Top 10 Campsites in Ireland
Ireland's camping culture sits at the intersection of the country's extraordinary landscape diversity and its Atlantic weather. The Wild Atlantic Way — a 2,500 km coastal driving route — passes through some of the most spectacular coastal and mountain scenery in western Europe, and the campsite network along it ranges from well-equipped parks to informal farm sites. Ireland does not have a statutory right to wild camp equivalent to Scotland's, but informal tolerance for low-impact wild camping on remote hillsides and shores has a long tradition. The Caravan and Camping Ireland grading system covers commercial sites.
1. Cong Camping Caravan and Glamping Park, Cong, County Mayo
At the village of Cong on the isthmus between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask — the largest lakes in the Republic of Ireland — this site is at the centre of Connemara countryside with direct access to fishing, kayaking, and the woodland walks around Ashford Castle. The location between two major lakes in the Connemara limestone plain is picturesque; the facilities are well-maintained and the site is active year-round.
2. Cronin's Yard, Killarney, County Kerry
At the foot of Carrauntoohil — Ireland's highest mountain at 1,039 metres — Cronin's Yard is the primary base camp for Macgillycuddy's Reeks walking. The site is in the Hag's Glen below the approach to the Devil's Ladder route, the most direct ascent of Carrauntoohil. A working farm with basic camping facilities; the mountain setting compensates for the simplicity. The mountain circuit known as the Coomloughra Horseshoe begins from this point.
3. Curraghchase Caravan and Camping, Adare, County Limerick
In the forest park of Curraghchase near Adare — a village of thatched cottages considered Ireland's prettiest village — this Coillte (state forestry) operated site is in mature woodland surrounding the ruins of Curraghchase House. The forest trails and the nearby River Maigue are accessible from the site. Good facilities and a sheltered woodland position.
4. Castle Archdale Caravan Park, Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh
On the shore of Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh (Northern Ireland), Castle Archdale is a Forestry Service NI site in the grounds of a former wartime flying boat base. The Erne lake system is the premier Canadian canoe camping destination in Ireland — the lakes are navigable from Belleek to Enniskillen with island camping throughout. The medieval church ruins on Devenish Island are accessible by boat.
5. Lough Ramor Caravan and Camping Park, Virginia, County Cavan
On Lough Ramor in the drumlins and lakes of County Cavan — the "lake county" — this site provides swimming, fishing, and kayaking access to a quiet midlands lake. Cavan's waterway network connects to the Shannon-Erne system to the west; the county's landscape of small hills and many lakes is undervisited by international tourists and retains a quiet, local character.
6. Harbour Camping, Clifden, County Galway
Near Clifden on the Connemara coast — the capital of Connemara — this site has access to the Clifden coastline and the Sky Road circuit. Connemara National Park is 20 km east; the Twelve Bens mountain range is visible from the site. The Alcock and Brown transatlantic landing site at Derrigimlagh bog is 6 km south. Wind, rain, and clearances of extraordinary Atlantic light alternate through Connemara days.
7. Riverhollow Wild Camping, Wicklow
In the Wicklow Mountains National Park near Glendalough — the sixth-century monastic settlement in a glacial valley 45 km south of Dublin — the designated wild camping areas on the Wicklow Way long-distance route are the most accessible backcountry camping in the country. The Wicklow Way runs 127 km from Marlay Park in Dublin to Clonegal in Carlow; lightweight tent camping along the route is well-established practice.
8. Kilbaha Campsite, Loop Head, County Clare
At the tip of the Loop Head Peninsula — the windiest, most dramatic headland in County Clare — this small campsite is exposed to full Atlantic weather but provides extraordinary coastal scenery. The Loop Head lighthouse, the cliff stacks and arches of the western point, and the relative quiet of a peninsula that most visitors pass through without stopping make this one of Ireland's more characterful camping locations.
9. Laois Caravan and Camping Park, Portlaoise, County Laois
In the midlands of Ireland near the Rock of Cashel (Tipperary) and the Slieve Bloom Mountains, this site is a practical midlands touring base for visitors exploring the less-visited central counties. The Slieve Bloom Mountains — a rounded sandstone upland in Ireland's flat midlands — have walking trails and a distinct upland character despite their modest altitude.
10. Motofeirme, County Clare
A small farm camping site in County Clare that provides basic tent pitching in a Burren-fringe landscape — the Burren being the unique limestone karst plateau of northwest Clare where Arctic, Alpine, and Mediterranean plants grow together in a habitat found nowhere else in Europe. The Cliffs of Moher, Poulnabrone Dolmen, and the Aillwee Cave are within a 20 km radius.
Atlantic weather and gear
Irish camping requires waterproof equipment that can be trusted fully — a leaking tent in Irish conditions is a serious problem. A good-quality four-season tent and waterproof bags for all contents are the minimum standard. Rain gear worn over mid-layer insulation handles the wind-and-drizzle conditions that prevail outside the brief summer highs. June and September are the most reliable months; August is driest in the east, wettest in the west.