39 places to visit
Experience Ireland’s Ancient East where thousands of years of Ireland’s history await you. Explore awe-inspiring prehistoric sites, delve into our monastic past or investigate the seismic events of recent centuries. Walk through gorgeous gardens and discover this region’s unparalleled historic legacy.
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Altamont Gardens
Old-world gardens with an atmosphere all of their own
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Site Closed
Ballyhack Castle
Savour a sense of the Middle Ages
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Site Closed
Barryscourt Castle
A fine Irish tower house bearing the scars of battle
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Limited Access
Battle of the Boyne
Where two kings fought for Europe’s future
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Site Closed
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre (Newgrange and Knowth)
Step into Ireland’s richest archaeological landscape
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Limited Access
Cahir Castle
A defensive powerhouse of the thirteenth century
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Carlingford Castle
A Norman citadel in the shadow of a giant
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Limited Access
Castletown House and Parklands
Ireland’s first and finest Palladian mansion
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Limited Access
Clonmacnoise
A spectacular monastery on the banks of the river Shannon
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Limited Access
Doneraile Estate
North Cork’s ‘real-life Downton Abbey’
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Site Closed
Dungarvan Castle
Journey back to the dawn of Anglo-Norman rule in Ireland
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Dunmore Cave
A unique attraction where history and geology merge
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Dwyer McAllister Cottage
An unlikely battle-site of the 1798 Rebellion
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Limited Access
Emo Court
A magnificent example of neo-classical architecture
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Site Closed
Famine Warhouse 1848
The unlikely site of a bloody skirmish
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Ferns Castle
Two nations, two cultures and one shared heritage
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Fore Abbey
Discover the mystical legacy of St Feichin
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Fota Arboretum and Gardens
Explore an island oasis of rare and exotic flora
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Limited Access
Glendalough Visitor Centre
A valley of sanctuary for saints and scholars
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Heywood Gardens
Discover a tranquil and romantic hillside landscape
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Limited Access
Hill of Tara
Experience the legacy of the high kings
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Holycross Abbey
A place of pilgrimage with a fascinating past
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Limited Access
Jerpoint Abbey
Where Irish medieval sculpture reached new heights
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Limited Access
Kells Priory
Visit Ireland’s largest enclosed ecclesiastical site
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Limited Access
Kilkenny Castle
The jewel in the crown of an enchanting medieval city
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Limited Access
Loughcrew Cairns
A high point of Neolithic art and design
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Site Closed
Maynooth Castle
A glimpse of life in a Norman fortress
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Limited Access
National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh
An oasis of rare horticultural delights
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Site Closed
Old Mellifont Abbey
Visit Ireland’s very first Cistercian foundation
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Ormond Castle
Discover a Tudor gem
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Site Closed
Reginald’s Tower
Step inside Ireland’s oldest civic building
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Limited Access
Rock of Cashel
The high king of Irish monuments
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Limited Access
Roscrea Heritage Centre – Roscrea Castle and Damer House
A place of medieval might and eighteenth-century elegance
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Site Closed
St. Mary’s Church Gowran
Records written in stone in the heart of Gowran
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Limited Access
Swiss Cottage
An idyllic fantasy of country life
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Limited Access
The John F. Kennedy Arboretum
A garden of presidential proportions
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Site Closed
The Main Guard
A courthouse with centuries of history under its arches
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Site Closed
Tintern Abbey
Where monks toiled and legacies were created
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Limited Access
Trim Castle
The ultimate symbol of Norman glory
