Searching for sun in Ireland? These are the sunniest counties

Warmer weather isn't a guarantee when you come to Ireland, but traveling to these counties will give you a better chance of catching some sunshine!

Research developed by Active Iron has found the top 5 sunniest counties in Ireland and those that might leave you in the shade.

The study was compiled using Google search and a number of weather websites as data sources.

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Irish annual sunshine hours heatmap

The sunny southeast dominated the list with Wexford, Waterford, and Carlow getting the most annual sunshine hours.

Coming in next is Longford and Cavan, who both made an unexpected entry into the top 5. 

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The five Irish counties with the most sunshine

The research also looked at the counties with the least amount of sunshine and though it's famous for its scenery and coastal drives, the West of Ireland got less sun than the East.

Mayo gets the least annual hours of sunshine and more than 500 fewer sunshine hours than Wexford annually.

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The five Irish counties with the least amount of sunshine

If you're planning on exploring the Wild Atlantic Way and thinking of stopping in Galway and Mayo you would want to bring a coat because it might leave you in the shade.

The research also looked at how Ireland compared to our UK counterparts and found that Dublin gets 24 more hours of sun than London! While Waterfound also gets more sunshine than Blackpool.