38 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.
Altamont Gardens
Old-world gardens with an atmosphere all of their own
Ballyhack Castle
Savour a sense of the Middle Ages
Site Closed
Barryscourt Castle
A fine Irish tower house bearing the scars of battle
Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre – Oldbridge Estate
Where two kings fought for Europe’s future
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre: Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth
Step into Ireland’s richest archaeological landscape
Cahir Castle
A defensive powerhouse of the thirteenth century
Carlingford Castle
A Norman citadel in the shadow of a giant
Castletown House and Parklands
Ireland’s first and finest Palladian mansion
Clonmacnoise Monastic Site
A spectacular monastery on the banks of the river Shannon
Site Closed
Dungarvan Castle
Journey back to the dawn of Anglo-Norman rule in Ireland
Dunmore Cave
A unique attraction where history and geology merge
Site Closed
Dwyer McAllister Cottage
An unlikely battle-site of the 1798 Rebellion
Limited Access
Emo Court and Estate
A magnificent example of neo-classical architecture
Famine Warhouse 1848
The unlikely site of a bloody skirmish
Site Closed
Ferns Castle
Two nations, two cultures and one shared heritage
Fore Abbey
Discover the mystical legacy of St Feichin
Fota Arboretum and Gardens
Explore an island oasis of rare and exotic flora
Glendalough Monastic Site and Visitor Centre
A valley of sanctuary for saints and scholars
Greyfriars/French Church
Ruins of a Franciscan Friary in the heart of the Viking Triangle
Limited Access
Heywood Gardens
Discover a tranquil and romantic hillside landscape
Hill of Tara
Experience the legacy of the high kings
Holycross Abbey
A place of pilgrimage with a fascinating past
Jerpoint Abbey
Where Irish medieval sculpture reached new heights
Kells Priory
Visit Ireland’s largest enclosed ecclesiastical site
Kilkenny Castle
The jewel in the crown of an enchanting medieval city
Loughcrew Megalithic Cemetery
A high point of Neolithic art and design
National Botanic Garden of Ireland – Kilmacurragh
An oasis of rare horticultural delights
Old Mellifont Abbey Monastic Site
Visit Ireland’s very first Cistercian foundation
Ormond Castle
Discover a Tudor gem
Reginald’s Tower
Step inside Ireland’s oldest civic building
Site Closed
Roscrea Castle, Gardens and Damer House/Black Mills
A place of medieval might and eighteenth-century elegance
Site Closed
St. Mary’s Church Gowran
Records written in stone in the heart of Gowran
The John F. Kennedy Arboretum
A garden of presidential proportions.
The Main Guard
A courthouse with centuries of history under its arches
The Rock of Cashel
The high king of Irish monuments
The Swiss Cottage
An idyllic fantasy of country life
Tintern Abbey
Where monks toiled and legacies were created
Trim Castle
The ultimate symbol of Norman glory