THE GUINNESS STOREHOUSE is Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction, with visitor numbers increasing by 4% to 1,711,281.

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Fáilte Ireland has published its annual list of Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions in 2017.

It looks at both fee charging and free attractions. In the fee charging list, the Cliffs of Moher came in second, while Dublin Zoo was third.

The National Gallery of Ireland topped the list of ‘free to enter’ attractions, surpassing the one million mark for the first time with a 41% increase in visitors.

New entrants Castletown House and Parklands in Kildare and Glendalough in Wicklow came in second and third.

Overall, the top 20 fee-charging attractions during 2017 were:

1. Guinness Storehouse – 1,711,281 (+4%)
2. Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience – 1,527,000 (+7%)
3. Dublin Zoo – 1,264,300 (+10%)
4. National Aquatic Centre – 1,099,756 (+6%)
5. Book of Kells – 983,410 (+10%)
6. Tayto Park  - 735,000
7. St Patrick’s Cathedral  - 603,000
8. Kylemore Abbey & Gardens  - 558,000
9. Muckross House Gardens and Traditional Farm - 552,923
10. Powerscourt Gardens & Waterfall - 501,601
11. Fota Wildlife Park - 455,559
12. Blarney Castle & Gardens - 450,000
13. Kilmainham Gaol - 425,000
14. Kilkenny Castle - 418,685
15. Rock of Cashel - 376,488
16. Dublin Castle  - 371,000
17. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park  - 369,275
18. Brú na Boinne Newgrange  - 281,103
19. Christ Church Cathedral  - 238,285
20. Glenveagh Castle and Grounds  - 211,000

Amongst Ireland’s ‘free to enter’ attractions, the National Gallery of Ireland had a total of 1,065,929 visitors.

Ireland’s top 20 ‘free to enter’ attractions for 2017 were:

1. The National Gallery of Ireland – 1,065,929 (+41%)
2. Castletown House Parklands – 666,541
3. Glendalough Site – 639,826
4. National Botanic Gardens – 569,652 (-2%)
5. DLR LexIcon (Dun Laoighaire Rathdown) – 525,708 (+12%)
6. Irish Museum of Modern Art  -  489,295
7. Doneraile Wildlife Park  - 480,000
8. National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, Kildare St  - 474,564
9. Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin  - 407,529
10. Farmleigh  - 359,432
11. Kilkenny Castle Parklands  - 336,315
12. Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons  - 350,000
13. National Museum of Ireland – Natural History, Merrion St - 336,412
14. Chester Beatty Library  - 335,875
15. National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks  - 234,336
16. Connemara National Park - 221,713
17. The National Library of Ireland  - 197,245
18. Crawford Art  Gallery  - 188,814
19. Malin Head Viewing Point  - 172,329
20. Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane  - 167,410

Welcoming another record year for visitors, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Product Development, Orla Carroll said:

“Fáilte Ireland invests in new and compelling attractions throughout the country because we know that they bring visitors from around the world to our shores.”

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