Wandering Well · Country

Ireland.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

Waterford, Ireland
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Waterford

Ireland

Founded by Vikings in 914, Waterford is Ireland's oldest city, sitting at the head of Waterford Harbour in the south-east of the country.

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Skerries, Ireland
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Skerries

Ireland

A small coastal town north of Dublin with a real café and restaurant scene for its size, Skerries sits directly on the water in County Fingal.

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Youghal, Ireland
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Youghal

Ireland

A designated Irish Heritage Port on the estuary of the River Blackwater in East Cork, Youghal is a historic walled seaside town with medieval and early moder…

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Lismore, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Lismore

Ireland

Pocket-sized heritage town on the River Blackwater in County Waterford, Lismore has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

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Clifden, Ireland
Silver
Mountain villages

Clifden

West · Ireland

A small harbour town on the northwest coast of County Galway, Clifden sits where the Owenglin River meets Clifden Bay, with mountain terrain rising behind it.

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Castlebar, Ireland
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Castlebar

Ireland

The county town of County Mayo in western Ireland, Castlebar has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its weight for a modest town.

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Blessington, Ireland
Gold
Mountain villages

Blessington

Ireland

Russborough House, an 18th-century estate with a rich art collection, sits just outside this modest County Wicklow town on the edge of the Wicklow mountains.

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Kenmare, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Kenmare

Ireland

At the head of Kenmare Bay in southwest County Kerry, this village punches well above its size with an unusually dense concentration of cafés and restaurants…

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Rosslare Harbour, Ireland
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Rosslare Harbour

Ireland

Rosslare Harbour is a small village in County Wexford, Ireland, that grew around the ferry port now known as Rosslare Europort, developed in 1906 to handle s…

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Enniscorthy, Ireland
Silver
Mountain villages

Enniscorthy

South-East · Ireland

Enniscorthy, on the River Slaney in County Wexford, is best known as the stronghold of the 1798 Rebellion — Vinegar Hill, where rebels made their headquarter…

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Dromoland, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Dromoland

Ireland

This grey-stone Irish castle with battlemented towers, ivy-draped walls, and manicured grounds in County Clare offers a grand lakeside retreat set against ro…

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Dingle, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Dingle

Ireland

This small Atlantic fishing town on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry packs an unusual number of cafés and restaurants into its centre for a place its siz…

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Moville, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Moville

Ireland

Tiny coastal village on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Moville sits on the shore of Lough Foyle with a handful of cafés and restaurants that punc…

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Graiguenamanagh, Ireland
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Graiguenamanagh

Ireland

Duiske Abbey, the largest of the thirty-four medieval Cistercian abbeys in Ireland, sits at the centre of this small County Kilkenny village on the River Bar…

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Kilronan, Ireland
Silver

Kilronan

Ireland

The main settlement on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands off County Galway, Kilronan is a compact fishing and tourism village set at the water's edge.

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Kingscourt, Ireland
Gold

Kingscourt

Ireland

Founded near the end of the 18th century by Mervyn Pratt and completed by his brother the Reverend Joseph Pratt, Kingscourt is a compact County Cavan town ne…

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Bandon, Ireland
Bronze
Mountain villages

Bandon

Ireland

A tiny town on the River Bandon in County Cork, with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

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Mullaghmore, Ireland
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Mullaghmore

Ireland

This compact holiday village on the Mullaghmore Peninsula in north County Sligo, with Benbulben mountain dominating the skyline and the sea within walking di…

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Schull, Ireland
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Schull

Ireland

Compact harbour village on the Mizen Head peninsula in southwest County Cork, Schull outpaces the town's size with a genuine café and restaurant scene alongs…

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Inistioge, Ireland
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Inistioge

Ireland

A small County Kilkenny village on the River Nore, entered by crossing a ten-arch stone bridge and opening onto a tree-lined square flanked by 18th and 19th-…

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Mitchelstown, Ireland
Silver
Mountain villages

Mitchelstown

Ireland

This small town in north County Cork described as one of Ireland's finest Georgian planned towns, Mitchelstown sits in the valley south of the Galtee Mountai…

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Ballyshannon, Ireland
Gold
Mountain villages

Ballyshannon

Ireland

Birthplace of guitarist Rory Gallagher, Ballyshannon is a modest town in southern County Donegal where the River Erne meets its estuary, with a town charter…

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Loughrea, Ireland
Gold
Mountain villages

Loughrea

Ireland

This modest market town in County Galway sitting directly on Lough Rea, the grey-speckled lake from which it takes its name, with a café and restaurant scene…

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Collinstown, Ireland
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Collinstown

Ireland

This compact Irish crossroads village in County Westmeath, with a cream-painted pub-lounge at its centre and a green overlooking nearby Lough Lene, making it…

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Tullamore, Ireland
Bronze
Food scenes & café towns

Tullamore

Ireland

Tullamore Dew whiskey has been made in or near this County Offaly town since 1829, and a new distillery opened close by in 2014 to bring production back loca…

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Clonegall, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Clonegall

Ireland

This little hamlet in southeast County Carlow, Ireland, where the River Slaney and the River Derry converge nearby, set in agricultural countryside close to…

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Bantry, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Bantry

Ireland

This small town on the southwest coast of County Cork with an unusually strong café and restaurant scene for its size, Bantry sits at the head of the deep-wa…

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Roscommon, Ireland
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Roscommon

Ireland

The county town of County Roscommon in Ireland's midlands, this tiny town sits near the western shore of Lough Ree and holds a castle and other antiquities a…

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Carlingford, Ireland
Silver
Mountain villages

Carlingford

Ireland

A tiny village on the southern shore of Carlingford Lough, with Slieve Foy mountain rising behind it, that holds a surprising number of options for its size…

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Stranorlar, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Stranorlar

Ireland

Stranorlar sits on the River Finn in County Donegal, forming one half of the twin towns of Ballybofey–Stranorlar with Ballybofey on the opposite bank.

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Balbriggan, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Balbriggan

Ireland

A coastal town north of Dublin where the name "balbriggans" — the long underwear once worn by Queen Victoria and the Czarina of Russia — originated, Balbrigg…

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Rosses Point, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Rosses Point

Ireland

This little fishing village on the peninsula at the entrance to Sligo Harbour, Rosses Point developed as a seaside resort in the 19th century and sits across…

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Bray, Ireland
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Bray

Ireland

This seaside town in north County Wicklow, a short distance south of Dublin, Bray developed as a planned resort in the 19th century after the railway arrived…

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Castleconnell, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Castleconnell

Ireland

This village on the banks of the River Shannon in County Limerick, Castleconnell is known for its salmon fishing and sits a short distance from Limerick city…

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Kinsale, Ireland
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Kinsale

Ireland

This small harbour town in County Cork with a concentration of gourmet restaurants — including a Michelin-starred one — that makes it a well-regarded food de…

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Dunfanaghy, Ireland
Gold
Mountain villages

Dunfanaghy

Ireland

A small former fishing port on the west side of Sheephaven Bay in County Donegal, Dunfanaghy punches above its size with a genuine cluster of cafés and resta…

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Inishannon, Ireland
Gold
Mountain villages

Inishannon

Ireland

Village on the River Bandon in County Cork, Inishannon sits along the main Cork–Bandon road with the mountains of the wider region within reach.

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Tipperary, Ireland
Bronze
Bustling market & commercial towns

Tipperary

Ireland

This compact Irish market town with a lively main street of colourful shopfronts, B&Bs, and pubs strung with tricolour bunting, sitting close to upland count…

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Cloghjordan, Ireland
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Cloghjordan

Ireland

A north Tipperary village close to the River Shannon — Ireland's longest river — and Lough Derg, Cloghjordan sits roughly equidistant from Nenagh, Roscrea, a…

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Clonmel, Ireland
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Clonmel

Ireland

County Tipperary's largest town sits on the River Suir, with the Slievenamon hills and the Comeragh Mountains rising nearby.

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Skibbereen, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Skibbereen

Ireland

A modest West Cork town on the River Ilen, Skibbereen has a good spread of cafés and restaurants for its size.

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Milltown Malbay, Ireland
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Milltown Malbay

Ireland

Compact County Clare village on Ireland's west coast, Milltown Malbay is best known for its week-long summer festival of traditional Irish music, held in mem…

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Blarney, Ireland
Bronze
Charming old-world towns

Blarney

Ireland

Blarney Castle and its legendary Blarney Stone have drawn visitors to this tiny village on the outskirts of Cork City for nearly three centuries.

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Dundalk, Ireland
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Dundalk

Ireland

Dundalk, the county town of County Louth on Ireland's east coast, sits on Dundalk Bay with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants.

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Ferns, Ireland
Silver
Charming old-world towns

Ferns

Ireland

The remains of Ferns Castle stand at the centre of this compact historic village in north County Wexford, which also served as the founding seat of the Dioce…

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Thomastown, Ireland
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Thomastown

Ireland

A tiny market town on the River Nore in County Kilkenny, Thomastown has a good spread of cafés and restaurants for its size and several historic churches.

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Drumcliff, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Drumcliff

Ireland

Drumcliff, a small village in County Sligo, is the burial place of the Irish poet W.

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Omeath, Ireland
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Omeath

Ireland

Pocket-sized village on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Omeath sits directly on the shore of Carlingford Lough and has a handful of cafés and restauran…

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Crosshaven, Ireland
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Crosshaven

Ireland

Coastal village in County Cork at the mouth of the River Owenabue, Crosshaven has a good spread of cafés and restaurants for its size and scenic views across…

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Thurles, Ireland
Bronze
Bustling market & commercial towns

Thurles

Mid-West · Ireland

Thurles, in County Tipperary, is where the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded, and it serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and…

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Keadue, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Keadue

Ireland

Keadue, a small village in County Roscommon, is the burial place of Turlough O'Carolan, the celebrated Irish harper, and holds an annual O'Carolan Harp Festi…

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Strandhill, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Strandhill

Ireland

This surfing village on the south shore of Sligo Bay, Strandhill faces west onto a broad sandy beach backed by the steep scarp of Knocknarea.

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Nenagh, Ireland
Gold
Mountain villages

Nenagh

Ireland

The county town of County Tipperary, Nenagh sits on the eastern shores of Lough Derg and serves as a base for the lake and the nearby mountains.

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Manorhamilton, Ireland
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Manorhamilton

Ireland

Manorhamilton, the main town of northern County Leitrim in northwest Ireland, sits where the River Owenbeg and the Bonet meet amid a valley landscape backed…

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Belturbet, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Belturbet

Ireland

Boating and angling draw visitors to this tiny County Cavan town on the River Erne, where the settlement grew up around a ford.

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Glenties, Ireland
Gold
Mountain villages

Glenties

Ireland

This pocket-sized village in County Donegal where two glens and two rivers meet, at the edge of the Bluestack Mountains.

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Clane, Ireland
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Clane

Ireland

Compact town in County Kildare sitting on the River Liffey, with cafés and restaurants in its compact centre.

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Castlefin, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Castlefin

Ireland

This small County Donegal market town in the Finn Valley, Castlefin sits beside its namesake river, with a stone clock monument anchoring a compact town squa…

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Baltinglass, Ireland
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Baltinglass

Ireland

Compact Irish town in the upland Wicklow countryside, where a roofless medieval stone tower rises above an active graveyard with the River Slaney and rolling…

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Allihies, Ireland
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Allihies

Ireland

Scattered white farmhouses and vivid green fields slope down to a broad Atlantic bay on the Beara Peninsula, with a sandy beach across the water and a rugged…

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More places in Ireland below the top of the list — pagination coming.

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