Top sights to savour on a cruise around Ireland
The Emerald Isle has to be one of the most mythologised places on the planet. The very good news is that all those myths come alive when you take a cruise around the island of Ireland.
Dublin is one of the world's great cities, a literary and cultural giant. And a window into this thrilling land of stories. Other cities like Belfast and Galway back her up, and then there is that scenery, which is more than a match for the drama of the built environment.
Why drive the Wild Atlantic Way or Causeway Coastal Route when you can sail the same scenery in supreme comfort? Cruising is the ideal way to savour the many strands of Ireland as you ease between the vibrant ports, enjoying epic swathes of scenery en route.
The constant collage of rugged cliffs, sparkling islands and brooding mountains sears itself into your heart and imagination, as do the seabirds and marine mammals who share the waters with you aboard Fred Olsen.
Getting there: browse the latest deals and savings on itineraries with Fred Olsen, which sails to both Ireland* and Northern Ireland*.
Belfast
As you sail towards Belfast, the mammoth cranes of the legendary Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast are the great sentinels that remind you this is the birthplace of the world's most famous cruise liner.
The Titanic Belfast museum, dedicated to the eponymous ship, is a fascinating must-see that delves deep into the personal stories beyond the headlines.
Belfast, today, is a city thriving with culture, enlivened by a rich history and alive with nightlife, with time spent here amply rewarded. Titanic Distillers is the city's first whiskey distillery in 90 years, while to the north the UNESCO World Heritage joy of the Giant's Causeway tempts.
The otherworldly rock formations here make the trip to the island of Ireland worth it alone for many visitors, and they are typically well presented in a country that does tourism supremely well with a slick visitor experience.
Dublin
Dublin is quite simply one of the world's most famous cities, a city break star people fly across oceans just to visit. You can explore streets once walked by artistic luminaries such as Oscar Wilde and James Joyce.
The MoLI literature museum, the colourful Little Museum and EPIC - The Irish Emigration Museum together tell some of the tales of this most intriguing of capitals.
The Guinness Storehouse is another essential, brilliantly telling the story of the world's most famous porter, culminating with a perfect pint in their rooftop bar.
If you want to stay closer to the ship, the elegant Victorian port of Dún Laoghaire beguiles, with great walks too. To the north, the efficient public transport network zooms you to Malahide Castle to savour the history and walk the grounds.
Killybegs
Ireland's biggest fishing port in Donegal offers swathes of history to back up its natural charms. A quintessential Killybegs experience is savouring fresh Donegal seafood (the lobster and oysters are particularly fine), best washed down with a pint of Guinness.
IMAGEIn July, hop on a boat to explore the famously rugged coastline and its wildlife, and try your hand at sea fishing. The local hiking trails are superb, offering views of Lough Eske, the Blue Stack Mountains and the Slieve League Cliffs, the latter amongst Europe's highest sea cliffs.
Galway
It's a soul with a hard heart who has never felt misty-eyed at the lyrical longing for Galway Bay. Cruising into this legendary bay does not disappoint with striking scenery backed up by the vibrant student and music-fuelled city.
Irish craic flows freely through the cobbled streets, and the strains of live music and the aroma of fresh Atlantic seafood fill the air. Surrender yourself to the magic of a city often dubbed 'Ireland's Cultural Heart'. They love a festival or big event in Galway, so the chances are you may deliciously stumble across something special.
Cobh
This engaging, picturesque town reclines on an island just outside Cork, and is world famous as the last port of call, then known as Queenstown, for the ill-fated Titanic.
You can dig deeper into the story of the liner at the Titanic Experience Cobh in the White Star Line Building that recreates the excitement the passengers would have felt on that maiden voyage in 1912.
You can easily visit the nearby city of Cork, with its depth of history, attractions and top-notch pubs. Blarney Castle, with its legendary craic-inducing Blarney Stone, lies within easy striking distance, as does the Jameson Distillery.
10 unmissable sights from deck
Slieve League
One of the highlights of the Wild Atlantic Way, these mega sea cliffs are amongst the highest in Europe, soaring up to 600 metres. The seabirds, marine mammals and religious heritage all fascinate.
Lough Swilly
This 45 km-long County Donegal fjord-like wonder is another of the highlights of the Wild Atlantic Way. Think cobalt waters, emerald valleys and rugged coast; postcard Ireland.
Tory Island
Wild and wildly beautiful, the very northern extremities of County Donegal and Ireland itself. Look out for vaulting cliffs and bountiful marine mammals; basking sharks too.
Arranmore
Get your binoculars out for the dramatic scenery here around this island. The old lighthouse is an idyllic imprint of man in a world dominated by nature. Seabirds swirl all around as our marine mammal cousins patrol the Atlantic waters.
Cliffs of Moher
Scenery just does not come any more spectacular than here in this UNESCO Global Geopark. The soaring sea cliffs (they reach up over 200 metres from the Atlantic) date back to over 320 million years ago. Today, they are home to over 30,000 pairs of nesting seabirds.
Carrickfergus Castle
On the northern flanks of Belfast Lough rises one of the best-preserved medieval redoubts in Ireland. You can sail past the 23 cannons that still stand guard here, safe in the knowledge that this fortress won't fire on you as they did on English, French and Scottish interlopers.
Spike Island
You cannot miss this formidable fortress island that guards the entrance to Cork's harbour, making for sublime arrivals and sailaways on the decks of Fred Olsen ships.
'Ireland's Alcatraz', Spike Island is as dramatic as its San Francisco sibling, though today prisoners have been replaced by swathes of flora and fauna as Mother Nature has taken back control.
The Skelligs
The isles of Skellig Michael and Little Skellig have to be seen to be believed; craggy otherworldly formations soaring out of the Atlantic, great stoic leviathans.
Skellig Michael is the largest and well deserves its place on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Look out for all manner of wildlife, from diving gannets through to feeding minke whales.
Inishabro
Other isles may grab the headlines, leaving this isle (one of the Blasket Isles off County Kerry's littoral) to hide away with its savage rocks and cliffs.
The highlights are the Cathedral Rocks, needle-like sea stacks that burst from the ocean like Godzilla. This is Ireland's nature at its finest, best viewed from Fred Olsen.
Tearaght
If you don't cruise here with Fred Olsen, you'll have to join the lighthouse crew servicing the lighthouse on this wild and wildly beautiful island by helicopter.
This saddle-shaped glory is home to those cute-beaked puffins in summer, alongside graceful storm petrels. This is the westernmost island in Ireland; gaze west, and there is a whole lot of ocean between here and the Americas.
Climate in Ireland
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum daytime temperature °C |  8 |
8 |
10 |
 12 |
 15 |
 18 |
19 |
19 |
17 |
14 |
10 |
9 |
| Hours of sunshine (daily) | ||||||||||||
| Days with some rainfall |  18 |
 15 |
16 |
15 |
16 |
15 |
14 |
16 |
15 |
16 |
16 |
17 |
| Sea temperature °C |  9 |
8 |
 7 |
8 |
 10 |
 12 |
 14 |
15 |
14 |
13 |
12 |
10 |
The above guide shows the climate in Dublin. Find out more about conditions across the island in our complete guide to the climate in Ireland.
Ready to cruise Ireland's dramatic coastline? Check out the current offers and online savings with Fred Olsen, which has various itineraries blending the history, places and experiences of Ireland.
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