Romantic Ireland: The Land of legendary Lovers
Ireland is a love story. Our city streets and pastoral countryside are stages upon which some of the world’s greatest love stories have played out. Our wordsmiths have crafted some of the most romantic feats of penmanship ever – see Patrick Kavanagh’s Raglan Road or WB Yeats’ He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.
Oh, and the Irish landscape is littered with ancient castles and hidden gardens that echo with forgotten love stories. Romantic Ireland is alive and well. Sure, the remains of St. Valentine himself lie in Dublin’s own .
In honour of this most heartfelt of days, this Irishman has decided to share the most romantic stories that ever played themselves out in Ireland. Perhaps they’ll even inspire your own Irish romance.
Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey
It’s often said that romance is tragedy in disguise, and the words seem to echo the high walls of Nestled at the foot of the Druchruach Mountains in Galway’s Connemara, Kylemore’s history is as tragic as the castle and grounds are beautiful. A man by the name of Mitchell Henry began building the 13,000-acre castle and estate in 1867, after he took his ladylove Margaret to for their honeymoon. A vast inheritance from his cotton tycoon father funded the construction of the fairytale castle, which Mitchell intended as a testament to his love for her. However Margaret died suddenly in 1874, never seeing her castle fully complete. Today it’s visitors who fall for the gothic romance of the walled Victorian gardens and lush woodland walkways, all shadowed by the vague melancholic reminder of a tragic lost love.
The so-beautiful-it-hurts Mournes Mountains
Legendary Lovers
Ross and Rachel, Kate and William, Cú Chulainn and Emer. Ok, well you might not know much about the last couple – but you’re about to! Cú Chulainn is a regular in Ireland’s myths and legends, but this love story was centered in the province of Ulster. Cú Chulainn fell for the beautiful Emer the instant he laid eyes on her. Emer was the daughter of the wily Forgall Monach (the original disapproving in-law), who hated Cú Chulainn and sent him to train with the warrior-woman Scathach, certain the brutal training regime would kill him. How wrong he was. Cú Chulainn’s love for Emer imbued him with inhuman strength and he returned to Ulster victorious. Still Forgall denied him his daughter’s hand. Cú Chulainn had had enough – he stormed Forgall’s fortress, scooped up Emer and robbed all of Forgall’s treasure to boot. Emer and Cú Chulainn wed soon after, and though there’s no info on where they honeymooned, we’re picturing the lovely Mourne Mountains!
No, not Paris. It's Dublin's thoroughfare of romance Grafton Street
Dublin: A city for lovers
With all its cute cafés, winding streets and cosy hotels, you’ll forgive us for claiming Dublin rivals Paris for a romantic encounter.
Patrick Kavanagh ponders his lover by the Grand Canal
Perhaps Ireland’s greatest love poem, Raglan Road, was written by the late poet Patrick Kavanagh after he spied a girl that stole his heart on Grafton Street. A hand-in-hand walk along the banks of the Grand Canal will bring you to where his bronze statue sits today, brooding out over the water. In more modern times, Grafton Street was where the characters of the Oscar-winning film ‘Once’ proclaimed their love to each other by… eh, busking (it’s more romantic than it sounds, promise). Just a couple of streets over, the remains of Saint Valentine himself sit in . Each year on Valentine’s Day, betrothed couples drop by the church to bless their rings, insuring a long and happy marriage.
Claddagh, Galway
The Claddagh Ring from Abbey Celtic Jewelery
With the famous heart in the centre, the Claddagh ring is synonymous with romance. The origins of the ring are a little vague, but most accounts point to Galway native Richard Joyes as creator. In the mid 17thcentury, Richard left his love and ancient fishing village of Claddagh for the West Indies to seek his fortune. Disaster struck when Algerian pirates waylaid his ship and Richard was sold into slavery. Sold to a wealthy goldsmith in fact, who trained him in his craft. It was years later, when King William III demanded all prisoners be freed from Algerian custody, that Richard was able to return to Ireland and his long-lost love.
The Claddagh Museum, Galway
Using his new smithing skills, Richard established his own goldsmiths in Galway, and his very first creation was a ring for his bride to be. He crafted the heart for the love he bore her, the hands for the friendship they shared, and the crown for his wife’s loyalty during his imprisonment.
It’s a lovely story to relive in Thomas Dillons , the cosy jewelers-cum-museum in Galway today. These guys have been in the Claddagh business since 1750, even making rings for royalty.
So if all this talk of romance has you hankering for a very special ring, you know where to go.
And where to get married? Sure Ireland of course! We even do a nice line in honeymoons!
it all looks very pretty over there maybe one day i will get 2 visit there
I Was not there on Valentines Day ,But I was there for My Wedding Anniversary in 2004.We Loved every minute and all 700 pictures we took. Thank You IRELAND
I love looking at all the Ireland heritage. My moms family came from Ireland and for some reason I have always had the feeling of longing for Ireland. I really hope one day that I can go there and see this wonderful enchanting place in person. It is georgous.
I remember when I went to kiss the Blarney Stone (yes I know it is cliche but hey thats what Irish Americans are supposed to do) there was a field off to the side of the castle that had a small abandoned tower with flowers growing around it. I thought it to be the perfect spot for romance! Alas I am single so I never took advantage of the beautiful location! Thank you for sharing these places and their stories Jonny Lucey
I have great memories of spending my summers in West Cork in the small town of Drinagh. My wife and I decided to get married there having our rehearsal dinner in the Gaelic Bar in Drinagh and wedding in Dunmannway at the Parkway Hotel.
Jonny are you related to the Lucey’s from Dunmanway
visited each of these places, and all very worth it. my favourite: the Mournes.
“So-beautiful-it-hurts” – the perfect description of so much of Ireland!
@ Rachelle you’re very welcome, happy to create awareness of these lovely places and their history.
@John Sure didn’t I go to school in the town of Dunmanway and I had my school graduation in The Parkway Hotel too. I do have relatives in Dunmanway, my family comes from the tiny parish of inchigeelagh, around a 20 minute drive from Dunmanway. Drinagh is a really lovely place too.
Ireland has it all. Wish we could live there! We took a ten-day tour around the country last August/September and it should have been at least a month. The natural beauty, the history, the friendliness of the people…we loved every minute of the trip.
Lovely place Ireland, spent my childhood holidays in Newcastle Co down where the mourne mountains do sweep down to the sea, also spent many happy days walking in the mountains as a child with my Dad, who came from wexford, still spend go over 2 or 3 times a year x
Dear Jonny..I have a love story of my own Thought you might enjoy it..A young boy of 17 and in his prime,a girl 15 so sweet and so shy. This was the beging of love..He asked me out ,my first date. He was my first kiss.We feel in love and didn’t know why. When he took me home we said good night and din’t know that it was good by. 50 years have come and gone and we have found each other again and our 2nd. kiss was on New Years Eve 2011..And on Valentines he aske me to be his girlfriend his sweetheart..We both have had a dream to carve PAN + SAN in a tree some where. and we both have always dreamed of going to Ireland…..I wounder if we will be there some day..Maybe to find that tree.. Sorry for the long message but I knew you would like it.
ireland really is so romantic! we loved muckross house and the surrounding grounds, as well as Dingle.