Secret coves, mysterious waterfalls and hidden waterfalls are just a few of the incredible treasures that await tourists in the underrated West of Ireland.
A new book, Wild Guide: West Ireland, is unveiling the region’s best-kept secrets with stunning photos of beauty spots in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and more.
Written by Candida Frith-Macdonald with photos by Daniel Start, the book – available to buy now – is set to help tourists escape Dublin and ‘experience unspoilt Ireland’.
Candida writes: ‘The west of Ireland is so packed with dramatic sites and beautiful beaches that it feels as if it’s been a classic “riviera” forever, but early visitors wrote more often about the gentler south coast.
She adds: ‘The Wild Guide is a celebration of wild and storied places – from cliff-top walks to tangled woods, waterfall pools and deserted islands to intriguing ruins.
‘It’s also a guide to slow food, warm firesides and welcoming places to stay – from seaweed baths and thatched cottages to wild campsites and music-filled pubs.
‘If you travel with a spirit of adventure, taking the boreen [road] less travelled and the time to chat with locals, you will have a richer journey wherever you go.’
Scroll down to see a selection of some of West Ireland’s prettiest hidden gems…
Located in County Waterford, Boat Strand and Dunmore is ‘idyllic’ in summer, says Candida Frith-Macdonald, who wrote Wild Guide: West Ireland. She adds few people ever reach this ‘perfect swimming beach’
The Guinness Tower in Cong Woods was built by the Guinness family in 1864 and is a ‘superb stone tower’. Candida says: ‘It is usually open, not often visited and can be climbed for great views’
Photographed above is the Leannan River, a ‘pretty river pool’ in County Donegal. ‘Downstream you can also gain access to a a very exciting gorge stretch from the track to the old farm buildings’, say Candida
It might look like it was ‘cut by human hand’ but the Wormhole in Kilmurvy (pictured above) is actually a collapsed sea cave. Swim shoes are recommended
Cows are captured outside Rosserk Abbey, which sits on a ‘peaceful river bank’ in County Mayo. Candida says the abbey has ‘decorative stonework’ featuring plants, animals and angels
The gorgeous beach pictured above is Glassagh Lower Bay in Irksa. Candida describes it as the ‘quietest of three beautiful beaches sheltered by Inishsirrer and Inishmeane’
You might recognise Keem Beach from The Banshees of Inisherin and the beautiful spot at the far tip of Achill is one of Ireland’s must-sees. Candida says the ‘picturesque bay’ is ‘best visited in the morning’
Pictured above is Downpatrick Head, located in Knockaun, County Mayo. The beautiful spot is described as a ‘popular and magnificent headland home to puffins, kittiwakes and cormorants’
An ‘idyllic sheltered sweep of pale sand backed by cobble dunes’, the Golden Strand in Dugort is pictured above. Described as a secret beach, Candida says it’s possible to wild camp in the flatter parts
Kerin’s Hole in Whitehead is a ‘deep tidal pool in the rocks’ with a ladder to get out. It was renovated through the efforts of local swimmers in 2013
The Tyrone House Ruin in East Galway is a ‘wonderful Georgian shell’ that inspired the novel The Big House of Inver. Candida describes the track as ‘abundant with blackberries’ when she visited with photographer Daniel Start
Church Island (above) is just 100m across, but its home to the remains of a 12th century monastery with an oratory, graveyard and several beehive huts. It’s a good spot for wild swimming
Pictured above is Carrigogunnell Castle, an ‘overgrown and precarious but wonderful ruin’. It has ‘vaults and various levels to explore’ as well as views of the River Shannon
‘Dramatic’ Nun’s Beach in Ballybunion (pictured above) has a ‘sensational sea cavern to explore’. The stack with the arch that can be seen in the centre of the image is known as Virgin Rock
Pictured above is Tra Leitreach & Church, the ‘most popular beach for swimming’ on the island of Inis Oirr. It has ‘silver sand’ and ‘great views’, says Candida
Loch An Mhonain is a ‘dramatic lake, sheltered by sheer mountains with a waterfall tumbling down’. The lake is one of the most accessible of the Brandon Lakes
Known as Coral Beach, this beach in East Galway is ‘deservedly popular’. Candida says: ‘The tawny maerl resembles cake sprinkles, the water has a tropical turquoise hue’
Tourists can walk above the stunning Tower Waterfall (pictured above) for gorgeous views. In the area, visitors will find old oaks and the ivy covered tower that gives the woods its name
