2025 news from the island of Ireland

Major events, infrastructure upgrades and exciting new activities are just some of the reasons to visit or revisit the island of Ireland in 2025.

Sunrise over Ardare Manor, Co. Limerick.

Significant anniversaries

In 2025 the island of Ireland will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the death of writer and wit Oscar Wilde and 130 years since the publication of one of his most famous works, The Importance of Being Ernest. In October (16–20), a new festival, In Our Dreams, will take place in County Fermanagh. It plans to be a weekend of fairytale, fantasy and frivolity based in the island town of  Enniskillen, where Wilde went to school (1864–71). Literary enthusiasts can also commemorate the famous author year-round in Dublin, with a guided tour of  Oscar Wilde House, the childhood home of the famous playwright and visit  Trinity College where he went to university. October will also see the third  Oscariana festival in Dublin celebrating Wilde’s life and work.

Down Cathedral, Co. Down

Saint Patrick’s Way, the 82-mile signed walking trail passing key sites relating to Saint Patrick celebrates its 10th anniversary next year. Starting at the Navan Centre in Armagh, the route takes walkers through some of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular scenic landscapes before ending at Saint Patrick’s final resting place in the grounds of Down Cathedral in Downpatrick. Walkers can collect stamps in a special Pilgrim’s Passport.

The Open to return to Portrush

Royal Portrush, located on Northern Ireland’s spectacular  Causeway Coast, will host The Open for the third time in 2025. The club hosted the tournament in 1951, and again in 2019 when Shane Lowry raised the Claret Jug. The 153rd Open Championship will take place 14–20 July 2025 and thousands of golf enthusiasts are expected to attend this major sporting event.

New walking and cycling trails

The Littleton Labyrinth will be a new 7km walking trail and cycleway trail from the village of Horse and Jockey through the heart of Ireland's diverse bogland in County Tipperary. It follows the path of an old peat rail line.

St Declan's Way Pilgrim Trail is a 1500-year-old pilgrim route running 115km from St Declan's ancient home in Ardmore, County Waterford to The Rock of Cashel where he was said to have paid homage to St Patrick.

In County Leitrim,  The Slow Adventure Jackalope Cycle Tour is a guided e-bike (or standard bike) 20km cycle along the Shannon Blueway. During the trip the guide will unveil the story of the illusive Jackalope and along the way you can tour the  The Shed Distillery, home of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin.

New infrastructure

The  Wild Atlantic Way and  Causeway Coastal Route are set to be linked, encouraging visitors to extend their stays and easily explore more of the island’s coastline. Plans include the establishment of discovery points, improved signage, investment in local tourism businesses and orientation aids for travellers, as well as the development of cross-border regional destinations.

Belfast Grand Central Station will be the island of Ireland’s biggest transport hub. The first phase of the development opened in October 2024, located at the heart of an exciting new city neighbourhood called Weavers Cross, set for completion in 2025. The station provides a new gateway to Belfast, supplying rail, bus and coach connections to all parts of Northern Ireland and beyond and aims to encourage more people to use explore the island by train.

Kinsale, Co. Cork

National Geographic has included  Cork in its picks for  Best of The World 2025, the brand’s annual list of the most exciting, meaningful and one-of-a-kind travel experiences for the upcoming year. Cork’s inclusion in the ‘best of’ list owes much to its ambitious plans for improvements to the city’s infrastructure over the next few years including redeveloping the port and docklands, refurbishing the Crawford Art Gallery, and enhancing the Cork Event Centre.

New accommodation

A number of new hotels will open in 2025 giving visitors more choice of accommodation.

Dunluce Lodge will open on the Causeway Coast in spring 2025, in time for the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Featuring 35 guest rooms and a luxury spa and located on the edge of Royal Portrush’s fourth fairway, it offers sweeping views of the course, Portrush town and the Donegal headlands.  For larger groups, the hotel has a beautiful private lodge, offering eight private suites, private dining, and a fireside lounge space. The hotel will have an onsite putting green, designed by renowned golf architect, Martin Ebert, and a restaurant serving seasonal produce from the region’s abundant land and sea larder.

Royal Portrush, Co. Down

The Bedford Hotel will be a luxurious, five-star hotel in an historic Edwardian building in central Belfast. The 102-bedroom hotel will have a high-end restaurant and bar and aim to embody the city’s spirit and story across time.

The Molyneux House site opposite St Patrick’s Park and Cathedral in Dublin will be transformed into Ireland’s first Citizen-M Hotel in 2025. The 245-room hotel will have co-working spaces, a living room filled with art, designer furniture and a 24/7 Canteen.

The  Adelphi Portrush will reopen on 1 April 2025, following a major refurbishment under the Marine & Lawn Hotels and Resort collection. The renovation will pay homage to the destination’s natural beauty and rich traditions.

The historic Londonderry Arms in Carnlough, once owned by Winston Churchill, is currently undergoing a £1.75 million development to become a whiskey themed hotel, the first of its kind in Ireland. Situated in the Glens of Antrim on the Causeway Coast, the new  Harbourview Hotel will have a Whiskey Chamber with over 400 bottles of whiskey, a pub offering whiskey cocktails and whiskey tasting flights, and will host events including the Carnlough Whiskey Festival, Whiskey & Food pairing evenings and Master Distiller dinners and talks. Residents will be provided with nightcaps from a tapped unfiltered cask strength Limavady Whiskey cask and will have a turndown gift of whiskey-infused chocolates amongst other whiskey themed touches.

Flight routes

Waterford Airport is expected to reopen, creating a new schedule of London routes. An extended runway is in development as part of a €30 million investment, giving the airport capacity to handle larger aircraft suitable for short–medium haul flights. The airport reopening will see the destination linked to Great Britain and Europe for the first time since 2016, with a new London route expected to kick-start commercial passenger flights.

EasyJet has begun operating from City of Derry Airport with new routes to and from Edinburgh and Liverpool. The new services operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays throughout the year.

Aer Lingus has launched a new four-times-weekly service from Cork to Glasgow operating on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The airline has also begun operating additional services to Bristol, bringing the existing six-times weekly service up to a nine-times weekly.

For more information about 2025 attractions and experiences, please visit https://www.ireland.com/en-gb/.