With a mean annual temperature of around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the Atlantic Gulf Stream provides Ireland with a mild climate, given its latitude. Ireland does, however, receive a great deal of moisture, with some areas receiving more than 270 days of rain a year. But, this is what gives Ireland its notorious blanket of every shade of green. The benefit of visiting Ireland in November is you are between fall and winter seasons, so are more likely to have it to yourself, with the summer-fall visitors long gone and the few winter visitors not yet arrived. The Emerald Isle is famous for its cuisine, pubs, literary figures, picturesque villages and golf heritage, all of which can be part of a November visit. Fully enjoying Ireland’s attractions in November just means packing according to the expected weather, dressing in layers, and bringing appropriate head and footwear to stay comfortable, warm, and dry.
Historic Sites
Many who travel to Ireland want to trace their roots or get a sense of the rich heritage of the place. Travel to the uninhabited island of Inishmurray, off the Sligo coast in County Sligo and imagine the Vikings attacking the monks who lived within.The Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary is a huge limestone outcropping topped by ruins, was once a Romanesque chapel and the seat of kings. In County Wicklow lies Glendalough, a monastery from the sixth century, which is nestled between two lakes and surrounded by woods. If you’re looking for adventure, travel to Skellig Michael, in County Kerry, across rough seas to climb to the top of this rocky outcropping, which is dedicated to archangel Michael. Visit County Kilkenny's Jerpoint Abbey, with its medieval carvings and enough remains standing to lend a sense of how spectacular these abbeys that dotted the landscape were. Visit the ruins of Clonmacnoise, on the River Shannon in County Offaly, once a literary, artistic and religious center of Ireland.
Castles
Ireland is known for its many castles, all of which will ignite your imagination and take you back to medieval times. Dunlance Castle in Country Antrim had the perfect setting to defend itself, located on a rock promontory that juts out over the ocean. King John’s Castle, also called Trim Castle, in County Meath survived from the 12th to the 17th century before it was abandoned. Visit Cahir Castle in County Tipperary to see one of the best preserved and largest castles in Ireland. To get a view of how these medieval castles were furnished, visit Bunratty Castle in County Clare, which is fully furnished. See an actual moat in County Donegal at Doe Castle, which sits on Sheep Haven Bay. Check out the towers of Carrickfergus Castle in County Antrim, a Norman fortress. If you’d like to steal a smooch, visit the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in County Cork, which has impressive dungeons and Badger Cave.
Natural Sites
Many natural sites in Ireland can be explored any time of year. The Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, a 60-million-year-old formation of hexagon-shaped basalt columns that rise out of the sea, is the result of volcanic action. If you’re up for the climb, pilgrims daily ascend Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, which is 2,460 feet above sea level and is said to be a holy mountain. To view some of Ireland’s notorious sea cliffs, visit the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, which rise more than 700 feet from the sea. Wildlflowers and butterflies abound in the limestone grassland known as The Burren in the County Clare. You cannot leave Ireland without seeing some of its beautiful bog country, illustrated best in the Slieve Bloom Way in County Laois, with waterfalls, glens and gentle sloping bogs. Rising to nearly 3,500 feet, MacGillycuddy’s Reeks in County Kerry is the highest mountain range on the Iveragh Peninsula.
Ancient Sites
The many ancient sites in Ireland are worth exploration and provide insight into the rich heritage of this place. Visit the passage tomb of Newgrange, a megalithic cemetery that is 5,000 years old. Also in County Meath is Loughcrew, with two hills crowned by cruciform passage tombs, and the Hill of Tara, which was the center of Ireland’s kings and has been a place of ritual importance since the Stone Age. In County Galway lies Dun Aengus, a stone fort with walls facing the sea, on the island of Inishmore. With more than 200 passage tombs, Carrowmore and Carrowkeel in County Sligo display the reverence with which the people of Ireland hold their dead. Visit Lough Gur in County Liimerick and view its 113-stone circle, the largest in Ireland.
Festivals and events highlight the fall season in Ireland. Get out and enjoy harvest fairs, traditional music and arts, guided weekend walks, creepy ghost tours, and much more.
TOUR THE TOMBS AT GLASNEVIN CEMETERY
Ireland’s necropolis is Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin where 1.5 million people have been buried since 1832, including famous patriots, poets, writers, and musicians. A guided tour tells fascinating stories of slain revolutionary leader Michael Collins, writer Brendan Behan, and Daniel O’Connell, the Liberator, buried in an ornate crypt beneath a round tower. Touch his inner wooden casket for luck. The museum chronicles burial practices, highlights the noted and notorious resting here, and offers a genealogy research center.
A stop at John Kavanagh, also known as the Gravediggers, is a must after your cemetery tour. Established in 1833 and still run by the same family, the pub shares a back wall with the cemetery. Pub workers used to pass pints to the gravediggers through the cemetery railings during the workday. This is an authentic, old-style pub with a reputation for an excellent pint of Guinness.
CELEBRATE THE MAN BEHIND DRACULA
Bram Stoker, author of the 1897 horror novel Dracula, was born in north Dublin, educated at Trinity College, and got his start writing theater reviews for a Dublin newspaper. Although his horror novels and short stories were written in London, Dublin hosts an extensive four-day festival at the end of October to honor his life, work, and legacy. Events are held across the city, which is illuminated with red lights. Sink your teeth into the Bram Stoker Festival with literary events, concerts of Gothic-inspired music, theatrical events, pop-up performances, and ghost walking tours.
JOIN A WALKING FESTIVAL
Walking festivals offer many different guided treks, often hosted by rambling clubs, over a few days in a region. They provide access to hidden landscapes and overlooks, accompanied by local walkers happy to share stories. In autumn, the colorful foliage is a bonus. A highlight of the Fermanagh Walking Festival is the ascent of 2,182-foot Cuilcagh Mountain, offering 360-degree views over the scenic lakelands region. The Gortmacconnell walk passes through forests and a rare blanket bog in the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, the only UNESCO geopark in Northern Ireland. The four-day Footfalls Wicklow Walking Festival at the end of October offers eight hikes on three levels of difficulty. Hikes might take in Glendalough’s sixth-century monastic settlement, Wicklow Gap, or St. Kevin’s Way. Be sure to book a sports massage for the evening.
ENJOY TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC
Nothing can compare with the foot-tapping brilliance of a traditional Irish music session, which might include fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes (also known as Irish bagpipes), button accordion, banjo, guitar, bodhran, concertina, harp, drums, and tin whistle. At a festival, there are musical concerts, informal pub sessions, and workshops for students along with singing and Irish dancing. The Mountshannon Traditional Festival in Clare at the end of September mixes boat trips to Holy Island on Lough Derg with music workshops, pub sessions, and a song competition. The John Dwyer Trad Weekend runs for three days in mid-October as part of Waterford’s larger Imagine Arts Festival. The William Kennedy Piping Festival in Armagh in mid-November focuses on the uilleann pipes with a piping academy, concerts, sessions, reedmaking and pipe maintenance workshops, and a "Music on Canvas" art exhibition. It’s named for an 18th-century blind piper and pipemaker.
GO GHOST HUNTING AT BELFAST’S CRUMLIN ROAD GAOL
Crumlin Road Gaol was the prison for Belfast’s hardcore prisoners from 1845 to 1996. This Victorian jail held many death row convicts, and 17 of them were executed here by hanging, the last one in 1961. Year-round daily tours take visitors through the tunnel connecting the courthouse to the gaol, the condemned man’s cell, the execution chamber, and the graveyard. Included are the tales of political prisoners, those executed, suicides, hunger strikes, riots, and escapes. During the second half of October, take the Paranormal Tour that runs at night in low light for an extra creepy experience. This tour visits the flogging room and takes you to the hot spots of paranormal activity, as verified by paranormal investigators with detection equipment.
APPRECIATE THE ARTS
The vibrant arts scene in Ireland is showcased in many popular fall festivals across the entire island. Culture Night is one intense night of free events held on a Friday in mid-September each year. Choose from hundreds of different performances, workshops, gallery openings, concerts, tours, and dancing at Ireland's top cultural sites.
The Belfast International Arts Festival runs for two weeks in October with an extensive lineup. There are premieres, edgy productions, and international performers. Launched more than 50 years ago, the festival has featured artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison, and the Chieftains. The 2016 event featured artists like singer-songwriter Bettye LaVette and performance artist Taylor Mac.
ENJOY THE FALL HARVEST
Since pagan times, harvest festivals have been held to give thanks for the bounty of the season—and to share it with family and neighbors. The Waterford Harvest Festival in mid-September is all about food from farm to fork around the region. Take advantage of cooking demonstrations by noted chefs, workshops, food displays, grow-it-yourself seminars, and foodie films. Sample artisanal food, buy from farmers in the market, and stop by the oyster festival and craft beer fest. Setting the scene are live music, farm animals on display, and art installations.
The three-day National Ploughing Championships toward the end of September has become one of the biggest outdoor farming events in Europe, covering 700 acres. Established in 1931, it features international ploughing—or plowing, as it's known in the U.S.—competitions, livestock shows, sheepdog trials, the All-Ireland Lamb Shearing contest, and the National Brown Bread Baking Competition. There’s vintage machinery, the latest farm equipment, and technological innovations too.
ROOT FOR FAVORITES AT A HORSE RACING FESTIVAL
Horse racing is keenly followed in Ireland, and race days are as much about the social aspects as they are about placing wagers. Some of the most popular racing is National Hunt or jump racing with horses running on grass tracks two miles long or more. Multiday race festivals offer a full-immersion experience; ladies, be sure to wear a hat on Ladies Day.
The Listowel Harvest Festival in September has long enticed farmers to wager some of their harvest proceeds. The Guinness Kerry National Chase is the highlight of National Hunt and Flat racing events here. The Northern Ireland Festival of Racing is held the first weekend in November at Lisburn’s Down Royal Racecourse, which was granted a Royal Charter in 1685. The JNwine.com Champion Chase race is part of the festival and is for many who follow the sport the most prestigious National Hunt event of the year in the north.
DELIGHT IN AUTUMN GARDENS
Two high-concept gardens enhance Ireland's colorful fall foliage with unusual elements and unique events. At the Samhain Winter Garden at Brigit’s Garden in Rosscahill, Galway, a massive earthworks depiction of a sleeping woman represents the Earth at rest, cradling a reflection pool that symbolizes life. In the Bealtaine Summer Garden, tie a wish to the fairy tree. And in early October, join in the seasonal feast of foraged and harvested ingredients from the garden.
Named one of the top 10 gardens in the world by the Daily Telegraph, Mount Stewart Gardens in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, features formal themed gardens, plus lake and woodland walks. There are still flowers blooming through the winter thanks to the mild climate, says head gardener Neil Porteous. He leads a special behind-the-scenes tour in early November.
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