The sound of an Irish fiddle in a cozy village pub warmed by a turf fire and lively conversation. Scenes straight out of the movies.

Literary, poetic, gifted in the art of conversation, the Irish extend their love of language even to the names of counties and towns, which roll off the tongue like music: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Kilkenny. For a taste of Irish culture, from the Abbey Theatre to traditional music, proceed directly to Dublin, where Joyce, Shaw, and Yeats all worked – and U2 still does. Shoppers may want to stroll Grafton Street for traditional tweeds and newfangled knits, while history lovers will want to head for Trinity College to see the The Book of Kells illuminated manuscript.

Most visitors then turn to the west coast, where cliff-lined seascapes from Donegal to Dingle fulfill idealized visions of the Emerald Isle. The Ring of Kerry may be the favorite route, but there's a wealth of castles, great houses, and masterpieces of garden design to choose from in every direction. Although you can make your way across Ireland by car, touring by bicycle is a way to slow down to the Irish pace, discover out-of-the-way country pubs, and get to know the people in this land of cead mile failte, “a hundred thousand welcomes.”