Postcard perfect: Ireland’s Best Views

Ireland is nothing if not photogenic. Every view seems like a postcard waiting to happen. This is one holiday where your camera will be your key companion.

So where are the best places to bring it to ensure you come home with an album that’s postcard perfect? Erica Reed finds out.

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Beautiful in an almost overwhelming sense, you’ve probably already seen the even if you’ve never set foot in Ireland. The cliffs featured in one of the and acted the role of Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride with a dedication close to method. Equally likely, you’ve seen them in a distant relative’s ‘My summer in Ireland’ travel-slideshow. You can’t take a bad photo here. Cloudy, choppy, sunny, or calm; the cliffs will love your camera in any light.

In there are many things beautiful and historic. Combining the two is the exhibit. Though only recently opened, Titanic Belfast promises to be one of the biggest tourist attractions to hit the island, and with such a lovely exterior, there are already postcards galore of this sparkling silver creation.

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must have the highest population of photographers per square mile in Ireland. You can thank the and Killarney National Park for that. When it charmed Queen Victoria back in 1861 Ladies’ View was termed: a vista of three shimmering lakes bracketed by mountains where the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting were known to soak in the view. Expect some clicking away there.  Also expect cute-as-pie villages, epic cloudy lakes, jarveys (horse-drawn coaches) and even an island with a castle to squeeze into your lens. Photographers, be sure to give yourselves a few days here.

A geological curiosity of millions of years-old hexagonal basalt columns was always going to look good on film. Throw in a legend of giants creating it, and it’s no wonder that the of Antrim’s coast is famous. The legend is testament to the man-made look of the ‘steps’; apparently Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill built the causeway with his bare hands to walk to Scotland, to see another giant about a scrap. Myth and mist make a brilliant combination for a picture either way. The pros catch the Causeway first thing in the morning, for the rising sun and mist coming off the sea.

The truth is, any scene in Ireland makes a postcard once our furry ambassadors totter into the frame. Whether it’s an empty grey road, or a cloudy grey sky, get a few sheep in the foreground giving their stereotypical blank expression and you have a winner. You can trust sheep to give you a shot to send home with ‘wish ewe were here’ on the inside and everyone will love it.

In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty, the most photographed gal of them all is the buxom bronze . Affectionately known as ‘The Tart with the Cart’ she is often surrounded by a flock of tourists madly snapping her steely expression from all angles. To top it off, two live leprechauns hang about her in the busy summer season, offering you the chance to get two iconic Irish creatures in one frame. A peculiar rumour claims that Molly will be emigrating though. Yes bronze statues can flee to Australia – only in this town. The laying of a new tram line right through the city – and Molly’s turf – has led some to the conclusion that Molly will spend the interm sunning herself in Melbourne, Victoria. Will she come back with a lighter, golden sheen? It’ll mean a whole new set of postcards if she does.

We all love a love story. Which is why the photos of the ever regal and mystically alluring, Kylemore Abbey in are all the more poignant. It’s like capturing a fairytale in your frame. There are many beautiful castles in Ireland, but what makes Kylemore a real looker is its constantly shifting reflection in the lake below. Depending on the weather, Kylemore might be mirrored in perfect detail, or transformed into an ethereal rippling shadow of itself. So none of the millions of photos taken here will ever be alike. Just like every love story.