There is only one place to be on St. Patrick’s Day and that is Ireland. The St Patrick’s festival is the traditional starting point of the vacation season and what a year 2014 is going to be.

It kicks off with the launch this spring of the Wild Atlantic Way, the longest designated driving route in the world.

The Wild Atlantic Way will be Ireland’s biggest tourism story for 2014. Stretching 2,500km from County Cork on the south coast, to Donegal in the northwest, the Wild Atlantic Way is the longest coastal touring route in the world.

Taking in seven counties and three provinces (Ulster, Connaught and Munster) the route is defined by its spectacular Atlantic views, a generous scattering of islands and swathes of dramatic coastal scenery including cliffs and peninsulas. 

The Wild Atlantic Way can be driven, walked or cycled and avoids main roads and highways, keeping the route more local and closer to the communities who live there.