26 Stunning Photos of Ireland

"Cemetery at sunrise."

"Painted houses and a cathedral, Cobh, County Cork, Ireland."

"Ross Castle in Killarney National Park, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland."

"Irish roadblock: It's lots of fun driving around the Beara Peninsula in western Ireland, but traffic is occasionally held up by slow-moving sheep..."

"Bridge by Ross Castle, Killarney, Ireland."

"Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland."

"This is an image from my book, A Journey into Ireland's Literary Revival, about places in Ireland that inspired great Irish writers like William Butler Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory, John Millington Synge, and Sean O'Casey. Here is the tiny island of Inishmaan, just off the coast of Galway."

"'Most of these fences,' the tour guide told us, 'are historic landmarks, and illegal to disassemble.' This one protects the abandoned-looking home on the shores of Gaelic-speaking Connemara, Co. Galway."

"Newgrange Neolithic Passage Tomb."

"On a hike with a view of Giant's Causeway."

"Famine Cross."

"Glendalough cemetery and round tower."

"Trip to the Gap of Dunloe in Ireland outside of Killarney."

"A horse-drawn wagon outside the Guinness Factory, Dublin, Ireland."

"The town of Adare."

"Dublin Market."

"Rock of Cashel in Tipperary."

"The river Shannon runs through Limerick City on (another) gray afternoon…"

"Doolin Village."

"Slieve League on the northwestern coast; the second-highest cliffs in Ireland. The breathtaking view is well worth the hike to get there. You can drive, but the road is very narrow and it's really so much more enjoyable to see it while walking. Sheep dot the landscape near the cliff's edge."

"A bagpiping corps follows a kids' float in the Waterford City, Co. Waterford, St. Patrick's Day parade. While all the locals stand around clapping hands and whistling for good ol' Padraig, the town mayor provides commentary on the event over the main street's loudspeaker system (only in Ireland…)."

"Northern Ireland."

"Powerscourt Estate."

"Row houses in Cork."

"Customs House in Dublin."

"Dunguaire Castle was not on our list of places to see; we just happened to stumble upon it on our drive from Galway to Killarney, Ireland. Finding lesser-known attractions along the journey is why we always rent a car when we vacation!"