Southern Ireland is world famous for its relaxed pace of life, charming people, outstanding natural beauty and beautiful holiday cottages. Popular family holiday destinations are the counties of Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford. Families return to the beautiful countryside year after year renting many of the country holiday cottages.

The Emerald Isle is one of the top holiday destinations in Europe for holiday cottage rentals. Families come to Ireland for the world famous Guinness and an Irish welcome is legendary. Dublin is a very popular capital city and many tourists come here on vacation or for long weekend breaks. Dublin is one of Europe's most energetic capital cities and many couples visit it on a romantic holiday and stay in one of the many self catering apartments available to rent.

Many tourists come to Ireland and stay in farmhouse rentals or holiday cottages. They use these holiday homes as a base to explore Ireland and are enchanted by some of the coastal villages and rolling hills. Cork is one of the most popular holiday home destinations in Ireland and holiday makers return year after year with their families to stay in some of Cork's charming country cottages. Galway is a tourist friendly city full of welcoming pubs and a swathe of stunning scenery on its doorstep with holiday farmhouses available to rent from their owners.

Ireland is a country full of rugged hills, stunning Atlantic coastline and lush green pastures. Cork and Kerry have rugged coastlines dotted with postcard pretty villages full of holiday cottages. Further north towards Galway is less populated and very peaceful. Holiday makers wanting a slow paced vacation in the countryside rent farmhouses and explore the beautiful countryside.

The Aran Islands lie just off the mouth of Galway Bay. The three inhabited islands are linked to each other and Galway by boat. These charming islands are popular with hikers wanting to stay in holiday cottages. Once on the islands they can walk around the barren landscape and explore the prehistoric and early Christian ruins.

Ireland is a country full of outdoor pursuits and sports. It is a country full of roaming hills, mountains, coastal trails and national parks. Many tourists rent holiday homes in this beautiful country and feel as though they are truly part of the local culture.

Many tourists visit Ireland for its golf as it has some of the world's finest golf courses. Other popular outdoor holiday activities in Ireland are cycling, angling, yachting, horse riding and surfing.

It is little wonder that Ireland is such a popular holiday home destination. It is a charming country full of friendly people, great scenery and famous for its food and beer. Families on holiday are made most welcome and can stay in self catering flats, holiday cottages or traditional Irish farmhouses. It does not matter what your holiday budget is as you can have a cheap good value self catering holiday in Ireland. For those people on vacation with a bigger budget, there are some luxurious holiday cottages and farmhouses available to rent.