Irish Independent Travel

06/06/2026

There’s a little place on Connemara to tell you about - a small, family-run hotel that might just take the stress from your shoulders…

The Connemara Sands is this week’s Irish Independent hotel review, with 30 rooms and five self-catering stays (some pet-friendly) just steps from Mannin Bay.

Prepare for sea, saunas, chilled staff, and a chef that seems to have a direct line to the foodie croí of Connemara, says Pól Ó Conghaile.

Some spaces need work, and it’s an evolving stay, but any quibbles are trumped by a tone that is joyful, calm and restorative, he says.

Read the full review at independent.ie/travel 🛎️

B&B at the four-star starts from €235 off-peak and €300 in summer, with a two-night minimum in July and August. There’s a wheel-chair accessible room available.

05/06/2026

Skip the queues and start your trip in style—five reasons to book one of Dublin Airport’s newly upgraded lounges

Whether you’re travelling for fun, work or a bit of both, you deserve to travel in comfort.

05/06/2026

Every year, thousands of young people head off on ‘gap year’ adventures, which could last anything from a month to a whole year.

But many older people, freed from the responsibilities of work and family, are also packing their bags for trips.

We spoke to several Irish travellers in their sixties to get their top tips for fellow 'golden gap year' adventurers. Read the story on independent.ie/travel ✈️

03/06/2026

Dublin Airport has overhauled its lounges, and is charging from €35 to €55pp for any passenger to buy two-hour slots.

Access includes food and two alcoholic drinks, among other things. So how do the Liffey, Martello, Phoenix and 51st & Green work, what's the difference between them, and are they worth the money?

Read our guide on independent.ie/travel ✈️

The lounges can be a treat (especially for a special occasion), but are less comfy when busy, and planning is required to get the best bang for your buck.

All four offer exclusive space, prices that include food and drink options, “PRM-friendly” (passenger with reduce mobility) showers, airport wifi, press readers, lots of charging points and business zones. But there are differences between them (and not just in size - one doesn’t have hot food, and only a single lounge offers barista coffee, for example).

| airport lounges |

02/06/2026

What's it like to live with guests and ghosts at Huntingdon Castle?

'Their velvety smooth, clipped Downton Abbey tones seem completely at odds with the visual before me,' writes Niamh O'Reilly, who visited Alexander and Clare Durdin Robertson in their home.

Read the story on independent.ie/travel 🗞️

There will be ghosts, Aldi runs, lambs, period bedrooms and a hidden temple... just for starters.

'The minutia of everyday life mirrors my own conversations with my husband before I left the house a few hours ago – except, of course, these play out in a 400-year-old castle...'

28/05/2026

Would you go into Dublin City after 6pm?

A new ‘Dublin by Dusk’ initiative sees select galleries, museums and other attractions open late on the last Thursday of the month. It starts today, with the aim of encouraging more people to go into the city, or stay late after work.

Read how Pól Ó Conghaile got on at independent.ie/travel

What do you think? Is the city feeling safer, more welcoming and entertaining for all? Does it have an edge that bothers you, or an edge like any city?

23/05/2026

If you are looking to take a more unique route to the Italian capital…

Italy is proving that the best way to travel might just be one step at a time

14/05/2026

Ireland's 50 best places to stay in 2026 - from amazing Airbnbs fashioned from horse boxes and cow sheds to the island's newest five-star hotels. Read here: https://bit.ly/4vREEYC

07/05/2026

A new Irish ferry company will sail six days a week from Cork to France. Read the full story on independent.ie/travel

07/05/2026

Before and after the storm at Cashel House, Connemara.

The hotel's gardens were trashed by Storm Éowyn. 84 trees were knocked, some up to 150 years old.

But once they got in diesel for the generator, they invited locals to drop in to charge devices, take showers, for “warmth” and cuppas as they needed until power and water were restored to the area.

It’s just one story from a Blue Book house that throws up another with every step. Read the full story on independent.ie/travel ✈️