23 reasons to visit Ireland in 2023

One of the world's most powerful women is celebrated at the start of February, and the Republic of Ireland has a new bank holiday to honour her! Enter St Brigid...

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Weekend in February than with a trip to The Outing, Ireland's amazing LGBTQ+ matchmaking festival, which takes place in County Clare.

Watch Ireland, the World’s No. 2 rugby team, play Wales, Scotland and Italy at home in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in the 6 Nations Championship 2024! There’s a lot more to a rugby weekend in Ireland than just the game!

Well, we couldn't really have an Ireland's must-do list without including the wonderful St Patrick's Day celebrations in March. For 2023, international sensations the Pillow Queens will take over the Festival Quarter at the National Museum of Ireland – Collins Barracks for an evening of new Irish music. It's bound to be a great one!

Explore two of the world’s first accredited Blueways – the Boyne Blueway in County Meath and the Suir Blueway in County Tipperary – where you can walk, cycle or paddle in some of the most beautiful, under-the-radar locations. Bliss!

Journey to the Wild Atlantic Way to see where The Banshees of Inisherin was filmed on Achill Island, County Mayo, and Inis Mór, one of the Aran Islands off the coast of County Galway.

Commemorating the ill-fated liner, Titanic, 111 years on from its launch from Belfast, the renowned Titanic Belfast has had a revamp, with even more stories about the liner's inception, design and build.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band return to Ireland in May, so get planning now for another brilliant concert at Dublin's RDS Arena.

Love Harry Styles? Then you'll want to see him light up the stage when he performs at Slane Castle, County Meath, in June. And don't let the fun end when the music stops. Drink in the history of the Boyne Valley, washed down with a drop of Slane Castle's carefully crafted Irish whiskey.

"Dublin might be a small city, but it packs a punch," says Big 7 Travel, which is why the city has landed on a list of the 30 Most LGBTQ Friendly Cities In The World. And in June 2023, Pride will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a massive party in Dublin.

Celebrate James Joyce's masterpiece, Ulysses, in the city that inspired it. Find out why each year, on 16 June, literary fans flock to Dublin to relive Leopold Bloom’s fateful day in the city.

Time your visit for July and join the golf pros as they take on the challenge of The K Club, County Kildare at the Horizon Irish Open 2023. Glorious Arnold Palmer-designed parkland courses await!

Voted European Cycle Route of the Year, the Royal Canal Greenway gives you every reason in the world to hop on your bike to cycle the 130km from Dublin to the River Shannon.

Treat yourself to a luxury stay in Ireland. A Georgian mansion, a quirky period home, a historic inn, an elegant townhouse and a 15th century castle join Ireland’s Blue Book for 2023. Take your pick!

Ireland now has a total of 21 Michelin-starred restaurants, so get your palate ready for delicious dining at Chapter One, Dublin city; Bastion, County Cork; Eipic, Belfast; and Loam, Galway city.

See a different side to the forest with Beyond the Trees, an amazing treetop walk and viewing tower at Avondale House in County Wicklow. Built for forestry pioneer Samuel Hayes in 1777, Avondale was once the home of Charles Stewart Parnell, a leading Irish nationalist politician.

Stay in the world's number 1 hotel! A Michelin-starred restaurant, a spectacular championship golf course (where the 2027 Ryder Cup will be played), and voted No. 1 resort in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler! Is there anything Adare Manor in County Limerick can’t excel at?

Relishing the return of House of the Dragon for Season 2? Then head to the Game of Thrones Studio Tour in Northern Ireland.

Get to know one of the coolest streets in the world, according to Time Out! If you’ve ever wondered where the hip kids go when they’re in Dublin, the answer is Capel Street!

The University of Notre Dame will play on foreign soil for the first time since 2012 when Dublin's Aviva Stadium hosts the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The Fighting Irish and the Naval Academy meet for the 96th time in their storied rivalry. So save the date: 26 August and see who comes out on top!

Did you know Halloween began in Ireland? The Púca Festival is a folklore-infused celebration of the original birthplace of Halloween; while Derry Halloween has captured the imagination of visitors to the famous Walled City for over 35 years.

Pedal past Viking sites, medieval ruins, Norman castles, old railway stations, Famine workhouses and an Ice Age rock on the glorious, 46km-long Waterford Greenway, stretching all the way from historic Waterford city to the beautiful seaside town of Dungarvan.

According to Condé Nast Traveler, Dublin is one of the top places in the world to celebrate Christmas: "Holiday offerings include Christmas markets, decked-out shops on Grafton Street, and tree-lighting ceremonies galore".