9 ways to spend St Valentine's Day in Ireland

1. Horse Riding, County Kerry

When legendary Irish warrior Oisín fell in love with the beautiful Niamh, the two eloped to Tír na nÓg, the land of everlasting youth. And where did the happy couple set out upon their white steed? Rossbeigh Beach, County Kerry. You can giddy-up and trot along the unspoiled sands to your heart’s content.

2. Candlelight Dinner, County Waterford

In 1170, Norman mercenary Strongbow wed the exiled Irish King of Leinster’s daughter near Reginald’s Tower. Not far from this medieval monument is another loved-up location – the Cliff House Hotel. Spectacular ocean setting aside, it boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant which uses vegetables grown in the kitchen garden.

3. Get Married, County Fermanagh

For a special dose of love, head to Florence Court. Sir John Cole first built a mansion here in the 18th century and named it after the woman he adored. Today, the vast Palladian mansion oozes romance and is a popular wedding venue, with the ornate Rococo decor, mountain backdrops and walled gardens sure to melt your heart.

4. Shrine to Love, County Galway

Talk about a public display of affection. In 1875, following the sudden death of his wife, a heartbroken Mitchell Henry built a church at Kylemore Abbey as a legacy to the love of his life. This romantic gesture still stands and is open to the public in all its Gothic glory.

5. Find True Love, County Clare

Before P.S. I Love You, we had The Matchmaker. The plot? A woman goes to Ireland to discover her roots and arrives in the middle of Galway’s matchmaking season. In real life, this would have taken place in Lisdoonvarna, which has hosted a matchmaking festival for the past 150 years! A shot at love, and great craic, too.

6. Castle Spa Break, County Monaghan

Today a plush hotel complete with spa, Castle Leslie was once the home of a real knight in shining armour: Bartholomew Leslie. The hero on horseback once saved Queen Margaret of Scotland when she fell into a river. The Leslie family motto has been ‘Grip Fast’ ever since, which is also the name of a massage at the spa.

7. Romantic Rambles, County Antrim

When Ronald John McNeil (1st Baron Cushendun to me and you) designed Cushendun, he ordered it to be built in Cornish appearance to please his Penzance-born partner, Elizabeth. Take a romantic ramble past the quaint cottages, neo-Georgian architecture and down to the sweeping beach, which is all the more stunning at sunset.

8. St Valentine Ring Blessing, County Dublin

Could there be anything as special as getting your wedding rings blessed by St Valentine? Inside Dublin’s Whitefriar Street Church lie the relics of the patron saint of love, where you can get your wedding rings blessed beneath his shrine on February 14. Plenty of couples propose underneath his statue, too. Imagine telling that to the grandkids…

9. Road Trip, Northern Ireland

You, your partner and the open road – what more could one want! Start at Carrickfergus Castle, a Norman stronghold with its own lovelorn ghost and entrance point to the Causeway Coastal Route. The route moves through deep green glens, secluded beaches and atmospheric ruins. Lovebirds, start your engines.

Glendalough, County Wicklow — And that’s not all...

Explore more of Ireland’s romantic locations

Wild Atlantic Way

Nothing says romance like the rugged beauty along the shoreline of this epic route…all 2,500km of it.

Beyond Belfast

Journey to the legendary Giant’s Causeway, into Narnia and to where the mountains sweep down to the sea.

Ireland's Ancient East

Laden with tales of love – requited and otherwise – over 5,000 years of stories fill these lands.

9 ways to spend St Valentine's Day

1. Horse Riding, County Kerry

2. Candlelight Dinner, County Waterford

3. Get Married, County Fermanagh

4. Shrine to Love, County Galway

5. Find True Love, County Clare

6. Castle Spa Break, County Monaghan

7. Romantic Rambles, County Antrim

8. St Valentine Ring Blessing, County Dublin

9. Road Trip, Northern Ireland

Explore more of Ireland’s romantic locations

Wild Atlantic Way

Beyond Belfast

Ireland's Ancient East

Getting here

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Surfing the Causeway Coast

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