Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The dark limestone walls of the Cliffs of Moher stretch for 5 miles along the coast of county Clare. Wander south, away from the visitors' center, to Hag’s Head and gaze at the surf pounding the rocks 600 feel below. To see the cliffs from water level, take a boat tour from Doolin. Farther south on the west coast, a highlight of the Ring of Kerry scenic drive, the rocky pyramids of the Skelligs jut out of the Atlantic. Besides the dramatic landscape and abundance of seabirds, the largest, Skellig Michael, hold remains of a monastic settlement that survived on the wind-battered rocks between the 6th and 11th centuries, and has been inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage list. Boats run Easter to October, and leave from Portmagee, Ballinskelligs or Derrynane. The numbers are limited, so book ahead in July and August.
Newgrange is one of the sites of the UNESCO-listed Brú na Bóinne complex 30 km north of Dublin. The insides of the simple earthen mound hide a passage tomb and ceremonial sites. The central chamber floods with sunlight around the time of the winter solstice, but the megalithic art that covers the retaining wall, and the whole impressive subterranean structure, are worth seeing at any time. The visitors' center, with an exhibition and replica tombs, is the departure point of the shuttle bus to the actual monuments. In the same county Meath, the Hill of Tara has been long shrouded in myth and history. The seat of the High Kings of Ireland in early medieval times, the hill, dotted with earthen mounds and tumuli, and crisscrossed by stone walls and ditches, provides a splendid viewpoint for the landscape of the ancient heart of Ireland.
Blarney castle, a tower house on the outskirts of the city of Cork, owes it landmark status to the Blarney Stone, upon whose kissing bestows the gift of the gab. After you risk your life hanging backward over a parapet to do the deed, explore the gardens and the mysterious Rock Close. In county Tipperary, an hour's drive north of Cork, stands the Rock of Cashel. A hillock topped with a spectacular set of ruins, it resembles a fairy-tale castle less than a fortress from a sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Cashel rivaled Tara as a seat of power and influence in the early centuries of the first millennium. The medieval remains include a 13th-century Gothic cathedral and a 12th-century Celtic round tower. The town is an hour's drive north of Cork.
The 12th-century Saint Patrick's Cathedral stands on one of the earliest Christian sites in Ireland, associated with the eponymous saint himself, who reputedly baptized converts in a nearby well. The current building is the largest church in Ireland, and used for official occasions as an Anglican temple. Jonathan Swift is buried there. Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland, takes up a city block, and its lovely campanile is a real Dublin landmark. Don't miss one of the biggest Dublin attractions, the illuminated manuscript of the Book of Kells, on display in the college's Old Library.