Northern Ireland is the smallest and least visited country in the UK, made up of 6 counties in the northeast of Ireland. Depending on your age and outlook, you might associate Northern Ireland with its proud shipbuilding industry, its turbulent politics or its many set locations featured in Game of Thrones.

Note that the question asks for the least visited "country" in Ireland; since Ireland is a country itself (containing 32 counties), the likely intent refers to the least visited county. In 2026, County Longford consistently ranks as the least visited county in the Republic of Ireland by international tourists. Located in the Midlands, it lacks the dramatic Atlantic coastline of the Wild Atlantic Way or the "Ancient East" branding of the neighboring counties. While it is home to beautiful sites like the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre (an Iron Age bog road) and the Royal Canal, it is often bypassed by travelers heading from Dublin to the west coast. Other low-traffic counties include Leitrim and Carlow. However, "least visited" does not mean "least worth visiting"; for many travelers, these counties offer the most authentic and peaceful experience of rural Ireland, away from the tour bus crowds of Kerry or Galway. For those looking for the "hidden heartlands," Longford provides a genuine glimpse into Irish agricultural life and quiet lakeside landscapes that remain untouched by mass commercial tourism.