The emerald isle, Ireland is a glowing gem of land in the Atlantic ocean. Its colour comes from the shades of green found in the fields, forests and waterways, and these are the backdrop to it's wealth of myths and legends. But you don’t have to be a winged fairy to see the island from above. With open skies, high hills and reliable winds that come off the Atlantic Ocean, you can take to the Irish skies and soar above the landscape without the need of an aeroplane or even an engine. We’re talking about paragliding, a form of unpowered flight which uses a minimum of equipment, including no rigid structures, in order to defy gravity and take you on an airborne adventure.

It's geography makes it a wonderful destination for paragliders. There’s no obstacle that prevents winds from far across the Atlantic reaching this island. And when they get here, hills and mountains channel them upwards, creating currents that can lift paragliders into the air. There are even some beaches where it’s possible to take off from sea level if you don’t fancy walking up a hill! Once you’re in the air, the landscape opens up below you in a breathtaking tapestry of peaks and valleys, rivers and lakes, woodland, farmland, and the occasional town first glimpsed by its church spire. Another advantage is that the vast majority of air traffic arrives on the East coast - at Dublin airport or Belfast in Northern Ireland - meaning that you have the skies to yourself. Whether you want to learn how to paraglide, or you’re a keen glider and you’re looking for some wonderful take off points, or you’d like to be taken up into the air by an experienced pilot we’ve put the information together in this handy guide.

Where are the best places to go paragliding in Ireland?

• Southeast: the most populous part, the Southeast also has some of the best paragliding locations in the country. On top of that, it’s the best place for people who have never paraglided before to experience this adventure of fantasy. Schools use the picturesque Wicklow mountains for their flights, the favourite locations being Black Hill and Lough Bray. Nearby Tonelagee takes its name from the Gaelic phrase “backside to the wind,” which explains why it’s a good place. You can also paraglide on the edge of Dublin, in the seaside resort of Killiney, or further south in the Comeragh Mountains where Mount Leinster is a reliable flying location.

• Southwest: the Wild Atlantic Way is a tourism trail up the coast of Ireland and starts in the Southwest in County Cork. Most people will experience this route by car, but you can get a unique perspective on the scenery by paragliding from a number of locations along the way. The Old Head of Kinsale is a rocky peninsula which marks the start of the way, and boasts the remains of castles from the 3rd and 13th centuries. Dunworley Beach and Rossbeigh Strand on the fjord-indented West coast are low altitude take off points where you can take to the skies without the help of a hill. Inland, the mountain of Mullaghanish sits above a valley on the border of Counties Cork and Kerry, an ideal situation for catching flying winds.

• Galway: following the Wild Atlantic Way, you’ll get to Galway, home of the 12 Bens and the Maumturks mountain ranges. These peaks provide ample opportunities for catching the Atlantic winds and flying over this remote part of the country, where the Irish language is spoken more than in any other part of the island. The broken coastline is made up of islands, inlets and beaches, including Silver Strand which can be your launchpad.

• Northwest: County Donegal, the northernmost region, has the slogan “It’s different up here.” The tourist board might have chosen this to refer to the county’s cultural identity, but it could also be an advertising campaign for paragliding. The best place to take to the skies is Loughcrillan, near Gweebarra Bay, where you’ll discover the coastal landscape of estuary, archipelago and duneland with a bird’s eye view.

How long does an experience last?

- The world record for a paragliding flight is 400 kilometres - that’s almost the length of Ireland! It would take a highly experienced pilot, in perfect conditions to complete a flight like that, but if you want to start working towards such lofty goals, you can take a paragliding course in here and see how far you can get. A course will take place over several days and include multiple flights alongside some time at “ground school”, learning about the equipment and theory of unpowered flight. As is dependent on the weather, these courses are usually completed on a number of suitable days over a couple of weeks or months.

- If your objective is to feel the sensation of flight and see the island from above, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t need to sign up for a course. Instead, you can take to the skies as a kind of passenger on a tandem flight.You’ll be in the hands of an experienced paragliding instructor who’ll do the hard work of getting you airborne and taking you on a sightseeing tour - you can sit back and enjoy the ride. A tandem flight will usually include 30 minutes of airtime, but, with travel time to the take off point, equipment and safety briefings included, you’ll need to put aside about half a day for the experience.

Requirements to do this activity

To take part in a tandem flight, you don’t need any skills or experience, so people of all ages can experience it. Just bear in mind that if you’re under 18 you’ll need the written permission of your parent or guardian, and whatever age you are you need to be in good enough shape be able to walk up a hill, take some running steps down it at take off, and lift your feet to knee-height when landing. There are also some weight restrictions, as this is a factor that has to be considered when planning a gravity defying flight. You’ll be able to fly as a passenger as long as you weigh between 40 and 100 kilograms.

If you want to learn how to fly, you don’t need to be especially athletic. But you do need to be fairly fit, as controlling a paraglider is a physical activity, and take off and landing require some quick movements. Having said that, many experienced paragliders continue flying well into their seventies, so don’t let worries about your fitness put you off!

The luck of the Irish is found in the skies above the island, take to the skies in a paraglider to discover it!