Why read a book on Ireland when there are over 190 destinations that fly non-stop to Dublin, including most major US hubs? If you think seeing is believing, wait until you’ve tried some or all of these unique Irish adventures, from mild to wild, which will not only thrill you but also help you experience and understand life on the Emerald Isle.
These adventures are laid out in a 700-mile road trip around Ireland that takes you from Dublin to Northern Ireland and down the Wild Atlantic Way before returning back to Dublin. Of course, you’ll find delicious food and unique accommodations along the way, but you’ll have to read about those later.
Until then, let’s start on our adventure tour of Ireland.
Howth Cliff Walks
Our first uniquely Irish adventure is a walk on the mild side in the quiet coastal town of Howth (rhymes with both) which sits on the northside of Dublin Bay. It’s just outside Dublin City and easily reached by car or the DART Train .
Once you arrive, you’ll find four marked walks around the Hill of Howth that offer spectacular views of Dublin Bay. They all pass by Howth Harbour and the sea cliffs but close the loop in different ways. The most direct route is the 4.4-mile Tramline Loop, and the longest is the 7.4-mile Bog of Frogs Loop, which runs the length of the sea cliffs before returning to the village. Perhaps the most popular route is the 5-mile Cliff Path Loop that runs along the upper and lower cliff paths.
If you want to go beyond blazed routes and scenic views, consider taking a guided tour from Howth locals at Shane’s Howth Adventures , known as Dublin’s best coastal experience and the top-rated provider on TripAdvisor. They connect the stories, people, and land together in a meaningful and authentic way. On our walk, we learned about how Dublin and Howth were tied together in history through Viking invasions, Napoleonic threats, and trade in the British Empire. We also learned fun facts, like did you know Halloween originated in Ireland?! You can’t understand Ireland without knowing Dublin, and there’s no more natural and scenic viewpoint to that story than the cliffs of Howth.
Kayaking Strangford Lough
Heading up the coast to Northern Ireland, you reach Strangford Lough, one of the largest sea inlets in the British Isles. It has over 58 sq-mi of water with remarkably idyllic flat-water conditions from the Ards peninsula and numerous islands sheltering the bay. It’s also a Marine Nature Reserve, SSSI, AONB, and a Special Area of Conservation that protects and preserves over 2000 species of wildlife.
Retreating glaciers left more than 120 drumlin islands scattered throughout the bay, each with a story that comes to life with a guided tour from Strangford Lough Activity Centre . Learn how the fierce Viking Magnus Barelegs used the Lough as his fortress and St Patrick’s returned to Ireland through these waters. It’s a paddle through time into the heart of Irish history. If you want to double dip on St Patrick, you can visit his grave in nearby Downpatrick.
Coasteering at Ballyhornan
The Giant’s Causeway is one of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular shorelines, where 40,000 interlocking basalt columns meet the water. Allegedly, the giant Finn McCool built the causeway across the North Channel to fight the Scottish giant Benandonner. Only, I don’t trust anybody who has to proclaim their McCoolness, and it’s hard to get cooler than coasteering, which is best done just down the coast on the limestone cliffs of Ballyhornan.
Clear Sky Adventure Centre runs canyoneering trips featuring up to 25′ cliff jumps, shoreline swims, and aquatic exploration of sea caves. It’s an extreme adventure that is tailorable for any group. Their site states, “Jumping is not compulsory, but most people like to try the smaller ones, and you do not even need to be able to swim under the care of our expert guides, so no excuses!”
The center is located at Old Castle Ward Demesne, more commonly known as Winterfell Castle to Game of Thrones Fans. Seeing is believing when you take an archery lesson from a costumed instructor in the Winterfell Castle Courtyard, where Jon Snow & Rob Stark taught young Bran Stark the primal art of archery. You can also ride the Westros Cycle Trail through 20 GOT filming locations around the castle grounds.
Visiting Ulster American Folk Park
The Ulster American Folk Park is an immersive museum that tells the story of three families from Ulster who all left for America and made a tremendous impact on the world. The Mellons, as in Mellon Bank and Carnegie Mellon University, Robert Campbell, one of the premier mountain men of the 19th century, and John Joseph Hughes, the first Archbishop of New York.
The park is centered around the original Mellon farm, but the stories are told as you tour over 30 buildings. Docents in period costumes tell you the story of life in Ireland as you make your way to Belfast docks and then journey across the ocean to Baltimore Harbor and the New World.
The story doesn’t stop with the prominent families. It continues with the tenant farmers who suffered during the Potato Famine, Irish women marginalized in American cities, and even Native Americans displaced by the waves of European immigration. You’ll never forget your Irish history lesson with the smell of smoldering peat lingering heavily in an authentic peasant cottage.
Biking Glenveagh National Park
After crossing over Northern Ireland, you reach the Wild Atlantic Way. Glenveagh National Park is in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains in northwest County Donegal. Lough Veagh and Glenveagh Castle highlight the park, but there’s more to see and explore. The walled gardens are part of the Donegal Garden Trail , and the castle is being restored with museum-quality exhibits.
If you’re feeling mild, you can take a bus from the visitor center to the castle. If you’re feeling a little wild, rent a bike or hike along the length of the lake (Lough Veagh) through Mullangore Wood for views of the towering Astelleen Burn Waterfall.
The mileage from the visitor center is as follows:
Glenveagh Visitor Center – 0 mi
Glenveagh Castle – 2.2 mi
Mullangore Wood – 3.6 mi
Far side of Lough Veagh – 3.9 mi
Headwall of Canyon – 4.8 mi
Top of Canyon (jnct w/ R254) – 6.7 mi
Glenveagh National Park is an Irish story of power and greed from John George Adair, who made his fortune from predatory real estate deals during the Potato Famine. Adair evicted 244 peasants from the castle’s lands, reportedly to improve the view. From poet William Allingham’s Eviction –
In early morning twilight, raw and chill,
Damp vapours brooding on the barren hill,
Through miles of mire in steady grave array
Threescore well-arm’d police pursue their way;
…
The hamlet clustering on its hill is seen,
A score of petty homesteads, dark and mean;
Poor always, not despairing until now;
Long used, as well as poverty knows how,
Glenveagh is a microcosm of Irish politics and ecology with goats, villains, and class struggles. It also struggles with deforestation and climate change. The name means valley of the birch trees, but those are few and far between these days. However, scientists are taking core samples of the peat bogs to determine the best ways to replant the forests, herds of iconic red deer have been reintroduced, and invasive rhododendrons are being cleared to make room for a temperate rainforest. These efforts prove that with science and education, there is a future for humanity and ecology.
Unique Ascents on Cruit Island
Cruit Island lies 20 miles due west of Glenveagh National Park, but it feels like it’s a million miles from nowhere. For contemporary travelers, it’s best known for its golf course , which is world-renowned as one of the best nine-hole courses anywhere. However, adventure travelers make the trek to this far northwest corner of Ireland because it’s where granite meets the sea, which means world-class climbing with unbelievable views.
80% of Ireland’s marked climbing routes are in this region, and they’re incredibly underdeveloped and unexplored. Iain Miller, the World’s Only Full-Time Professional Sea Stack Climber and the owner of Unique Ascent , said that if you climb a new route every day, it will take you 15 lifetimes before you run out of first ascents. Iain said there are only three areas with sea stacks like this in the world: Scotland, Tasmania, and this remote corner of Ireland.
Even casual climbers will love a day on the rocks with Unique Ascent, who will make sure they pick routes tailored to the group’s skills. After all, there are plenty to choose from
