UKC

Just tripled my Clubcard vouchers for Irish ferries to Dublin and looking for recommendations of areas to visit for hill walking, scrambling and easy climbs.

We're taking our VW camper so would appreciate advice about off grid camping in Ireland too. 

And most important, are there midges, and if so when?

I've climbed in the Burren and Donegal and they've usually been OK for midges. Only had a few encounters that registered - up at Lough Belshade and occasionally caving in Co. Fermanagh. It was the usual combination of still and humid conditions that can be a pain anywhere where the midge exists.

I can still remember getting 'midged' while camping somewhere in Kerry many years ago. Highest peak at just over 1000m is Corrán Tuathail (aka Carrauntoohil ) which is part of Macgillicuddy Reeks in Kerry. The reeks give some ridge walks which may have great views, we only saw rain & cloud .

Only place I've climbed was at Glendalough in the Wicklow hills not far from Dublin, seem to remember that there were routes at most grades - https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/glendalough_ireland-1309/#overview seems to confirm that

Suggest having a look at https://www.mountaineering.ie/ & http://www.climbing.ie/

I should add that The Burren isn't all harder seacliff routes. There are good easier lines on the left-most section of Ailladie (Burren, Co. Clare) and on the inland crags. At Aill na Cronain there is the very good Skull Slab (VD) amongst others and also the Ailwee Showcave where you park. If you watched Father Ted the area is the fictional Craggy Island.

Howling Ridge (Summer) (VD) is very spectacular. Nothing particularly difficult but great situations and tops out right at the summit at the skull and crossbones sign.

All the hill walking there is excellent too. I wasn’t quite so taken with the hills nearer Dublin.

There's ample info on the web.  Kerry, Connemara, Donegal, Mournes all offer excellent hill-walking and fine landscapes - Kerry hills are especially rugged.  The Wicklow hills often tend to be excessively boggy in my experience.

It's worth noting that access to even iconic hills can be problematic or worse - Irish farmers are fiercely protective of their land.  In one memorable encounter where I'd merely enquired meekly about a possible access route I learned some completely new and colourful terms of abuse.  For that reason too, while I haven't tried it there, off-grid camping is liable to be particularly problematic. 

Yeah, there's an almost complete lack of public rights of way through the countryside. So while it's very beautiful it is much harder to access than you may be used to in England or Wales (let alone Scotland).There are some permissive paths but it's not like in England where any village you stop in will have a network of footpaths to allow you a walk through the surrounding fields

I have been to Connemara and Kerry and would recommend both for hill-walking and scrambling. There are midges, and the season is much the same as Scotland, i.e. June to September inclusive. The best guide books I have found are this series: https://www.theirelandwalkingguide.com/the-collins-press.html I would not bother with the Cicerone one https://www.theirelandwalkingguide.com/the-mountains-of-ireland-a-guide-to-... - it's very much a 2000ft peak-baggers guide and contains a lot of bog-bashing esoterica. 

I had a week there last year and never encountered anything or anyone restricting access. This was over all the 3000rs, some smaller hills and also some cragging.

If anything I found it a very welcoming place unless you were a dog owner. 

Hi Alex, Nice to see people coming over to visit our climbs. 

Kerry

Howling Ridge on Carrauntouhil.

Carrauntoohil to Beenkeragh Ridge

Easy climbing in the Gap of Dunloe.

Connemara 

Carrot Ridge

Mournes,

Good scrambles through Cove Cave and up the devils coach road.

Good easy multipitch called FM. Lots of Easy routes at multiple crags.

Good Book below.

https://www.mountaineering.ie/content/IrishPeaks/213

Midgies are not too bad, generally much better than in Scotland but it really depends where you go and how unlucky you get. Bring a net anyway.

Nearly all the mountains in the Republic are privately owned so access is more of an issue than in the North. But saying that access to most places is fine. You shouldn't have any issues with the places mentioned. The biggest access issue I can think of now was at lugnaquilla, where the famer that owns the land got assaulted for telling a walker he couldn't bring his dog on the land. He has since closed access to the path. 

Worth noting dogs will not be tolerated off lead in most outdoor places and are liable to the wrath of farmers if they see them off the lead near sheep.