Best Days Out in Ireland: 10 great Irish adventure days

Nominations continue to come in for the Irish Times Best Day Out in Ireland competition – and in recent days pitches from Co Cork have increased dramatically: 146 readers have now nominated a visitor attraction or leisure experience in Co Cork as the best place to spend a day out in Ireland. Wexford remains the most popular county to spend a day in: 272 people have nominated destinations there; nominations for places in Co Donegal have also increased significantly, to 225. Every county in Ireland is represented in the 1,600-plus entries so far. Carlow, Dublin, Sligo, Waterford, Louth and Wicklow all have more than 50 nominations each. The map above gives a full breakdown of pitches for each county so far.

Entries close at midnight today – Saturday – then go before a panel of judges, who will choose a winner in June. You can go online to nominate your best day out, at

[ irishtimes.com/ life-and-style/travel/ireland/ best-day-out/nomination ]

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Majestic fjord
Killary's majestic fjord offers a multitude of activities for locals and passers-by. You can leap in from a specially designed platform, go climbing and gorge-walking, or take a sea-kayaking trip from Killary Adventure Centre – finishing up at the doorstep of the Field Pub, in Leenane village, 5km up the fjord. After a sumptuous seafood lunch the legs will be ready to tackle one of the mountains that fall towards the fjord's edges, to capture one of those jaw-dropping photographss you see so often on magazine covers. killaryadventure.com
- CONOR BOLGER

Sense of achievement
Clare Island Adventures give a wonderful day out, full of adventure and challenges. You can go coasteering, rock climbing and abseiling, snorkelling, raft building. They are great for team-building events and for hens and stags, and they run singles weekends for those who want to do something a bit different. I was enormously impressed with the professionalism of the staff and the confidence they instilled in me, not to mention the sense of achievement I felt at the end of the day. clareislandadventures.ie
- GINA CORBETT

Exciting challenges
A short hop from Dublin or Belfast, Carlingford Adventure Centre and Skypark offers stunning scenery, surrounded by mountains and Carlingford Lough. The mountain Skypark is full of exciting challenges, zip wires and high-rope courses, not to mention Zorbing and archery, and smaller stuff for the kids. As you're whizzing along the view is stunning. If that's not enough, there's plenty to do in its partner company, Carlingford Adventure Centre: rock climbing in the quarry, kayaking in the lough and sailing. carlingfordadventure.com
- CIARA Mc ARDLE

World-class facility 
Ballyhass Lakes activity centre, in Mallow, in the heart of north Co Cork, has the longest zip lines in Munster, high-rope courses over the lake, rock climbing and abseiling on the natural cliff faces, and waters for kayaking, raft building and cable wakeboarding. The old quarry site is most one of the most unusual locations for wakeboarding in the world. A world-class sporting facility in Ireland. ballyhasslakes.ie
- EOGHAN McCARTHY

What a buzz!
I took my husband and brother coasteering in Belmullet, Co Mayo. We drove out to Erris Head, where we met David Tyrell, from Wavesweeper, and his team. It was wet and windy, which only added to the experience. What a buzz! We didn't feel the cold. We swam into caves, exploring the rugged coastline, and climbed up cliffs only to jump back in again. Best €50 spent on a day out. wavesweeperseaadventures.com
- RACHEL YOUNG

Ancient guardians
Along the western seaboard of Co Donegal live 100 guardians of an ancient world. Sculpted by the wild Atlantic, these towering rock sentinels stand guard at the outer edge of our distant shores. We launch from the shore to cross open ocean and land on the bases of the towers, climbing to arrive on a pristine summit, parts of which have been visited fewer times than the surface of the moon. For eight years we have been exploring the sea stacks of Donegal, playing with killer whales, basking sharks, bull selkies, artic skuas and puffins as we go. We have developed a collection of sea-stackclimbing packages from near coastal single-pitch climbs to adventurous days on the most remote, adventurous and atmospheric rock climbs in Ireland. uniqueascent.ie
- IAIN MILLER

Geopark playground
The stunning Burren and Cliffs of Moher geopark has the longest cave system in Ireland, the largest stalactite in Europe, a national park, and a host of wild flora and fauna. The geopark is an outdoor playground: take an early-morning bike ride while listening to the dawn chorus and taking in the spectacular landscape; spend an afternoon kayaking in hidden sea caves alongside seals; or while away an evening foraging for wild food before a sunset picnic. The landscape of the geopark is here to be discovered through a variety of activities. Choose how you want to explore it. burrengeopark.ie
- LAURA COTTER

Seaside sports
The Adventure Centre in Dunmore East, Co Waterford, offers water- and land-based sports for children and adults in a fun atmosphere with experienced staff. Activities include sailing, canoeing, caving and the Wibit Wipeout inflatable obstacle course. The centre is in a pretty seaside village with plenty of amenities. Waterford city is a short drive away, with a regular bus service to the village. dunmoreadventure.com
- CLARE BARCLAY

Satisfy all appetites
Lough Key Forest Park, in Co Roscommon, has innovative attractions drawing thousands of people. Stroll around the forest walkways or hire a bike or Segway. Go on a boat tour around the 32 islands of the lough and explore the ruins of the abbey on Trinity Island or the early Christian church on Church Island. For the more adventurous, try the treetop walkway or the zip lines up in the trees. Little ones can enjoy the adventure playground. The restaurant, with beautiful views of the lake, will satisfy everyone's appetite afterwards. loughkey.ie
- ORLA GARVIN

Ireland's Amazon
Stand-Up Paddle-Boarding for All, in Co Sligo, offers the most relaxing experience on Lough Gill. Paddle out to the Lake Isle of Inishfree, of WB Yeats fame. From there take a trip on your board towards Dromahair, Co Leitrim, on the natural paradise that is the River Bonnet. Locals call it a trip down the Amazon. facebook.com/SUPforall
- TERESA HEERAN

In partnership with Discover Ireland