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THE GUINNESS STOREHOUSE is Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction, with visitor numbers increasing by 4% to 1,711,281.
Fáilte Ireland has published its annual list of Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions in 2017.
It looks at both fee charging and free attractions. In the fee charging list, the Cliffs of Moher came in second, while Dublin Zoo was third.
The National Gallery of Ireland topped the list of ‘free to enter’ attractions, surpassing the one million mark for the first time with a 41% increase in visitors.
New entrants Castletown House and Parklands in Kildare and Glendalough in Wicklow came in second and third.
Overall, the top 20 fee-charging attractions during 2017 were:
Amongst Ireland’s ‘free to enter’ attractions, the National Gallery of Ireland had a total of 1,065,929 visitors.
Ireland’s top 20 ‘free to enter’ attractions for 2017 were:
Welcoming another record year for visitors, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Product Development, Orla Carroll said:
“Fáilte Ireland invests in new and compelling attractions throughout the country because we know that they bring visitors from around the world to our shores.”
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Cliffs of Moher are to be avoided! Biggest rip off in Ireland tourist wise. You don’t pay to park your car you pay for each person in the car!! Gives very bad impression of Ireland to tourists. Better cliffis in Donegal!
@Paul A Whelan: You said it. The Sliabh Liag cliffs in Donegal are more impressive and also free. Plus, there are short hiking trails in the area to do too once your viewing of the cliffs are done. At the Cliffs of Moher it’s just back to the car with ye.
@Paul A Whelan: they don’t even have a handrail around it! It’s a health and safety nightmare!
@Paul A Whelan: Donegal is a hidden gem lots of places here never get saturated with tourists but don’t tell people in Kerry that.
@Paul A Whelan: If in Clare the cliffs south of Kilkee are not as high as the cliffs of Moher but are still very impressive. That bit of coast is very scenic and relatively ‘undiscovered’.
@Paul A Whelan: Cliffs of Moher are actually free to visit, they just want to make you think you have to pay.
@Paul A Whelan: if you spot the sign down the road for carpark go up there.. park in your woman’s little car park for 2euro and enjoy the long stroll along the cliff edge all the way up to the tourist spot.. as g or the lack of barriers on a cliff edge, it’s a cliff, you know there’s an edge, so quite simple just keep back from it.. not everything needs a sign and railings and all that crap
@Ollie Lad: Yes this. Nice loop walk and only cost is to park the car.
Could go a step (or a few) further and park in Liscannor or Doolin and get a bus to walk back all along the cliffs / coast walk.
Quite the spectacle on a clear day.
@The Thinker: You still need to get there and, for most of us (unless we’re walking or cycling), that involves paying for the car park. Again, Sliabh Liag is free.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: you only have to pay for 1 person into the car park if you clear everyone out of the car before the paypoint they can then just walk into the car park after the driver
@Tweety McTweeter: it’s a natural attraction for Christ’s sake. It shouldn’t have poles, and rails, and warning signs. I think people have enough cop on to know how to take care of their own personal safety.
It attracts over a million visitors every year. Few, if any, serious accidents.
Strange that Garnish Island isn’t on this list and yet other very average stuff (in my view) has made it.
@Jack Jackson: Garnish is just fantastic, like another world.
The Dunmore Caves in Kilkenny and the Japanese Gardens and National Stud in Kildare are also worth visiting.
@Coll S: Those Japanese gardens are excellent and I always thought that there would be a demand for a much bigger version in the country somewhere. They are a treat for senses and food for the mind when done well.
Disappointed with New Grange I thought it would be up in the top 5
@Gareth Cooney: It’s more a capacity issue. You can fit a heck of a lot more people in, say, the Guinness Storehouse than in Newgrange at any one time. Though, it’s not clear if they’re talking about Newgrange itself or including the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: Visitors Centre. Newgrange itself usually gets around 140,000, again down to capacity / logistics
The dail is worth a visit for morbid humour, listening to all the crisies followed by another pay rise for the lads followed by sessions in the dail bars.
Giants Causeway over one million visitors in 2017,
Oh yes of course, I forgot. That’s Nordie territory and doesn’t count.
@ted hagan: Speaking of nordie territory, Marble Arch geopark in Fermanagh is well worth a visit. Walk down into a cave and take a boat trip on an underground river – then hop in the car and visit Cavan Burren park. (I think the GC is overrated)
@ted hagan: whats wrong with nordy is it cos weve best coast line best people best food
Go yo bed ted lol
@ted hagan: Don’t think Northern Irish attractions fall under the remit of Fáilte Ireland. I think the name would be the first stumbling block.
@ROBERT FERGUSON:
Yes I know. I live on the Antrim coast.
@Matt Connolly:
Comes under Ireland though surely and there is close cooperation between the two tourist boards.
Surprised at some of the statistics… Guinness has been leading for a few years… As said on thread its a bit overrated…. But I’m amazed at Kylemore Abbey been so high on the list …. I thought it was the most boring experience….
@Sean Leonard: I’m wondering what you expected?
I’ve visited Kylemore Abbey, and while inside the Abbey itself isn’t the most interesting, the grounds around it and the view of seeing it as you’re driving over are amazing, in my opinion.
Better cliffs in Kilkee
@Eamonn Skerrett:
Moher is a rip off for sure. Cliff walks in Kilkee are lovely and it doesn’t end there, as the entire coast south to Loop Head is on a far bigger scale to the fatted calf that is Moher. And Kilkee is free.
What about Poulnaproun Dolmen Co Clare? Surely 1 of the most visited free sites n the country
I visited Kylemore this year and thought it was a nice day out, but I’m very surprised to see it had twice as many visitors as Newgrange
Avoid Powerscourt waterfall at all costs, crazy that you can park your car 50 meters from it, too many folk having BBQs. Kids of all ages clambering up slippery rock faces, not surprised to see emergency services dealing with casualty when I was there earlier this year.
@Maurice Frazer: Would you rather it was fenced off? Surely nature is there to be experienced not just looked at? I’ve happy childhood memories of climbing trees and rocks in Powerscourt, nd getting right up to the pool where the spray would wet you. Would hate the next generations to be deprived of that experience. What was the song “…they took all the trees and put them in a tree museum.. “?
@Maurice Frazer: you can walk above powers court for free. And there are also other lovely free walks in the area.
From Dongal and not far from Glenveagh and never had to pay in ever!
Probably been there 40times
IMO, there should not be an entrance fee for the Cliffs of Moher because the commercial activities on site should be more than adequate to finance the operation. Its a bit much to charge admission to what is a natural sight.
Bar kylemore,its still to hell or to connaught.
@Brian Murphy: Certain parts of Connaught are an experience in themselves. Delphi Valley, or the Sky road on the way to visit Inisbofin are 2 of my favourites. Looking back to the mainland from Inisoirr on a fine evening. Dont mind the tourist traps. Connaught is world class.
St Catherines Park is Lucan/Leixlip is a lovely parkland and should be included in the list
Wonder did the Kute Kerry Kintz find a way of charging us to look at Skellig Rock………….. wait for it, wait for it…………. on google maps yet?
What about the Spire? It didn’t feature, the only monument to our Junkies we have???
What makes a venue the post popular in Ireland is the marketing of that venue. The proof of that is the Guinness Store House.
The NAC, the swimming club in Blanchardstown? #3? Weird..
@L’Ari demana llibertat pels presos polítics: correction position #4
Dun Aenghus fort on Inis Mor is amazing
Spike Island,. now the joyriders are all gone. lots around Cork harbor, Camden fort, Roche’s Point lighthouse, Cobh (just forget that its tourism is based on two maritime disasters Titanic+ Lusitania)
And all this will just make them hike the fees. Tourists are fleeced here. Full stop.
What about Lough Rynn Hotel and gardens,!?
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