Packing for an Ireland family vacation requires careful thought, often choosing function over fashion. During our three-week family road trip through Ireland, we learned that the key to a successful trip is being prepared for the elements. Our kids were 4 and 6 years old during our summer adventure, and our Ireland packing list focused on practical outdoor gear, flexible layers, and high-quality waterproof clothing rather than dressy outfits.
The weather in Ireland is notoriously unpredictable and can change several times in a single afternoon, even during the summer months. Whether you are cycling in Connemara or hiking in Killarney National Park, your packing choices will determine your comfort. This guide shares exactly what we carried in our backpacks to stay dry and warm throughout our 24-day family trip to Ireland.
We’ve included plenty of real photos from our trip so you can see the wide range of weather we had during our stay. My hope is that this Ireland packing list for families helps you feel more confident about what to pack for your own family trip to Ireland.
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10 Ireland Packing Essentials for Families
1. A Good Rain Jacket for Everyone
A high-quality rain jacket is the most critical item for every family member. Umbrellas would have been completely ineffective against the heavy winds we encountered at the Cliffs of Mohwhich nearly knocked our 6-year-old off balance. Your rain jackets should have hoods and be breathable to prevent sweating.
Recommended rain jackets for kids
Recommended rain jackets for adults
2. A Fleece Layer or Warm Hoodie
We wore our hoodies nearly every single day of our family trip to Ireland. They provided the perfect amount of warmth for chilly Irish mornings and served as an essential mid-layer under rain jackets during drenching rain. Fleece is especially useful because it stays warm even when it gets slightly damp from the mist.
Recommended fleece hoodies for kids
3. Waterproof Hiking Shoes
Standard sneakers are not sufficient for the muddy trails and damp grass common in the Irish countryside. We used waterproof hiking shoes for everything from city walking in Cork to hiking Toc Mountain in Killarney National Park. For the kids, high-quality waterproof boots kept their feet dry during hours of exploring.
Recommended waterproof hiking shoes for kids
Recommended waterproof hiking shoes for adults
4. Rain Pants
While we did not wear them daily, rain pants were invaluable on heavy rain days. They allowed the kids to continue playing and exploring without getting soaked to the skin. Rain pants are lightweight and roll up small, making them easy to keep in a daypack for emergencies.
Recommended rain pants for kids
5. Quick-Dry Convertible Pants
Convertible pants are highly practical for the transitioning temperatures of an Irish summer. We often started our mornings in full pants while it was cool and misty, then zipped off the bottoms into shorts when the sun came out in the afternoon.
Recommended convertible pants for kids
Recommended convertible pants for adults
6. Layers of T-shirts and Long Sleeve Shirts
Our layering strategy usually involved a t-shirt followed by a hoodie and then a rain jacket. On the windiest days, such as our day at the Cliffs of Moher, a long-sleeve shirt provided that extra bit of protection needed to keep the kids comfortable.
7. Merino or Wool Socks
Damp feet lead to cold children. We packed merino wool socks to ensure that even if some moisture got into their boots during puddle jumping, their feet stayed warm. This was especially important during our rainy bike rides in Connemara.
Recommended wool socks for kids
8. A Backpack With a Rain Cover
A daypack with a built-in rain cover is essential for protecting your electronics, snacks, and extra layers. During our active days, the rain cover ensured our gear stayed dry while we hiked in the mist or cycled between villages.
Recommended rain covers for backpacks
9. Ball Caps
Ball caps serve a dual purpose in Ireland. They provide sun protection on rare clear days and act as a shield to keep drizzle out of your eyes while you are exploring in the rain.
10. Hydration Packs or Water Bottles
Staying hydrated is easy to forget when it is cool and rainy, but it is necessary for active days. During our boat and bike trip through the Gap of Dunloe, we used hydration bladders to make it easy for the kids to drink regularly without having to stop their bikes.
Recommended water bottles for travel
Recommended water bladders for travel
What to Pack for Ireland by Season
Why Layers Matter
The layering strategy we used during our three-week trip to Ireland was the best way to manage the constant fluctuations in temperature. In Ireland, you may experience all four seasons in a single hour. By using a t-shirt, hoodie, and rain jacket system, you can adjust your temperature as you move from the car to a windy coastal trail.
Rain, Wind and Changing Weather
Weather conditions change rapidly in Ireland. It was common to have a beautiful, sunny morning turn into drenching rain later in the day. High winds are also a constant factor, particularly at coastal sites where umbrellas will simply break.
What to Pack for Ireland in Summer
Our family trip to Ireland took place in August, which is the height of the summer peak season. Temperatures typically ranged from 16°C to 20°C. Even during these months, you must pack rain gear and warm layers. Do not expect traditional hot summer weather; focus on clothes that can handle moisture and wind.
What to Pack for Ireland in Spring, Fall and Winter
For spring and fall, focus heavily on warmth by adding more long-sleeved options and a reliable base layer. For winter travel, the logic remains the same but requires heavier waterproof layers and a more substantial insulated mid-layer to combat the damp cold.
Ireland Packing List for Parents
Hoodie
As described in our “Ireland Essentials” section above, a hoodie was one of the most valuable pieces of clothing we brought. We wore our hoodies almost every single day during our family trip to Ireland (and the three weeks prior during our family trip to Scotland). In hindsight, I wish I had brought a second hoodie and left my tank top and one t-shirt behind.
T-shirts and Long Sleeve Shirts
5 – 6 T-shirts: For most days in Ireland, a t-shirt and a hoodie were all we needed.
2 long sleeve shirts: On windy, rainy and cold days, we wore a long sleeve t-shirt under our hoodies and rain jackets.
1 tank top: I also brought one tank top, but I wore it only a couple of times. I probably could have left it behind.
2 Pairs of Convertible Pants
I know… these convertible hiking pants make you look like such a tourist. But for hiking, especially when you can’t predict the weather, they really can’t be beat.
Convertible pants are easy to clean and dry super fast. They are the perfect pants when hiking with kids. To help minimize the tourist look, I got myself a black pair with minimal pockets.
Recommended convertible pants for adults
Shorts and Cropped Leggings
Where Dan brought a couple of pairs of shorts, I opted for a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of cropped leggings. I love my black skinny jeans. They are comfortable enough to wear on the plane and great for city breaks, like the time we spent in Dublin with kids or Cork with kids.
On warmer days, a pair of cropped leggings are great for hiking and for biking in Ireland with kids.
Base Layer (Didn’t Use)
We each brought a pair of wool thermal leggings that we planned to wear under our hiking pants if it was extra cold. We didn’t end up needing them.
Other Items to Pack for Ireland
- Pajamas
- Underwear
- 4 – 6 pairs of socks
Ireland Packing List for Kids
Hoodies
These fleece hoodies are similar to the ones our kids wore in Ireland, although theirs had a hood which was useful on the really windy days. We’d recommend either packing a wool hat or finding one with a hood like this fleece jacket with a hood.
T-Shirts & Long Sleeve Shirts
We packed 3-5 t-shirts plus 2 long sleeve shirts for each of the kids.
We didn’t bring proper thermal base layers for the kids, but having a warmer long sleeve shirt to wear under fleece hoodies was all they needed on the chillier days. Otherwise they wore t-shirts under their hoodies.
3 Pairs of Pants + 1 Pair of Convertible Pants
We got both kids a pair of the zip-off convertible pants for all the same reasons as described above. They dry extremely fast and they give the option to start with pants on cooler mornings and switch to shorts later.
Recommended convertible pants for kids
6 pairs of socks + 1 pair of merino wool socks
We brought ours kids a pair of thick wool socks for inside their rain boots. We knew they’d be much more likely to be jumping in puddles and also to complain about cold feet, so the wool socks were a must. The Smartwool socks are expensive, but we think it’s worth it for each kid to have a pair.
2 Pairs of Shorts (Didn’t Use)
Our kids hardly wore shorts the entire time we were in Ireland. We could have managed with just the shorts from the zip-off pants, but their regular shorts were small and didn’t take up much space anyway.
Other Items to Pack for Kids for Ireland
- 5-6 pairs of underwear
- 1 pair of pajamas
Rain Gear for Ireland Family Travel
Rain Jackets
Regardless of the season you are visiting Ireland with kids, we strongly recommend everyone have a rain jacket. It’s the #1 item on our list of Ireland packing essentials for a reason.
It will often be windy and rainy at the same time, so an umbrella isn’t going to do a very good job at keeping you dry. A good quality rain jacket is a must if you are going to be spending any amount of time outside.
Recommended rain jackets for kids
Recommended rain jackets for adults
What to Look For in a Good Rain Jacket?
You do not necessarily need to spend a lot on a rain jacket, but I would look for a few key features. Look for a hood, breathable fabric, taped seams, and possibly a light liner for added warmth. Taped seams are also a good idea for staying dry.
I wore a North Face rain jacket for women and I liked that it had a mesh liner. It helped with warmth and it also stopped the jacket from sticking to my skin when I was sweating. The pockets were zipped and had a flap to help keep any water from getting in.
Our kids wore Columbia rain jackets during our family trip to Ireland. They got a ton of use and kept the kids dry the entire time.
Rain Pants
You don’t need to spend a ton on rain pants; if they are waterproof, they’ll do. We didn’t wear them every day. If it was just a light rain, we often didn’t bother. But we couldn’t have lived without our rain pants on heavy rain days and we always brought them along in the car – just in case.
Recommended rain pants for kids
Waterproof Hiking Shoes
Waterproof hiking shoes were the perfect footwear for our three weeks in Ireland with kids. They kept our feet dry while city walking and out on the family-friendly hiking trails.
These Merrell Women’s Siren 3 Waterproof Hiking Shoe are similar to what I wore throughout Ireland. Meanwhile, Dan wore these KEEN – Men’s Targhee III waterproof leather hiking shoes.
Waterproof Hiking Shoes for Kids
Our daughter wore the KEEN Kids’ Hikeport MID Strap WP Hiking Boot, while our son wore the KEEN Kids’ Targhee Mid Wp Hiking Boot, which were similar to Dan’s hiking shoes. Our only complaint about these is that they are a bit narrow and therefore harder to get on.
Our kids wore these shoes almost exclusively for 7.5 weeks throughout our summer trip to Ireland and Scotland. They were still going strong 4 months later when we hiked to the Lost City in Colombia.
Rain Boots
The kids mostly wore their waterproof hiking boots, but on heavy rain days we switched to rain boots. They were perfect for jumping in puddles or running through the wet grass while exploring Barley Lake. We travelled with amazing, foldable fabric rain boots for kids, but unfortunately they are no longer available.
If you are considering bringing rain boots for your kids, keep in mind they need to be tall enough to offer more protection than their waterproof hiking shoes. Boots sold as “Travel rain boots” are often just shorter rain boots, which you may as well leave at home.
Recommended rain boots for kids
Outdoor Gear for Ireland Family Travel
Hoodies
I know we keep repeating this, but it’s so important. A warm fleece hoodie is a must for travelling to Ireland. They are perfect for chilly mornings, extra warmth under rain jackets and good for when that wind is blowing.
Hydration Bladders
Anytime we are doing a trip that involves a lot of hiking, we bring along a water bladder. They fit easily in our backpacks and allow us to bring much more water than what our reusable water bottles can hold. The drinking tubes also make it fun for the kids, meaning they drink more water throughout the day.
Backpacks with Rain Covers
I recently bought this Deuter Futura 26 L for travel. Though I didn’t have it for our Ireland trip (I traveled with a very similar 26 L bag), it’s a great backpack. I use it as a carry-on for the plane, then use it daily for hiking.
I already had a Deuter Aircontact 60+10 SL backpack as my large backpack, so I’m not surprised I ended up with another Deuter as my daypack.
Packing Cubes
We use Eagle Creek packing cubes (in fact, ours are now nearly 20 years old and still going strong!) to help keep everything organized in our backpacks.
Reusable Insulated Water Bottles
We always travel with our reusable insulated water bottles, even if we pack our hydration packs.
Small Gloves or Mitts
We brought small mitts for our kids, but we really only used them on the rainy days on our bike tour.
Ball Caps
Ball caps are great for rainy and sunny days. On the rainy days, they helped keep the rain out of our eyes.
Sports Sandals
In all honesty, we could have saved space by leaving our Keen sports sandals behind. It was nice to have a second pair of shoes, but we rarely used them during our family vacation to Ireland.
Travel Activities for Kids
We don’t pack a lot of travel toys for kids, as we try to spend as much time as possible outside on our family trips. That said, it’s healthy for kids to have play time while travelling, so we like to have a variety of thoughtful travel activities for them to enjoy during down time.
Usually, they will each bring a stuffed animal and we will pack each kid a small Lego set (superheroes and princesses play well together!) and an activity book. We also pack crayons and a blank notepad for drawing and writing practice.
What about books? We loved using the Epic! digital library for kids to minimize the number of heavy books we pack.
Follow Along our Family Trip to Ireland
We began our family summer holiday with 3.5 weeks in Scotland with kids. To see some highlights, check out our favourite things to do in Scotland with kids.
After Scotland, we began our 3.5 week family trip to Ireland with 2 fun days in Belfast with kids. From there, we headed south into Connemara for an amazing family bike trip in Ireland, where we spent a few days on the Aran Islands.
After our bike trip, we spent a very windy day at the Cliffs of Moher with kids, before continuing on to spend 2 days in Dingle with kids, where we enjoyed a lot of excellent family hikes.
Speaking of amazing hiking, the next stop on our family vacation to Ireland was 5 days in Killarney National Park with kids. We enjoyed some epic family hikes and bike rides here!
We finished our trip to Ireland in its two biggest cities, starting with a trip to Cork with kids to see the Blarney Castle. We finished our trip in Dublin with kids, where we enjoyed one of the most beautiful hikes of the summer.
To help you plan your family trip to Ireland, you can see our favourite things to do in Ireland with kids. You can also watch an overview of our 3 weeks in Ireland with kids on our YouTube video below. In fact, you can see our entire playlist of Ireland with kids videos.
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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