Things to Do in Multi-County Trips

Some of Ireland’s best days out ignore county lines. The island is threaded with long-distance touring routes – the 2,500 km Wild Atlantic Way down the west coast, the Ancient East trails through the midlands and south – and with mountain ranges that sit astride two or three counties at once.

Border ranges and touring routes

Several of the finest places are shared ground. The Beara Peninsula, split between Cork and Kerry, is the quiet alternative to the Ring of Kerry, with the Healy Pass, the Dursey cable car and stone circles on an empty coast; the Caha Pass crosses the same county border underground through hand-cut 1842 tunnels. Up north, the Cuilcagh boardwalk – the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – climbs a 666 m summit straddling Fermanagh and Cavan. On the southeast borders, the Blackstairs rise between Carlow and Wexford, and the Vee hairpin threads the Knockmealdowns between Tipperary and Waterford. These are the places to aim for when you want a drive or a walk rather than a single ticketed sight – most cost nothing but the fuel.