A fish shop in Cork city

Welcome to the real capital, as locals might inform you.

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic and while a pretty city it ain't, it has been oddly dubbed "the Venice of the North" due to its location on an island between two channels of the River Lee.

Cottages on the Aran Islands

For a dose of pure Irish craic, Galway city is the real McCoy. Western Europe's fastest growing city, it has a young and dynamic population of about 65,000 people and attracts a steady stream of students and backpackers.

Making tracks on a beach near Dingle

In the summer, Dingle is inundated with visitors, many lured by visions of sweeping beaches and rugged countryside beamed to the world in the hit 1970 movie Ryan's Daughter. Scuba diving, surfing, hiking and horse riding are all popular pastimes here.

Buskers serenade shoppers with Irish music in Grafton Street.

Photo: Dublin Tourism

The mighty Celtic Tiger has transformed Dublin from a dirty old town into a stylish, sophisticated, cosmopolitan metropolis.

Home to more than a quarter of the Republic's four million people, it is young and hip and a joy to explore.