Jewel in the crown: Lough Derg named among country's best 20 holiday destinations

The secret is out of the bag. Lough Derg has been named as one of the Best 20 Places in Ireland for a holiday.

What has long been known to locals as the “jewel in the crown of Tipperary tourism” is set for a major influx of visitors following its win in the Irish Times Best Places to Holiday in Ireland 2022 list.

It is now in the running for the overall title following the publication of the long list of contenders at the weekend. The lake, the largest on the River Shannon, was among hundreds of locations which were nominated by close to 1,200 people from across the 32 counties for the title.

Lough Derg, the only lake to be selected - received three nominations. Tipperary will of course have to share the lake’s success with counties Clare and Galway, both of which also border the lake.

The competition, which is being run in association with Fáilte Ireland, began at the end of April when members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite place to holiday for the award.

The competition last took place in 2013, with the Loop Head Peninsula in county Clare emerging as the eventual winner.

As on that occasion, each of the nominated locations in this year’s competition was considered by a panel of judges on a range of criteria including natural amenities, built environment, sustainability, tourism services, diversity, a welcome for visitors, transport links, accommodation supply, cost and of course the X factor.

The panel of five judges which includes Nadia El Ferdaoussi, travel blogger; Trevor White, director of the Little Museum of Dublin; Cillian Murphy, county councillor from Loop Head, the 2013 winner; and Rosita Boland, Irish Times journalist – spent hours debating the entries, before selecting the best 20.

They described Lough Derg and its 125km long shoreline as an “under-the-radar tourist destination” with numerous pretty towns and villages such as Garrykennedy, Terryglass and Dromineer dotted along its shore.

They said Lough Derg’s charm made it a super weekend destination or a great place to visit as part of a longer Shannon cruise.