The influential US magazine recognized the Irish city alongside the likes of Cairo and the Peruvian Amazon in its annual comprehensive travel report featuring 28 of the most exciting destinations for 2019.
National Geographic judges noted that this year will be a brilliant time to visit the city on the Wild Atlantic Way, as it marks the run-up to Galway’s time as the European Capital of Culture 2020.
“Galway may sit at the far western edge of Europe,” the magazine states, “but lately the ‘City of Tribes’ has been the center of attention. Named a 2018 European Region of Gastronomy, Ireland’s fourth largest city (population 80,000) is gearing up for the next big thing: Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture.”
The publication also cites new community heritage and arts projects “such as pop-up culture cafes and funambulism (tightrope walking) workshops” that throughout 2019 “will be rolling out in conventional and unexpected venues (beaches, fields, remote villages and rivers) across Galway city and county.”
Galway is one of Ireland’s most engaging cities. Cultured, artsy and bohemian, its brightly painted pubs pulse with traditional and live music.
Michelin-starred restaurants and cozy cafes dot the city center, melding with a lively farmer’s market and craft shops. Bridges arch over the River Corrib and a long promenade leads to the suburb of Salthill on Galway Bay.
In the spring, St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and the Cúirt International Festival of Literature, one of the oldest and most recognized literature festivals in Europe (8 – 14 April), are fine times to go.
Summer and autumn also see the artistic, creative and fun qualities Galway is renowned for come to life in a blaze of superb international festivals ranging from the arts and food to film and horse racing.
Alongside the festivals, shows and events there is a thriving gastronomic scene to check out. Galway is especially known for its oysters and Ireland’s longest running and greatest gourmet extravaganza – the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival.
There is much more to uncover around County Galway, where the hills of Connemara, all sorts of sights and activities on the wild Atlantic coastline or the rustic lifestyle of the Aran Islands are among the attractions that make the area one of the world’s best.
No matter how many times you go to Ireland you’re going to discover something new.
Ireland is a destination that is constantly adding more experiences to its extensive list of top quality things to see and do, meaning there is always a reason to head for its welcoming shores.
Among the newest experiences are a driving school for children at Tayto Park in County Meath and the recently opened Roe and Co. Distillery in Dublin, both of which have made it into Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2019, the highly anticipated annual collection of the best travel destinations, trends, journeys and experiences to have in the year ahead.
The collection outlines the top 10 countries, cities, regions and best value places to visit in the coIrelandming year, as well as the 10 best New Openings, Places to Stay, Food Experiences and Attractions for Kids.
The Attractions for Kids list features the Nissan Driving School at Tayto Park, Ireland’s first ever driving school for kids and an exciting new dimension to the ever popular theme park and zoo. Children get the chance to drive a miniature battery-operated Nissan car along a purpose-built, road-marked traffic course, learn the rules of the road and get their own special driving licence.
On the New Openings list is Roe & Co. Distillery, named in honour of the world-famous nineteenth-century Irish whiskey maker. Scheduled to open in April 2019, it is the latest addition to Ireland’s burgeoning whiskey industry. The distillery has created a blend of the finest quality malt and grain whiskies, aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, which will be celebrated and explored in a new visitor centre.
For whiskey lovers, a further new offering is also available in the newly released Teeling Single Pot Still, the first new Dublin distilled Irish whiskey for nearly 50 years. Produced from 50% unmalted barley and 50% malted barley, a uniquely Irish mash bill made famous by Dublin distillers of old, the new whiskey is exclusively available in Ireland. It’s a great reason to visit the working Teeling Distillery, soak up the sights and sounds and sample a piece of liquid gold history.
For those who prefer a pint of the famous ‘black stuff’ there is another new attraction at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Ireland's most popular attraction features seven floors of interactive experiences revealing the history of the brew and its place in Ireland’s heritage.
Now the Guinness STOUTie presents the ultimate in pint personalisation. Using technology to add natural malt extract to the iconic creamy head of a Guinness pint, the Storehouse can adorn a pint with a sepia toned selfie of the drinker.
An innovative way to come face to face with the perfect Irish pint.
There’s rarely a weekend in the year when there isn’t a music festival somewhere on the island of Ireland. Use our top picks to plan your sounds for the year.
City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival
3–7 May Belfast superstar Van Morrison takes top billing at this year’s celebration of jazz and big bands which presents 350 gigs in over 70 venues in the historic walled city of Derry~Londonderry.
Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival
8–10 June An international line-up of top artists will pick, strum, bow, slap and slide their way through classic and new folk and bluegrass music over a weekend of gigs, sessions, workshops and masterclasses in the gorgeous setting of Atlantic-washed Westport, County Mayo.
Belsonic
15–24 June Music legends Nile Rodgers & Chic, The Script, Liam Gallagher and Carl Cox and a host of supporting acts will take to the stage in Belfast in this week-long summer festival which is set to rock the city.
Sea Sessions
22–24 June Bundoran, County Donegal’s surf music festival will feature top artists Dizzee Rascal, Walking on Cars and Rudimental along with wave-riding, beach partying and beach sports.
Longitude
13–15 July Hip hop hero J Cole, rapper Travis Scott and Beyoncé’s little sis Solange are the headline acts at Dublin’s big summer beatfest, which also features Tyler The Creator.
Castlepalooza
3–5 August Charleville Castle in County Offaly provides the stunning location for this boutique music and arts festival which combines an eclectic programme with the goal of becoming Ireland’s most environmentally friendly festival.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann
12–19 August Expect concerts, competitions, pub sessions and impromptu street performances as Drogheda, County Louth becomes trad central for a week. Attracting hundreds of thousands, the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is the world’s largest celebration of Irish music, language, song and dance.
Electric Picnic
31 August – 2 September Over 40 top artists will perform at this year’s Electric Picnic in County Laois, one of the biggest music festivals of the year. Kendrick Lamar, Massive Attack and N.E.R.D. headline, and supporting acts include Dua Lipa and George Ezra.
Cork Jazz Festival
26–29 October The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is one of the most important jazz events on the international arts calendar, and attracts musicians and music fans from all over the world.
Wexford Festival Opera
19 October – 4 November Seventeen days of operas, concerts, recitals, theatre and talks including rarely seen opera for which the festival is famous. This year’s main performances include Mala Vita (Umberto Giordano) and Dinner at Eight (William Bolcom).
The Skellig Ring drive, on the southwestern tip of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, has been named one of the top regions in the world for travellers in 2017. The region receives the accolade in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017, the highly anticipated collection of the world's hottest trends, destinations and experiences for the year ahead. The bestselling, travel yearbook from one of the world's leading travel authorities highlights the top ten countries, cities, regions and best value destinations that Lonely Planet's experts recommend travellers experience in 2017.
The Skellig Ring is a coastal drive that is an extension of the famous Ring of Kerry on the Wild Atlantic Way – described in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017 as "perhaps Ireland's most charismatically wild and emerald stretch of coastline".
Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a "remote, wave-pounded hunk of rock rising out of the Atlantic like a giant triangle," made the new Star Wars location list. As the book recognises, "Glimpsed at the end of The Force Awakens, Skellig Michael will play a bigger role in this year's sequel and local businesses are gearing up for the expected visitor bump".
Also highlighted in the book is Skellig Michael's sister isle, known as Small Skellig, "an even craggier outpost that hosts a colony of 50,000 gannets." Both are located on the Wild Atlantic Way, often referred to as the world's longest coastal touring route – a 2,500km stretch of glorious rugged coast along the west of Ireland.
The Skellig islands are located off the coast of Kerry and while the book recognises that "nothing beats actually landing on Skellig Michael and climbing the 600 treacherously steep stone steps to reach the intriguing, behive like-chambers," when the isles are out of bounds due to inclement weather, the string of villages from which the boats depart also offer a host of distractions – from cosy pubs and Blue Flag beaches, to historic ruins.
Lonely Planet spokesperson, Nóirín Hegarty, said, "The Skellig Ring should be on every traveller's must-see list. It's a spot of timeless beauty and now that it's coming to prominence on the silver screen, 2017 really is the year to get out there and see it for yourself."
The Skellig Ring features tenth on the list of top regions for 2017, alongside Taranaki in New Zealand, the Azores in Portugal, Aysén in Chile, the Tuamotus in French Polynesia and Coastal Georgia in the USA. Choquequiro in Peru takes the top spot.
Lonely Planet's writers and experts spend time on the road in almost every destination on the planet and each year they report which destinations are set to take off, offering travellers the best experience available. The destinations selected for Lonely Planet's Best in Travel meet specific criteria; it could be that something special is going on in the year ahead or there's been recent development and a lot of buzz about the place, that it offers travellers new things to see or do, or that the Lonely Planet team of experts thinks it's been overlooked and underrated and suggests travellers visit before the crowds do.
A river runs through it … a lone canoeist approaches Shandon bridge, Pope’s Quay, on the Lee river in Cork, Ireland. Photograph: Getty Images/Perspectives
Ireland’s ‘rebel city’ is often just a starting point for exploring the rugged west, but with 24 annual festivals, a cracking food scene and great pubs, there are plenty of reasons to linger
It’s always Cork first and Ireland second,” said Roy Keane in a 1997 RTE documentary, Have Boots Will Travel. Keane, now the national football team’s assistant manager, was describing how he replies when people ask where he’s from. However, the reality is this self-proclaimed “rebel city” often plays second fiddle to Dublin in terms of attention, influence and media hubbub – and that even extends to it as a short-break destination. But missing out on Cork is a mistake. This is a city with a little bit of everything, and a touch of magic.
Blessed by a location in southern Ireland that means fresh seafood plus lush countryside for dairy produce and livestock, Cork’s food scene is flourishing under the watchful eye of chefs such as Kate Lawlor and Denis Cotter, and at restaurants including Electric, Farmgate Cafe, Fenn’s Quay and Market Lane. Beer thoughts may start with Beamish and Murphy’s but craft breweries, such as award-winner Rising Sons, as well as Elbow Lane, the Franciscan Well, and the Cotton Ball Brewing Co, provide character in a pub scene that is alive, well and adhering to cliches – in the best possible sense.
Saint Fin Barre’s cathedral in Bishop Street. Photograph: Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
Yes, it has its historic attractions. Enjoy city views and ring the Shandon Bells at St Anne’s church (adults €5, children €2.50), marvel at the William Burges-designedSaint Fin Barre’s cathedral (€5), chinstroke at the Crawford art gallery(free) – or visit Cork Butter museum (adult €4, child €1.50). But this student-rich city also has a sense of fun and a strong cultural heartbeat away from its tourist hits.
Cork hosts 24 major festivals every year, including Ireland’s oldest movie showcase, the Cork film festival, which celebrates its 61st birthday in November. There’s also a world-renowned jazz festival in October and annual celebrations of folk music, literature, science and food. What’s more, this is a place built for strolling and has a centre ripe for exploring. It has its dark side, too … though you can more easily examine that amid the, at times, comic setting of Lisa McInerney’s prize-winning novel The Glorious Heresies.
Cork may often have been merely a starting point for those heading west to the rugged, dramatic scenery of the Ring of Kerry, Mizen Head and the Ring of Beara but it is a fascinating jaunt in its own right. The verbal jousting with Dublin about being the “real” capital of Ireland is unlikely to end but pick any month and there’ll be a great event here; pick the right time and an affordable return flight is likely. Cork could be the short-hop stop that turns into the best of adventures.
Lewis Glucksman Gallery, University College, Cork. Photograph: Getty Images
Get on the Fab Food Trail
It’s not fast food but fab food. This walking tour is nourishing and an essential way to see Cork’s most respected and up-and-coming cafes, restaurants and market traders. The three-hour guided odyssey reveals great foodie destinations – with tasting opportunities – and provides an insight into the city’s architecture and history. The groups are small (up to 14) and the stopoffs changed regularly – though it may include the inventive Filter cafe, the swishness of Fenn’s Quayrestaurant, and the ace salad and juice bar, The Rocket Man. • Cork Tasting Trail with Fab Food Trails, €55, fabfoodtrails.ie
Robert Glasper will be performing at Cork Jazz Festival on Saturday 29 October. Photograph: Hayley Madden/Redferns
It doesn’t matter if you miss a festival in Cork, there’ll be another along in a minute: the city averages two a month. The jazz festival (28-31 October) attracts star names and this year has a double bill featuring the Robert Glasper Experiment and the James Taylor Quartet. The Cork film festival (11-20 November) mixes home-grown movies, a well-curated pick from world cinema, plus a few Hollywood big hitters. It makes use of venues around the city, including the impressive Opera House. This year, the festival features director Nate Parker’s provocative The Birth of a Nation; Gimme Danger, Jim Jarmusch’s documentary about punk band the Stooges; a strand of German films; and a series of late-night screenings including a 40th anniversary presentation of Carrie. If you want to plan ahead: the midsummer festival in mid-to-late June is a sunny celebration of the arts, while Cork Pride is usually held in July. •guinnessjazzfestival.com; corkfilmfest.org; corkmidsummer.com; corkpride.com
Back to university
The grounds of University College Cork make a pleasant place for a stroll – leafy winding paths, walks alongside the river Lee – but they also provide a glimpse of old and new in harmony. At the entrance to the grounds is the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, a glorious timber, stone and glass construction that hosts free exhibitions. A few minutes away, and facing the student centre, is the Honan Chapel: an arts and crafts design, it celebrates its 100th anniversary in November and is named after the Cork merchant family who financed its construction. •glucksman.org, honanchapel.com
Shop in a market that’s super
The English Market is in the centre of the city and seems to be its heart, too; it certainly fills the belly. A traditional covered market dating from the mid-19th century, it brings together greengrocers, bakers, butchers and fishmongers with a smattering of cafes and a clutch of stalls selling clothes, household items and art. It’s a destination in its own right but, importantly, functions as a market, not a novelty. Stalls to check out include butcher Tom Durcan, for his spiced beef, andKay O’Connell Fish Merchants, where Pat O’Connell has plenty of wit to match his fish wisdom. •englishmarket.ie
On the upper floor of the English Market, this daytime cafe has views of the stalls below, turning it into a gallery for observing the scale of the market. Family-run – Rebecca Harte, daughter of the original owner, Kay, is now the manager – it gets most of its produce direct from the market. The lunch menu features a catch of the day, while meat treats include hearty-not-heavy pork sausages, mash, lentils and bacon (€12.50) and, for a subtle-but-sweet dish, there’s the St Tola goat’s cheese and roasted beetroot salad (€12.50). • English Market, Princes Street, +353 21 427 8134, farmgatecork.ie. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm
Electric
The focus of the menu is on locally caught fish and prime Irish steaks but the art deco building and its views of the Lee from the restaurant, bar and terrace add an extra jolt of “wow” to this foodie haven. A new fish bar, open from 5pm daily, serves three Pacific oysters for €7, seafood chowder from €4.50 and a sumptuous and refreshing lightly poached hake with cream (€12). • 41 South Mall, +353 21 4222 990, electriccork.com
The simple, modern decor of chef Denis Cotter’s restaurant provides an elegant environment for vegetarian cuisine that is dazzling to look at and just as fulfilling to eat. Now in its 23rd year, Paradiso offers a menu of two courses for €33 or three for €40. Highlights include beetroot, watercress and orange risotto with fresh Ardsallagh goat’s cheese, pine nut crumb and kai lan greens; and the chilli-glazed tofu, pak choi, rice noodles, tamarind-coconut broth with gingered aduki wonton. • 16 Lancaster Quay, +353 21 4277 939, paradiso.restaurant. The Paradiso also has two guestrooms: two-night stay for two with dinner on one night, €330
In a buzzy location on Oliver Plunkett Street, which is lined with shops, cafes and pubs, Market Lane has a menu mixing traditional Irish ingredients with a dash of continental flair. It’s a great spot for those planning a longer night out as its early-bird menu, served Monday-Thursday from 5pm-7pm and Sunday 1pm-7pm, has three courses for €23.50, which might comprise French onion soup, slow-cooked west Cork ham hock, and vanilla bean ice-cream with almond brittle. • 5/6 Oliver Plunkett Street, +353 21 427 4710, marketlane.ie
Nash 19
The worst thing about Nash 19 – bakery, cafe and gallery – is that it closes at 4pm. The good news is, it’s open early: weekdays from 7.30am, Saturdays from 8.30am. And if it’s busy, pick up a Nash2Go box of sandwiches. If the baked cakes and tarts, or owner Claire Nash’s house granola (€4) don’t tempt, the full fry-up (€10), or a lunch-time feast of its house burger with skinny fries (€13), should put fuel in the tank. • 19 Princes Street, +353 21 427 0880, nash19.com
Welcome to your new favourite pub: the kind of dark-but-welcoming hideaway that would be perfect were it on the route home from work. Time seems to hold no sway in this compact (and candlelit) delight in an alleyway by the English Market. Open from 10.30am (not Sundays), it’s often busy but somehow there’s always somewhere to sit or prop yourself. Rising Sons’ craft brews feature prominently. • 3 Mutton Lane, on Facebook
Edison
This cocktail bar in a former cinema offers an antidote to the bustle of the more conventional bars found on, and around, Washington Street. Cocktails start from €7 and include classics such as Tom Collins, Old Fashioned and Mai Tai, with new twists in a Popcorn Daiquiri and The Lethal Weapon (dark rum, grenadine, passion fruit, orange and pineapple). The industrial-chic decor, with its filament-showcasing lightbulbs, nods towards hipsterville but the fact it also stocks craft brews from Franciscan Well and Cotton Ball Brewing Co shows its local roots. • 11-12 Washington Street, +353 21 427 3252, on Facebook
Charlie’s Bar
This is a Cork institution for two reasons: it’s a wonderful, traditional pub to watch live music in, and it’s an early-morning bar. That last bit means it’s open daily (except Sunday) from 7am. Right by the Lee but still close to the city centre, Charlie’s has a coal fire (for the cold mornings) and musical offerings beyond just fiddles, drums and accordions to include rock, blues and more. • 2 Union Quay, +353 21 431 8342, charliesbarcork.com
A couple of doors down from Rising Sons’ modern and cavernous pub-brewery on Cornmarket Street is Dennehy’s Bar – which is quite the opposite. There’s no TV; instead the walls are decorated with notes from the world’s currencies and framed covers of The Phoenix, Ireland’s answer to Private Eye. The bar has been run by the Dennehy family for more than 50 years, and that spirit of continuity is there in the chatter of locals and a concentration on the basics: bar stools and wooden tables, decent beers and good conversation. • 11 Cornmarket Street, +353 21 427 2343, on Facebook
Reidy’s Wine Vault Bar
It’s slightly out of the city centre, on the road to the university, but Reidy’s is a great pitstop for decent beer, good-value food (soups, stews, sandwiches) and a calm atmosphere. It has a nostalgic air with its long wooden bar with plenty of seats, high stools around circular tables and globe-shaped bulbs that give out just the right amount of warm light. There’s also a quaint beer garden at the back. • Western Road, no website
This large, plush, contemporary hotel has a picture-perfect location on the river and is almost equidistant from the university and the centre of town. The breakfast and dining area is light and airy, the rooms are a generous size with many having views of the river or Saint Fin Barre’s cathedral and there’s even a small spa, pool and gym area. • Doubles from €140 room only, Western Road, +353 21 425 2700,doylecollection.com
The Imperial hotel
Whereas the River Lee is modern and glass-fronted, the Imperial has old-style grandeur and the maturity to say “2016 is my 200th birthday”. The 125 rooms mix classic furnishings with modern amenities and the lobby is a marbled wonder that is also a gateway to the New York-esque booths and curved bar of Seventy Six on the Mall. That restaurant is one of three; Lafayette’s Brasserie also impresses – because it seems inspired by Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s in the heart of the city so worth a visit even for those not staying here. • Doubles from €100 room only, South Mall, +353 21 730 6606, flynnhotels.com
For cheaper stays, try Hotel Isaacs (doubles from €70 B&B, hotelisaacscork.com) or Brú Bar & hostel (doubles from €48, dorm beds from €15, bruhostel.com).Montenotte hotel (doubles from €109 B&B, themontenottehotel.com) has city views from its terrace, and its own cinema. The Metropole (doubles from €99 B&B, themetropolehotel.ie) has a lovely pool and is on MacCurtain Street, in what some are calling the city’s Victorian Quarter.
