Paragliding in Wicklow and Wexford may be the most eco-friendly way of seeing Ireland from above. It is also the nearest you may come to human flight without maniacally flapping your arms in a futile attempt to slow your descent at terminal velocity.
If you don’t know what paragliding is ... think of a parachute on which you slowly glide to earth. Very slowly, as you can pick up air currents, use uplift and handle your paraglider like a car, cruising for the best parking spot. In this case landing spot. You’ll be thankful that the thickest gorse bushes are usually colored a bright yellow in Ireland.
Beginners are advised to take a course with an experienced instructor – after all, you would not voluntarily jump out of a plane without having had some sort of parachute training before. In paragliding you’ll more than likely not get off the ground, granted, but if you do, it helps to know how to get down in one piece. There are several popular training sites in Ireland, three of them fairly near to Dublin:
- Black Hill east of the Blessington Reservoir and above the village of Lacken (County Wicklow);
- Lough Bray at the top of the Glencree Valley (County Wicklow);
- Mount Leinster in County Wexford.
For experienced paragliders the sky is the limit, literally – Ireland will provide any number of suitable spots to enjoy the sport, though the Atlantic coast may prove to be too much of a challenge.
Further Information:
Paragliding courses are provided by Paraglide Adventure Ireland, also check out the webpage of the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association for more info.
A word of warning to visiting enthusiasts: The Irish weather is extremely unpredictable, with the Wicklow Mountains being especially notorious for sudden changes and fog, mist or low cloud not creeping but racing in. The mountain rescue teams are busy enough as it is ...
