A lovely little park was revealed during the last renovation of Tramore House. Its landscaped…read moregrounds are fed by a small stream and several little ponds. It's a favourite of the local school kids at lunchtimes. Also favoured by local dogs: if your mutt is missing, he's likely to be found mucking around in there. Unfortunately, its ponds are from time-to-time home to shopping trolleys. North of the landscaped area is a little wilderness, with a hidden little gazebo and picnic area. Kennedy Part is not a place for sightseeing, but if you fancy some secluded spot, in the middle of the village, this is for you.

Tramore is a really nice beach, only about 20 mins by car from Waterford city. It's not too big but…read moreexactly small either, and there is a nice promenade and seems like a great place for a walk or to bring your dog if you have one. There is a car park conveniently located as well as toilets (which aren't the cleanest by the way, but that is to be expected of beach toilets), and when I went there with my classmates there were a good few people; surfers, school sports group and a few people with their dogs or kids. It took us about 10 mins or so to walk from one end to the other, and the view is beautiful so it was a great place for taking pictures! I recommend it highly for anyone visiting Waterford, especially if it is a nice day. Overall, calm and serene, great view, easy access and close to the city.

Tramore beach is a wonderful sandy beach sweeping for miles from the foot of Tramore town to the…read moredistant sand-dunes. In fact, Tramore town derives its name from the Irish words "Tra Mhor", Tra meaning beach, and Mor meaning Big. Big Beach. It's popular with surfers, strollers and swimmers alike, and is big enough to encompass them all. The cliff end of the beach has a swimming area called "Ladies Slip", dating from when ladies and gents swam in different areas. Not surprising given the bathing costumes of the day - being seen in a saggy crotch revealing wet woollen bathing costume, complete with frilly (non-waterproof) hat, would have killed off any passion in even the most ardent suitor. Today, happily, bikinis abound and ladies are no longer conscribed to the cliff end. A promenade marches along the first mile or so of the beach, marked mid-way by a life-guards hut. Locally given the poetic moniker "the Prom". At high tide the waves pound this wall, and delighted kids and dogs scream as they're drowned in the surf storming the wall. You'll also see surfers appear from nowhere at the merest hint of a swell. Tramore is a famous surfing beach, having hosted numerous national and international surfing competitions. Well worth a visit.

Great way to spend a Sunday!…read more They have everything you could need out here, be it fast karts on a very well sized outdoor track, to arenas for a serious game of paintball. They also have archery and laser tag but I have never taken part in these. But the Karting and Paintball are very well set up. Feels a little pricey at the start of the day, but you quickly see it is worth every penny.

My brother and I brought my 12 yr old nephew to Kartworld about 2 months ago, we had an absolutely…read morefabulous time. We were given clear instructions and let off on the course, Karting was excellent, we all had great fun. The staff were friendly and knowledable, we ate food afterwards which was lovely. It was a great way to spent an afternoon, I would highly reccommend it.

We love visiting zoos and this one is very well maintained and reasonably priced. An easy train…read moreride from Cork City which stops right at the Zoo entrance. The park is well maintained and an easy loop trail gets you up and close with the animals. We are most impressed with the free roaming (careless) Lemurs who would walk right around you and up the walls and doors as you toured their exhibit. Very cool. They also have feeding opportunities for giraffes. We enjoyed the cool grounds and various animals.

Since we were staying for a few days in Cork for my baby's first family vacation, we were looking…read morefor some family-friendly things to do, and my husband found Fota Wildlife Park. We bought tickets online (I believe you can save a few Euro per ticket). Kids 3 and under are free. We opted for the 9:30 to 11:30 time slot and got there at around 11. I'm not sure how strict they are with it, but it wasn't too crowded on the Tuesday that we went. Though there were some camp/school groups that started rolling in at around 12 or so. I believe you can also bring your own food if you choose, since there was a picnic area with plenty of tables. The bathrooms are relatively clean, for a zoo. The park is pretty big. There is a train that goes from one end of the park to the other for €1, or €2 for a roundtrip. It made no sense since it's not like you're saving any money by buying a roundtrip, but we did anyway. You just purchase the ticket before you board. We didn't end up using the ticket on the way back because we had just missed the train and it was quicker to walk back - so we just ended up giving it to someone who was entering the park as we left. We spent a leisurely two hours there and saw everything. Of course, the most impressive animals to see were the giraffes, which are near the entrance, so you won't miss it. Tip - they don't have paper maps for free at the park, so you can either print your own ahead of time (the sizing is weird though) or just take a picture of it at the park and look at it through your phone.

My mother and I stopped by Cahir castle on our way back to Dublin after taking a roadtrip all…read morearound Ireland and it was a really nice visit. We didn't go inside as it was closed, but we parked and walked around the castle, enjoying the river and the beautiful landscaping around the castle. It was a really nice area to just take a walk and take in the sight. The castle is amazing, as everyone has already pointed out. The swans that were around were fun too. I would definitely go back to this castle if I'm in the area again.

This was a great stop - really enjoyed the guided tour that highlighted just how fortified this…read moreplace was, as well as separating which parts of the building were more and less aged. Go if you can!

I heard of Altamont Gardens before but it took until now that I finally got to visit - if I'd live…read morecloser I would be a very regular visitor now! It is a huge park where you can spend hours if you like with lots of different flowers, trees, plants - most of them with name plate. I had my camera with me so took my time, but even without or with your kids running around it's well worth a visit (and any detour) I think. It has formal gardens (not ususally my taste, but these were still nice to look at), with a rather derelict old house, a huge informal park inclusive a smal temple, river walk and a sea full of water lilies. And there's also a walled garden, parts of it rather organised and other parts just full of flowers in all colours side by side. There's a lovely little cafe in the walled gardens - as I don't find much information about it I don't start an own business entry for that. I had a savoury scone (buttermilk and soda) with local cheese and beetrot chutney and a large cappuccino - for € 6.40. Apart from it being very tasty I loved the cafe for being in the middle of a garden with little bits and pieces selected to make it feel like home. There is also a hen family running around in the walled garden / cafe which makes it even nicer to sit there and relax. It belongs to OPW which means it has the added advantage of free entrance. And they have a nursery / shop so you can buy flowers and trees for your own garden.

This is one of my favourite places to go when I'm home. The gardens are huge and you can walk…read morearound for hours. Even though the car park always seems to be full the gardens always seem peaceful. They have a section where you can buy plants and a lovely little cafe run by the forge where you can grab some tea and cake. I have even here live music there occasionally which adds to the atmosphere. Bring waterproof shoes though as the grassy paths can be damp!

What a great place! Learned a ton and got a load of really great pics for our memories.read more

We took a tour on an overcast Spring day and luckily the rain held out. This is a wonderful…read morelocation for family and I can see spending a full day here with the kids. There is so much to see, do, and learn. Our tour felt pretty quick, but still, there is a lot of landscape to cover and a lot of information to pass on so in reality we were out there for quite a while and it was lunch time by the time we reached the last exhibit. The layout starts way back in time and explores people living by the ocean, how they lived, what they ate and so on. You move on to more complex lodgings and learn how the people have changed, there are henges, monk quarters, barns, smiths, and so on through the ages up to the arrival of Vikings. It gives a very details account of Ireland's development with wonderful villages set up through out the grounds. You can even stay in one of the buildings - the listing is on airbnb I believe. (Yes, there is a public shower and bathroom on site) We elected to not walk up to the tower as the rain was beginning and we were hungry. We stopped in to their restaurant and purchased a very nice meal, after which we wandered the gift shop before heading to our next stop. This is a very interesting stop on our trip. We learned so much about Ireland's history and really appreciate how detailed each section is from building construction to utensils used to information about how people lived during each period of time. A very good stop for anyone interested in history or culture.

We decided to tour the Kilkenny castle grounds on the last day that we spent in the city. It is…read morequite a lovely spot! The tour was self guided and took about an hour. You get to tour a good number of the rooms throughout the castle, and here/read about the history of the place. It's amazing how many of these places have been around in some form for 1000 years or so! Perhaps the most impressive thing here was the giant set of an ancient moose antlers that were absolutely massive! Don't forget to check out the dungeon where there was a nice movie playing explaining some more of the history of the place. This is a must do if you're in the area!

What a cool castle with lots of history. The self guided tour is super affordable and interesting…read morewith lots of stuff to read and you can see many rooms. I love walking around and seeing the old history. The grounds are also beautiful. It's right downtown so easy to get to and worth a stop!

The Rock of Cashel is a historic site in County Tipperary that was the seat of the Kings of Munster…read morebefore becoming a religious site. It is a complex of medieval buildings on a limestone outcrop, including a 13th-century cathedral, a round tower, and a 12th-century Romanesque chapel called Cormac's Chapel. Legend states that Saint Patrick converted the King of Munster here in the 5th century, and the site is also known as St. Patrick's Rock. This description just scratches the historical surface as centuries of church, government, and colonial generations have come and gone here. As our tour bus pulled into Cashel, you really can't miss this place as it dominates the skyline. We hiked up the hill and it was damn cold and windy up there! And as we wandered through the Cathedral and around other buildings, a historical timeline unfolded with the help of our guide. It's really a spectacular sight of which my posted pictures don't really get to the heart of this place or which only shells remain.

We drove up and entered right around opening. We had to pay for parking. The only bathrooms were…read morelocated here as an FYI. The walk up was not difficult for us just at an incline. With our Heritage Card we gained free admission and did the self tour. Unfortunately the guided tour of the chapel wasn't until late morning so we could not see it due to our schedule. The chapel undergoes UV radiation as a means to conserve the remaining 12th century wall paintings. Only a limited number of people can visit per day. The original St Patrick's cross had been moved indoors for preservation but that room was under renovation so wasn't accessible. We settled for the panoramic views of the countryside which was beautiful on the sunny, clear day. The cavernous ruins were quite nice to walk around and we came across some very faint wall paintings on the wall behind the chapel. A taste of what we missed inside the chapel.