Lonely Planet puts two Irish destinations in new travel trends listings
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025 has listed two places on the island of Ireland as premier destinations in its new travel trends section.
Lough Erne Aerial View
The global travel authority, Lonely Planet, has revealed its top destinations to visit in 2025. Each year the publication lists the top ten global destinations across cities, countries and regions but for 2025 it has also named the 10 best destinations to experience passions from train hopping to birdwatching.
Coming in at number one in the new Taking it Easy category is Lough Erne in County Fermanagh. The category is dedicated to slow travel, getting close to nature and “clearing our minds of the gunk of modern life”.
Lough Erne is made up of two lakes linked by a river and is the ideal place to escape from the stresses of everyday life. The best way to enjoy all that the lough has to offer is to hire a boat to gently cruise around the two island-dotted lakes. The islands include Devenish, where the remains of a medieval monastic site are imbued with an atmosphere of pure tranquility.
Devenish Monastic Site
The lough can also be enjoyed from the lakeside and many waymarked trails skirt its edge. These include Castle Caldwell Forest Walk which passes through woodland and along the shoreline and is an important conservation area with visiting red deer.
There are lots of accommodation options around Lough Erne ranging from the luxury five-star Lough Erne Resort on the water’s edge to Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel and Lodges and numerous self- catering cottages.
Celebrating the importance of the venue in the overall enjoyment of music, the" Following the Music" category lists De Barra’s folk club in Clonakilty, County Cork, at number six. A respected live music venue for over 40 years, De Barra’s is considered to be one of the best independent music venues in Ireland.
Passionate about supporting live music, De Barra’s hosts almost daily music gigs throughout the year and has welcomed folk greats such as Christy Moore, Mary Coughlan and Gavin Moore as well as aspiring and up-and-coming local musicians.
De Barra's, Clonakilty, Co. Cork
The venue itself is over 100 years old and much of the original bar still remains. The walls are covered with music and history memorabilia including uilleann pipes that were played by a Tullamore piper at the Chicago World Fair in 1893, a mandolin belonging to The Bothy Band, and the fender jazz bass guitar belonging to the late Noel Redding, the former Jimi Hendrix bassist and a celebrated resident of Clonakilty. There is also a double platinum record of ‘Are You Experienced’, the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s psychedelic debut album.
Christy Moore has been quoted as saying; “There’s Carnegie Hall, The Royal Albert, Sydney Opera House – and then there’s De Barra’s.”
It’s at once a piece of Ireland’s musical history and a buzzing centre of creativity and community.