Top Tourist Traps in Ireland

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Every country has them and Ireland is no exception, places where a visitor's experience is marred by over commercialisation, by hard selling stores filled with mostly rubbish or by forceful touting of unnecessary services. These are the ones we feel are the worst, places where we would hesitate to bring a visiting friend or which we would recommend they skip. Use as you will.

Blarney Castle

More about Blarney Castle The old tale that kissing the Blarney stone confers loquaciousness, or 'the gift of the gab', has been a big draw for many years and although the origin of the myth is sketchy to say the least it has been hyped up...
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Killarney and the Ring of Kerry

More about Killarney and the Ring of Kerry Killarney is not all bad, bit it isn't all good either; it has some good hotels and shops and is pretty conveniently located for touring the Kerry area. That said it is a town practiced in the art of parting tourists and their...
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Inishmore

More about Inishmore It pains me to include this one, but here it is anyway. Inishmore is the largest of the Aran Islands and the most developed for tourism. Time was when you could just get off the ferry and start to explore the island, walking up to...
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Temple Bar, Dublin

More about Temple Bar, Dublin This was a great idea - take a run down part of central Dublin, already filling with artist's studios and offbeat shops due to low rental costs - and redevelop it as a sort of 'left bank' with trendy pubs and restaurants,...
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The Guinness Storehouse

More about The Guinness Storehouse You may be surprised to learn that the tour goes nowhere near a brewery of any kind. There is a demonstration of how Guinness is brewed, but it is purely for demonstration purposes. The tour takes visitors though an exhibit which...
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