The Green, Green Wild Atlantic Way

10 great shots that show just how amazingly

‘green’ the Wild Atlantic Way is

Instagram has become firmly established as the place to post your favourite photographs. It’s the photosharing site where you can be the envy of all your friends. And it’s the repository to store those stunning reminders of a great holiday or mini-break.

With Instagram’s emphasis on the beautiful and spectacular, it’s no surprise that the Wild Atlantic Way features prominently. Instagram users have posted more than half a million photos using the tag #wild atlantic way since the launch of the Wild Atlantic Way.

All six regions along the 2,500km route have been captured and the vast collection of photographs is a treasure trove capturing the sheer variety of the Wild Atlantic Way in all the seasons.

Anyone who searches for #wild atlantic way images will be struck by how green is the predominant colour of so many. It’s not just the mountain sides and the valleys that look resplendent in green, but - on occasion - the Atlantic too. It’s a reminder that there’s a perfectly good reason why Ireland and the colour green are forever entwined.

1. Murder Hole Beach, Co Donegal photographed by Tom Archer

Donegal is justly famed for its brilliant beaches, but this intriguingly named one is perfect for those seeking somewhere completely off the beaten track. It’s not the most accessible beach on the Wild Atlantic Way and local knowledge is usually required - but you’ll feel as though you have the place to yourself.

2. Emery Celtic Cross, Killea, Co Donegal

- photographed by Gareth Wray

Named after its creator, the late Liam Emery, this spectacular sight visible to those flying overhead, is created by the planting of two different species of pine trees. The outer trees are evergreen but the ones that form the shape of the 100m Celtic cross drop their needs in winter and turn this striking gold colour.

3. Benbulben, Co Sligo

photographed by Ian Mitchinson

It’s arguably Ireland’s most distinctively shaped mountain and an icon of Yeats county. The poet himself was drawn to this special place and he immortalised it in the line “under bare Ben Bulben’s head”. He is buried in its shadow and today many poetry lovers make the pilgrimage to Drumcliffe cometary to see his final resting place.

4. Mullaghmore Head, Co Sligo - photographed by Conor Flanagan

Yeats County is on the itinerary of surfers everywhere and

the waves are especially huge off this rugged headland. It’s no surprise that some of the biggest names in surfing have brought their boards here - the waves have been known to rise to 15 metres. It’s a perfect area to explore on foot, too, and the gothic edifice of Classiebawn is a key part of the scenery.

5. Downpatrick Head, Co Mayo

- photographed by Iain Miller

The sea-stacks that lie off the Connemara coast have long intrigued visitors, and Dún Briste is especially famed. They evoke the great passage of time and the sense that the Atlantic has hewn the coastline here for millions of years. For daredevil adventurers, climbing rocky towers like these put all their skill and fearlessness to the test. It’s little wonder lovers of the Great Outdoors feel so drawn to the Wild Atlantic Way.

6. Clifden, Co Galway

- photographed by Ferghus Foyle

“Even the ocean is green in Ireland!” reads the caption on this sumptuous photograph and it’s true that from certain angles and at specific times of the year, the Atlantic takes on a spectacular greeny hue. Clifden is the ‘capital’ of Connemara and the perfect place from which to explore the undulating landscape of this beloved national park.

7. Loop Head, Co Clare

photographed by Jordan Drennan

The giant letters that spell out Ireland as Gaeilge date from the early decades of aviation. Together with an identifying number, they were a pre-GPS navigational aid. The location of this one - at the tip of Loop Head - offers a reminder that you’re in the very extremity of Ireland. Next stop, America.

8. Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare - photographed by Bernard Geraghty

The most storied cliffs in the entire country are usually photographed from above and at a distance, but this worm’s eye view captures the sheer size of these much adored natural wonders. Seamus Heaney loved this part of the Wild Atlantic Way and a line from his Clare-set poem, Postcript, seems apt: “Catch the heart off guard and blow it open.”

9. Skellig Michael, Co Kerry - photographed by Valerie O’Sullivan

The otherworldly sight of this fabled mountain has captivated viewers for generations - including the monks from the early centuries of Christianity to chose to live there. In recent years, Skellig Michael has become a global icon thanks to being featured extensively in the latest Star Wars movies. The film-makers were looking for somewhere out of this world - and they got their wish.

10. Allihies, Co Cork

- photographed by Chris Hill

The last village at the end of the picturesque Beara Peninsula lies between mountains and the jagged Atlantic coast. It used to be celebrated for copper-mining and remnants of that industry still dot the hillside here. The Allihies Copper Mine Museum commemorates the area’s mining heritage - one that can be traced back to the Bronze Age.