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Whether you’re naturally drawn to the road less travelled or just love the idea of unravelling riddles while discovering new places, Ireland has a myriad of mysterious sights in off-grid locations where only the dedicated, curious traveller has ventured before.

Take time to explore these top secret locations in Ireland with their fascinating backstories on your next visit, while they remain obscure and unknown by all but a few intrepid visitors.

This thunderous nine-metre waterfall is just a minor detour from the Antrim coast, yet it falls off radar for most visitors to this spectacular part of Northern Ireland’s shoreline. The Village of Gleno, just a twist on a steep hilly road that’s lined with heritage whitewashed houses, is a 10-minute walk to the falls – or there is parking on site.

The National Trust owns the land so expect fencing, signage and the multi-level viewing paths to be well maintained. The glen setting, with its tumbling cascades and lush forest backdrop is best captured by camera from the bridge – and leave on the audio for pure Instagram magic.

This end-of-world location could be peeled straight out of an intergalactic movie set – and despite its glorious backdrop, it’s still an obscure site for most travel guides and visitors to County Cork’s scenic peninsulas. Long-abandoned dwellings have almost been absorbed into nature here – reminiscent of the rock-cut architecture of Central Turkey.

A sturdy white lighthouse teeters on top while a giant blow hole or sea arch allows vessels to pass through the island rock – which is known locally as “the entrance to the Underworld”. Of course, somewhere as spectacular as this wouldn’t be a secret if it was easily accessible – it lies off Dursey Island, and is the most southerly point of Beara Peninsula along the Wild Atlantic Way. Dursey Boat Trips run ferry rides from Garnish Pier in Glengarriff.