The Top 20 Tourist Attractions In Ireland Have Been Revealed

Fáilte Ireland has announced that 2017 was another record year for visitor's to our best attractions, though we're not that surprised. 

Fáilte Ireland's Top 10 Visitor Attractions has revealed that the Guinness Storehouse and the National Gallery of Ireland are top of the list for visitors.

The Guinness Storehouse is no.1 for the second year in a row for fee-paying attractions, while the National Gallery, which tops the non-fee paying list, surpassed one million visitors this year.

This was particularly helped by the reopening of its permanent collection halfway through the year, as well as hosting two major exhibitions of Caravaggio and Vermeer.

Overall, the top 20 fee-charging attractions during 2017 were:

1. Guinness Storehouse, Dublin - 1,711,281
2. Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare - 1,527,000
3. Dublin Zoo - 1,264,300
4. National Aquatic Centre, Dublin - 1,099,756
5. Book of Kells (Trinity College, Dublin) - 983,410
6. Tayto Park, Co. Meath  - 735,000
7. St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin  - 603,000
8. Kylemore Abbey & Gardens, Co. Galway  - 558,000
9. Muckross House & Gardens, Co. Kery - 552,923
10. Powerscourt Gardens & Waterfall, Co Wicklow - 501,601
11. Fota Wildlife Park, Co. Cork - 455,559
12. Blarney Castle & Gardens, Co. Cork - 450,000
13. Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin - 425,000
14. Kilkenny Castle - 418,685
15. Rock of Cashel, Co. Tipperary - 376,488
16. Dublin Castle - 371,000
17. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Co. Clare - 369,275
18. Brú na Boinne, Co. Meath  - 281,103
19. Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin  - 238,285
20. Glenveagh National Park, Co. Donegal  - 211,000

Ireland’s top 20 ‘free to enter’ attractions for 2017 were:

1. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin - 1,065,929
2. Castletown House, Co. Kildare - 666,541
3. Glendalough, Co. Wicklow - 639,826
4. National Botanic Gardens, Dublin - 569,652
5. DLR LexIcon, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin  - 525,708
6. Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin  -  489,295
7. Doneraile Wildlife Park, Co. Cork - 480,000
8. National Museum - Archaeology, Dublin - 474,564
9. Science Gallery (Trinity College), Dublin - 407,529
10. Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin  - 359,432
11. Kilkenny Castle Parklands - 336,315
12. Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons, Co. Kildare - 350,000
13. National Museum - Natural History, Dublin - 336,412
14. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin - 335,875
15. National Museum - Decorative Arts & History, Dublin - 234,336
16. Connemara National Park - 221,713
17. National Library of Ireland, Dublin  - 197,245
18. Crawford Art  Gallery, Cork - 188,814
19. Malin Head Viewing Point, Co. Donegal - 172,329
20. The Hugh Lane, Dublin - 167,410

Welcoming another record year for visitors, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Product Development, Orla Carroll said:

“Fáilte Ireland invests in new and compelling attractions throughout the country because we know that they bring visitors from around the world to our shores." 

We may give out but this little country of ours is bloody great, lads.

READ NEXT: Happy Leaving Cert Week - Today Is Going To Be An Absolute Scorcher