Discover 5 stunning driving routes across Ireland for 2025 — from mountain passes to dramatic coastlines.
We’re a small country, and often a damp one, but we’re blessed with two things — an occasional week of fine, dry, weather along with some of the best driving roads in Europe to make the most of those fleeting gaps in the rain.
It’s a quirk of legislative coincidence that means Ireland is able to close its roads for motor sports and rallying events, one that dates back to the original 1903 Gordon Bennett race, the first truly modern motor race, run over a circuit of public roads.
That same spirit of open-road adventure lives on today. From historic trails to dramatic coastlines, here are five of the very best driving routes to explore across Ireland in 2025.
1. Mount Wolseley & The Gordon Bennett Trail
It’s to the Gordon Bennett location that we’ll take you for our first great driving road. Much of the original course of the 1903 race — won by the Belgian driver Camille Jenatzy for the Mercedes team, one of the first international motor racing victories for the three-pointed star — is still in use, but the roads themselves have been necessarily widened and modernised. However, starting from the Mount Wolseley Hotel in Tullow — the headquarters for the modern, annual Gordon Bennett event, now a much more relaxed event for pre-1930 cars — you can strike out along some gorgeous country roads which raise and lower themselves over gently rolling hills and glacial drumlins. It’s not the usual dramatic mountain or coastal location that you might associate with driving in Ireland, but with narrow roads, lined with hedgerows, that snake all the way up into County Kildare and the lower fringes of the Curragh, it’s something of a different view of Ireland, of a part of the country too often overlooked and ignored. There are some stunning views, and a glorious picnic spot at the Moat Of Ardscull, a copse of trees high above Athy, Co. Kildare, and a staging post on the original Gordon Bennett route. Pause a while there, and then wind your way back to Carlow town for a trip to the delightful county museum there.
Why this drive? Historic roads in Carlow and Kildare trace the legendary 1903 Gordon Bennett race, offering rolling drumlins, hedge-lined lanes, sweeping views, and relaxed stops in often-overlooked countryside.
2. West Cork: Bantry to Mizen Head
From an unheralded corner of Ireland to one far more familiar to many of us — West Cork. Long known as an area of outstanding natural beauty, West Cork is also home to some fantastic back roads which over the years have been used as rally stages for events such as the Circuit of Ireland, the West Cork Rally, and the Cork 20 Rally. The best route is to start out in Bantry, and head out of town, skirting the edges of the famous Bantry Bay — the second deepest natural harbour in the world — before cutting inland towards the village of Durrus. This road swings and loops across the neck of the peninsula — make sure you take time to stop at the amazing Blair’s Cove restaurant near Durrus, if it’s near dinner time — and leaves you with two options. You can bear left, and follow the road up and over Mt Gabriel, with its distinctive radar domes at its peak, and drive through the dramatic glacial spillway that opens out into a stunning view out across the coast and as far as the Fastnet Lighthouse on a clear day. Or you can bear right, and come out onto the coast again at Altar — this gives you a subsequent choice of turning left and heading towards the gorgeous harbour village of Schull, for right and head out through Goleen and past Crookhaven to reach the stunning vista of Mizen Head, Ireland’s most southerly point. Take a stroll across the white-painted bridge, perched high over the Atlantic breakers, to reach the museum of the old life guard station, if you’re OK with heights.
Why this drive? A stunning coastal run through Bantry, Durrus, and over Mt Gabriel, with options to branch to Schull or continue past Goleen to windswept Mizen Head — Ireland’s most southerly point.
3. Wicklow Mountains and Sally Gap
Mind you, if we’re talking rally stages, then there are few that offer a better driving challenge than Sally Gap. Easily accessible from Dublin and the M50 motorway (turn off at Firhouse and follow the road upwards…) Sally Gap itself is a crossroads high in the Dublin mountains that links roads which spear across the mountains, the forests, and the high bogs which gives you spectacular views — including the famous ‘Guinness’ lake — and some truly challenging sections of road. You don’t need to drive fast to have fun up here; indeed you can’t, as the road is so often so undulating that anything much above 60km/h becomes uncomfortable, but you’ll find out pretty quickly how good a driver you are, and how good the chassis and suspension of your car are.
Once you’ve reached Sally Gap itself, you have a choice of routes — follow the road down towards Roundwood, in Co. Wicklow, and on to Glendalough, or cut across and down toward Enniskerry and the famous Powerscourt House and gardens. Either make a great day out, but there are things you need to beware — tourist buses and cyclists in the summer, and snow and ice in the winter. Also, don’t try and be a hero and drive beyond your abilities up there. It’s a long way from anywhere if you get stuck in a ditch.
Why this drive? Climb into the heart of Wicklow’s boglands, forests and valleys via Sally Gap, catch views of the Guinness Lake, and enjoy a slow, winding drive that rewards patience and careful driving.
4. Connemara’s Maam Cross to Clifden
What about further west? Connermara is home to some truly stunning roads, and as with Sally Gap, the surfaces will put your suspension and skill to the test. The best route of all is the Maam Cross road, which spears across country to link the western fringes of Galway city with Clifden. Again, you’ll want to avoid summer tourist buses and sluggish hire-car traffic out here, but the way the road skims along the edges of Lough Shindilla just north of Maam Cross itself is worth the effort.
Why this drive? This route from Maam Cross past Lough Shindilla to Clifden takes you through some of Ireland’s most rugged scenery — lakes, rocky hills and a true wilderness feel.
5. Causeway Coast and the Sperrin Mountains
Finally, let’s head north, and cross the border into Northern Ireland. After a quick stop in Belfast to ogle the stock at the only Ferrari, Bentley, Maserati, and Aston Martin dealerships on the island (Charles Hurst, on the Boucher Road just off the M1 motorway as you come into the city from the south), it’s tempting to head for the famous Causeway Coastal route that heads northwards out of Belfast and past Larne, and up along the crinkly coastline all the way to the Giant’s Causeway. However, while this is undeniably a glorious stretch of road, unless you’re prepared to get up very early on a Sunday to make the most of it — before the coaches and tourist traffic clogs everything up — we’d recommend a different tack. Head inland instead, and follow the twisting roads up over the Sperrin Mountains, into the centre of Northern Ireland. There are some fabulous routes up there, with little in the way of traffic, and you can make a choice — stop for dinner or an overnight stay at the lovely Ardtara House, with a visit to the nearby Seamus Heaney museum in Bellaghy, or if the weather is nice and night is drawing in, head to the fabulous Om Dark Sky Park, an outdoor observatory miles from the light pollution of Belfast and Derry, and where you can see staggering sights of the Milky Way.
Why this drive? Avoid the crowded Causeway and head inland over the quiet, rolling Sperrins. Enjoy dinner at Ardtara House, visit the Seamus Heaney museum, or watch the Milky Way blaze overhead at Om Dark Sky Park.
Ready to Plan Your Irish Road Trip?
Whether you’re tracing rally history near Mount Wolseley, winding through the Wicklow Mountains, exploring Connemara’s lakes, or taking in the dramatic Causeway Coast, Ireland’s roads promise memories that last long after the journey ends. If you’re thinking of upgrading your car before these adventures, a quick car check ensures your next set of wheels is safe and ready, and to make your journey even easier, explore our guide to driver-friendly apps every Irish driver should have before you hit the road. Then all that’s left is to pick your route and enjoy the drive.
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