish with caviar at The Oak Room inside the 104-room Adare Manor. Guests can also book falconry lessons with owls and eagles on the 842-acre grounds. Northern Ireland’s 98-room Culloden Estate and Spa, on the shores of Belfast Lough, combines romance and relaxation with options for couples massages and Himalayan pink salt baths.
Sample seafood and shop for Claddagh rings in Galway.
This coastal town, a two-and-a-half-hour drive west of Dublin, is known for its seafood. Pair some local oysters, said to have aphrodisiac properties, with a pint of Guinness at Moran’s Oyster Cottage. (The
Guinness Oyster Festival celebrates this essential Irish pairing each September.) Before dinner, walk along the River Corrib’s peaceful banks and watch fishing boats and sailboats return home for the night. Then cross under the sixteenth-century Spanish Arch in the city walls and look for an old stone building with bright-red doors, which houses Ard Bia at Nimmos' seasonal menus including local halibut, lemon sole, and wild mushrooms. In Galway’s West End, sample a 20-dish tasting menu at Michelin-starred Aniar, highlighting the west coast’s terroir with ingredients such as kelp, lobster, trout, and sea buckthorn.
Galway also gives travelers a chance to wear their hearts on their hands instead of their sleeves. The Claddagh ring – named after the Irish word for “shore” – originated here in the seventeenth century. It showcases three symbols: a heart (for love) held between two hands (for friendship) and topped with a crown (for loyalty). Tradition dictates that you wear the heart pointing away from the body if you’re single or pointing toward your palm if you’re in a relationship. Shop for yours (or a Claddagh brooch) at Galway jewelry shops such as Fallers or Thomas Dillon.
Celebrate Pride or meet your match.
Ireland recognizes all kinds of love. It was the first European country to legalize same-sex marriage through referendum (in 2015). The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride festival, held annually in June, celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer life with poetry nights, cabaret shows, and parades.
And if you’re single, don’t let all this talk of romance deter you – Ireland is a great place to be in love or to find love. Case in point: the annual Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, where every September, some 40,000 people gather for a little craic (fun) amid live music, singing, and dancing. Professional matchmaker Willie Daly is especially busy during the festival and is optimistic about anyone looking for love in Ireland. “It’s there,” he says, “just waiting to be found.”
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Danielle Dybiec
Founder & President
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