Weather late May early June 2026

You will need a layer for warmth and a layer for rain that is waterproof, not just water resistant. I take an all weather coat with a hood, something long enough to cover my hips if I have to sit with a zip in or out liner. It has worked great for me for many trips. I add a sweater as another layer if needed for extra warmth. I’m in the minority though, I think. Most other travelers take a rain layer and a fleece layer that are completely different. I like the mid thigh length as well. You need to ask yourself what you’d prefer. What do you wear at home for rainy days? Some people like juggling an umbrella and I much prefer to have a hood and never pack an umbrella. Again, personal preference.

Have a great trip and come back and tell us how it goes!

Layers are your best friend. I found myself wearing one or the other of my light jackets each day, over a T-shirt and flannel or long shirt. Some sunny days I was down to the tshirt, other days I glad for all the layers. Also a waterproof jacket, and some shoes with good tread for wet and slippery cobblestones. Have a great time - Ireland is lovely.

The following worked really well for us last May:
Waterproof hiking shoes
Waterproof rain jacket
Baseball cap to wear under the rain jacket hood for much better range of vision—a tip I got from this forum)
Waterproof pants we could pull on over our pants (SO glad we had these as it was pouring on our Dingle Peninsula hike and we stayed warm and dry!)
Light weight down vest that folds into its own pouch and takes up very little space in my suitcase
Merino wool zip up hoodie

Occasionally I didn’t need any of the layers but most days I needed at least one and on a number of occasions I was happy to layer the hoodie + vest + rain jacket. We traveled via public transportation (mostly by train) with only carry on suitcases. Since we almost always wore at least 2 layers it was never a problem to have all of this and we made good use out of everything we bought.