Ireland is brimfull with opportunities for activities. But it is only in the last 40 years that people in the Irish countryside have considered outdoor activities as recreation. In the past a 10 mile walk would have been a necessary trip into the nearest town, and a day out in a boat would have been for fishing. Only the inhabitants of the main towns, especially Dublin ventured out into the countryside in any numbers. Almost everyone else in Ireland lived within a mile of it. Look at a An Oige hostel map and you will still see a concentration of hostels in the Wicklow Mountains: this was the area Dubliners used for recreation.

 

Today everything has changed. Walking and Cycling are well established as Irish pastimes, as are horseriding and sailing. In the last 15 years surfing has become popular and in 2001 Kayacking hit the West of Ireland.

 

 

Long distance walking and general rambling through the countryside are becoming popular forms of recreation. A few dedicated individuals saw to the establishment of the Wicklow Way and Ring of Kerry Way. Then the Tourist Board stepped in to ensure that a countrywide network of scenic Waymarked Ways was established. Numbers of people are now starting to use them, but on most you will still find you have the countryside to your self. You will find new views opening up to you without the clutter of bungalows along the roads. In Northern Ireland the Ulster Way does a once round the province. For more information go to Walking and Mountaineering page in Making That Trip

 

 

Two generations ago this was one of the principle ways of getting around. Today it is a popular recreation and sport. A great deal of the present popularity is due to the success of Sean Kelly, who was the world number one racing cyclist from 1984 to 1988. There are now cycling clubs the length and breadth of Ireland. Events range from Sunday excursions from local towns to an annual mad dash around (and over) the Wicklow Mountains. For information go to www.cyclingireland.ie   or http://irishcycling.com  for events in Northern Ireland go to www.cyclingulster.com  For the Cycling Touring Club in Ireland go to http://homepage.eircom.net/~ctc . and www.ctc-ni.com . For that 200km race around the Wicklow Mountains go to www.wicklow200.ie . The 2008 event is on Sunday 8th June. Touring cycling is covered on the Cycling page in Making That Trip.

 

 

There are numerous wild areas of Ireland that lend themselves to off road biking. But you should be aware that Irish Landowners can be fearsomely attatched to their land rights. Fear of insurance claims should you fall off are the main reason. Good places to start are on the tracks in the National Forests and for an original biking challenge - the rocky surface of the Burren in County Clare. For irish mountain biking on the web try www.mtbireland.com and www.nimountainbiking.com .

 

 

O.K. So this is hardly Australia, but if you can adjust to the temperature of the water there is a surprising amount of good surfing to be had. Good spots with nearby hostels are:

County Kerry - Caherdaniel and Inch Strand, County Clare - Lahinch,  County Sligo  -Strandhill, County Donegal - Bundoran,  County Derry - Downhill. Easky in western County Sligo is also highly regarded. If water temperature is an important issue for you its warmest in September - when there are also good waves. In general September to May is the reccommended season in Ireland. To get straight to people who know more about surfing than I do try: www.irishsurfer.com  which includes a surfers weather forecast but not where to go surfing: The Irish Surfing Association with listings of all main surfing events. homepage.tinet.ie/~irishwater has basic info and useful links for canoeing, kayaking and surfing.

 

 

Irish coastal waters offer some of the best diving in Europe - without the crowds. Head for - County Dublin: Sites near Dublin itself. County Cork -  Kinsale,Baltimore, Schull, Bantry. Co Kerry - Caherdaniel and Valentia Island, County Clare - Doolin. County Galway - Aran Islands, County Mayo -Achill Island. County Donegal - Along Southern Peninsula. See the site of the Irish Underwater Council  www.cft.ie .

 

 

Canoeing and Kayaking enable exploration  of the rivers, waterways and the coast. Its not hard to work out you are never far from at least one of these in Ireland. Every variation can be explored from paddling the canals to whitewater canoing to sea canoing. See www.canoe.ie and www.canoeni.com . 

 

 

This is heading out of usual hostelling territory, but this is one of the world's most popular places for sailing. The Royal Cork Yacht Club, established 1720, is the oldest in the world. There are over 120 more sailing clubs around the coast. The South West is the favourite area where anyone from reitred English couples to ageing rock stars ply the waters. The Dublin and Antrim coasts are also popular. The larger inland lakes offer opportunities, eg. Upper Lough Erne and Lough Derg. If you want to learn to sail there are a number of training schools affiliated to the Irish Association for Sail Training  www.irishmarinefederation.com . Information also available from the Irish Sailing Association  www.sailing.ie .

 

 

Ireland's modestly sized but frequently quite steep mountains and hills make for good sport. Main locations include Mountain Leinster in the south east, The Great Sugarloaf in County Wicklow and Magilligan Beaches in County Derry. Irish Hang Gliding Association www.ihpa.ie and Ilster Hang Gliding and Paragliding Clubs www.uhpc.co.uk

 

 

Ireland has a rich bird life that attracts birdwatchers from around the world. The Coastlands and Islands have many of the best locations. Eg. Cape Clear Island, The Skellig Islands, Tory Island and  Rathlin Island (County Antrim). Dublin has its own sites: North Bull Island in Clontarf, Ireland's Eye and Lamay Island off Howth. The whole south coast of County Wexford is another main area. Information from Bird Watch Ireland  www.birdwatchireland.ie  National Parks and Wildlife Service  51 St Stephen's green, Dublin  01 661 3111 and the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds  www.rspb.org.uk (Belfast). See also www.birdsireland.com .

 

 

This is one of the world's great countries for fishing. It packs  in 14 500 km of rivers, thousands of lakes and several thousand km of coastline. There is coarse fishing of bream, pike, perch, roach, rudd, tench, carp and eels.  Fishing is generally free with the landowners consent. Killing of coarse fish is discouraged, the idea is to throw them back and keep the stock plentiful.

The large western lakes: Corrib, Mask and Conn provide good fly fishing. The Southern and Northern Tourist Boards produce information leaflets. Licenses are required to fish for Salmon or Sea Trout available from local tackle shops or the Central Fisheries Board www.cfb.ie. There are certificates for some other types of fishing, usually voluntary, to raise money for maintaining stocks and rivers. In Northern Ireland you need a rod license, obtainable from Foyle Fisheries Commission  028 7144 2100 or the Fisheries Conservancy Board  028 3833 4666 in County Armagh. You will also need a permit from the owner, usually the Department of Culture , Art & Leisure, Inland Waterways and Inland Fisheries Branch 028 9025 8863.

 

 

Horses are an important part of Irish culture. See Sports page. Horse rising as a leisure activity is now well established and is offered around the country. Look in local tourist offices, hostel noticeboards and keep a lookout for signs by the roadside. As well as riding by the hour longer tracks are available in some areas.

 

 

Ireland has more Golf Courses per head of population that just about anywhere else in the world, about 400 courses are spread across the country. The Irish Open Championship takes place in June or July and The Women's Championship is in September. for general information visit the website of The Golfing Union of Ireland www.gui.ie and the Irish Ladies Golf Union www.ilgu.ie One hostel, The Courtyard Hostel at Cross, County Mayo, has a golf course attatched.

 

 

Go to People and Language  page

 

 

Why not learn it in the Emerald Isle ? The Tourist Booard - Bord failte - publishes a list of schools recognised as teaching English as a foreigh language. In Dublin try 

Centre of English Studies   www.ceireland.ie

Dublin School of English  www.dse.ie

English Language Institute  www.englishlanguage.com

Language Centre of Ireland   www.lci.ie 

 

 

While many hostels simply offer a bed for the night others offer a range of Activities. Expect these to be appropriate to the area. Town Hostels may offer guided tours. Hostels in the countryside may offer guided walks, watersports, even horseriding. There are a few hostels that double up as full blown Adventure Centres.

 

 

There are a small but growing number of Adventure Centres. They are often situated by water, whether in seaside, lakeside or riverside locations. Some concentrate on watersports, others also offer a full range of land based activities as well. You will find that activities cover the whole traditional range: from sailing to rockclimbing to horseriding to archery and more plus recent additions like paintballing