NUTS 3 region in Ireland
Photo: Rennett Stowe from USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Southwest Ireland is a region of Ireland comprising County Cork and County Kerry. With a population of 740,000 in 2022, it is a tourism region, not a unit of local government. Historically it's part of the kingdom or province of Munster, which occupied the southwest quarter of Ireland.
By train
Trains run hourly from Dublin Heuston, taking 2 hr 40 min to Cork via Kildare, Portlaoise, Ballybrophy, Thurles, Limerick Junction (for Tipperary or Limerick) and Mallow.
By bus
Buses run hourly from Dublin Airport and Busáras to Cork, with three operators competing on the route.
By bus
See above for the inter-city routes from Dublin airport and city, Limerick, and Wexford / Waterford.
By road
Most visitors bring their own car. The airports are better for car hire than the towns, but have small fleets so you should pre-book.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Farranfore · Regional · KIR
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Southwest Ireland and Ireland.
Find the cheapest countries to fly to from the US and UK in 2026. Compare realistic round-trip flight deals, budget airlines, and prime booking windows.
8 min read
Explore the best places to visit in March across Japanese cherry blossoms, explosive Spanish fiestas, desert wonders in Jordan, and Irish music sessions.
7 min read
Explore the best castle and gothic hotel stays in Europe. Discover historic fortresses, medieval estates, luxury châteaux, and Spanish parador hotels.
6 min read
British and Irish cuisine had a reputation for bland food such as dry roast meat with soft-boiled vegetables from the post-war era until the 1990s.
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.