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Once home to the pirate queen Grace O’Malley (see Connemara and Mayo), this casually elegant 4-star hotel enjoys a breathtaking location, ringed by the Twelve Bens Mountains. The restaurant serves fresh game and fish.

No prizes for decor but the atmosphere is informal and the food always good.

Built to accommodate the Irish House of Lords and House of Commons, the building is almost as magnificent as its English counterpart. Three architects were involved in its creation: Sir Edward Lovett Pearce designed the Palladian central block, with temple and portico flanked by colonnaded wings, in 1729; James Gandon contributed the portico to the east in 1785; and Richard Parkes added the western Ionic portico. In 1803, the building was taken over by the Bank of Ireland.

Dublin’s first Palladian-style building, built for the Irish Parliament in 1739, is beautifully floodlit at night.

This market town and fishing port is named after its beautiful situation at the head of Bantry Bay. Bantry House, commanding an outstanding position with views across the bay, has been owned by the White family since 1739. For maritime enthusiasts there is a small museum in the stable, examining the history of the French Armada, which was scuttled here in 1796.

After his defeat by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, James II fled to France leaving Ireland in the hands of the Protestant Ascendancy. These were English descendants of Tudor and Stuart settlers. The native Irish suffered for more than a century from the stringent penal measures inflicted on them.

This impressive 18th-century family mansion is still privately owned, which is apparent in its loving renovation into a plush hotel, combining traditional style with all modern amenities. Golf and horse-riding are available nearby if you’re looking for outdoor activity. The city centre is 15 minutes’ and the airport 10 minutes’ drive away.