Is there a great town to stay in the countryside of Ireland?

Question

I will be in Ireland for a few days in the summer and I would like to go to a place that has a smaller amount of tourists compared to big cities like Dublin, the capital. I want to see beautiful countryside and go into town to pubs and clubs and all that. Anyone know a good place to stay?

Answer 1

Many Irish towns are quite grim.

Plan carefully!!!!!

Answer 2

westport or galway city though galway has a population approaching 100,000

Answer 3

You can't go wrong with any of the suggestions already submitted.  When I visited, I stayed in Cong for a few days.  It's not far from Galway, and you get to see some beautiful countryside.  Ireland is a beautiful country.  I hope you enjoy it.

Answer 4

Killarney is a very popular destination during the summer but you'd probably find it a bit quieter at this time of year.Kilkenny's nice too,a city that's more of a town,but with plenty going for it.City-wise i'd recomment Galway,which has a very artsy feel and Cork,which is great for small shops.Both cities are proudly Irish yet cosmopolitan, and have a great nightlife.

Answer 5

Mayo has beautiful scenery with Achill Island, Kilkenny is a great city with some castles and again nice scenery with a decent night life

Cork is also a lovely spot, so too is Killarney but be careful the land of a thousand welcomes has a habit of ripping off tourists,hope you enjoy

Answer 6

There's lots of nice place outside of the big cities, Co Clare is really nice with lots of touristy places and small towns, Co Kerry is similar, Killarney would be the main tourist spot, but does get quite busy so you'd want to book accommodation in advance, for nice beaches and probably the best chance of sunshine I would try Co Wexford, it's not touristy and a lot of irish would go here! You should have no problem finding good pubs, especially around Clare and Kerry, clubs could be a problem outside of the bigger towns or cities though.

You could try these links if you want

http://www.irelandhotels.com/  - this for accommodation

http://www.discoverireland.com/  - this for info on where to go etc

Answer 7

Clifden and Westport.

Or sligo. Dingle is good too.

Answer 8

Kinsale, Co Cork is beautiful.  It does attract a lot of tourists but it has a lot to offer for a small picturesque town - restaurants, history, fishing, walking/hiking and a good choice of quality places to stay.

Answer 9

Ballyvaughan is a great place. Magherafelt. Limavady. Portstewart too are all good.

Answer 10

There lots of towns worth visiting. I suggest Ennis in County Clare, it's near Shannon airport. Or indeed any of the smaller places not mentioned by the Irish Tourist board on their material, in the South-west of Ireland.