Top 10 Viewpoints in Ireland
Ireland is small enough that the best viewpoints are within a day's drive of each other, but the country's geography rewards taking longer. Rain showers chase rainbows, cliffs face out into 5,000 km of open Atlantic, and the inland karst, drumlins and bog lakes offer their own quieter spectacle. The selection below skews towards the western seaboard — that is honestly where most of the best vistas live — but includes a few inland and urban additions.
1. Cliffs of Moher, County Clare
The 14 km cliffline rising to 214 m at Knockardakin is Ireland's most-visited natural attraction, with about 1.5 million visitors a year. The walk south to Hag's Head is far quieter than the main viewing platform.
2. Slieve League, County Donegal
Some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, dropping nearly 600 m to the Atlantic. The Bunglas viewpoint and the One Man's Pass ridge walk offer two contrasting experiences — the latter only in fair weather.
3. Mizen Head, County Cork
Ireland's south-westernmost point, with a signal station perched on a near-island connected by a footbridge over an 50 m chasm. The view out across the open Atlantic is the southernmost in Ireland.
4. Gap of Dunloe, County Kerry
The glacial pass between Macgillycuddy's Reeks and Purple Mountain gives a sequence of views over loughs ending at Black Lake. Best walked end-to-end (11 km) from Kate Kearney's Cottage.
5. Diamond Hill, Connemara
A short, well-engineered loop walk to the 442 m summit gives a panoramic view over Connemara, the Twelve Bens, and out to Inishbofin. The granite-and-quartzite path takes two hours return.
6. The Burren — Mullaghmore loop
The 191 m karst hill in County Clare is the centrepiece of the Burren — pavements of grey limestone, gentian and orchids, and a distant view to the Atlantic. The waymarked loop is a perfect half-day.
7. Howth Head, County Dublin
The cliff path around Howth Head loops above the Irish Sea with Dublin Bay to the west and the Mountains of Mourne visible across the bay in clear weather. Forty minutes from Dublin city centre by DART train.
8. Croagh Patrick summit, County Mayo
The 764 m pilgrimage peak above Westport gives a view over Clew Bay and its 300+ drumlin islands — a uniquely Irish landscape created by the last ice sheet. The summit can be reached in two hours.
9. Knocknarea, County Sligo
The flat-topped 327 m hill west of Sligo town, capped by Queen Medb's cairn. The summit commands Sligo Bay, Benbulbin, and the W. B. Yeats landscape. A 45-minute uphill walk from Strandhill.
10. Achill Island — Keem Bay
The road descending to Keem Bay on Achill Island is dramatic enough to be a destination in itself. The viewpoint above the beach shows the curve of the bay framed by cliffs.
Atlantic weather
Irish viewpoints are best on the days the rain blows through, leaving behind huge skies and sharp light. The standard tactic is to be at the trailhead at dawn and accept the possibility of multiple attempts.
Explore on the map
The ten viewpoints range from County Donegal to County Cork along the Wild Atlantic Way, with two on the east coast. Many are reachable by bus from the nearest town. Browse the interactive map for trailheads, viewpoints and parking.