1 The craic. The Irish pronounce it "crack" and you'll find it over a pint of Guinness in any pub. Fun, laughter, chat and good times, and it's almost guaranteed if there's someone in the bar when you walk in.
2 On the same subject, spend a night in Matt Molloy's pub in lovely Westport. Get lucky, and Matt (of great Irish group the Chieftans) will be there with his flute. The pub itself is crammed, dark and ordinary, but the craic is in every crack.
3 And on an associated subject, "trad" they call it - traditional music, and the pub provides the platform. Fiddle, tin whistle, guitar, accordion, flute and bodhran (small drum). Wonderful, but unless you're in a real tourist area in a bigger city don't expect any action until perhaps 9pm.
4 The Wild Atlantic Way runs 2500km tracking the rugged west coast and - along clifftops and beaches and through lovely towns, pretty little fishing villages and wilderness areas - is a treat that gives you the real Ireland.
5 Galway-what's there not to like about this town? Cobbled streets, brilliant central entertainment area, handy to the Aran Islands and the Connemara National Park. Give it at least two or three nights.
