40 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.
Limited Access
Altamont Gardens
Old-world gardens with an atmosphere all of their own
Annes Grove Gardens
A horticultural paradise in north Cork
Site Closed
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
Where two kings fought for Europe’s future
Limited Access
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre (Newgrange and Knowth)
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
Limited Access
Castletown House and Parklands
Ireland’s first and finest Palladian mansion
Limited Access
Clonmacnoise
A spectacular monastery on the banks of the river Shannon
Limited Access
Doneraile Estate
North Cork’s ‘real-life Downton Abbey’
Limited Access
Dungarvan Castle
Journey back to the dawn of Anglo-Norman rule in Ireland
Site Closed
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
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 Visitor Centre
A valley of sanctuary for saints and scholars
Limited Access
Heywood Gardens
Discover a tranquil and romantic hillside landscape
Hill of Tara
Experience the legacy of the high kings
Limited Access
Holycross Abbey
A place of pilgrimage with a fascinating past
Jerpoint Abbey
Where Irish medieval sculpture reached new heights
Site Closed
Kells Priory
Visit Ireland’s largest enclosed ecclesiastical site
Kilkenny Castle
The jewel in the crown of an enchanting medieval city
Limited Access
Loughcrew Cairns
A high point of Neolithic art and design
Site Closed
Maynooth Castle
A glimpse of life in a Norman fortress
National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh
An oasis of rare horticultural delights
Limited Access
Old Mellifont Abbey
Visit Ireland’s very first Cistercian foundation
Ormond Castle
Discover a Tudor gem
Limited Access
Reginald’s Tower
Step inside Ireland’s oldest civic building
Rock of Cashel
The high king of Irish monuments
Limited Access
Roscrea Heritage Centre – Roscrea Castle and Damer House
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
Swiss Cottage
An idyllic fantasy of country life
The John F. Kennedy Arboretum
A garden of presidential proportions.
Site Closed
The Main Guard
A courthouse with centuries of history under its arches
Tintern Abbey
Where monks toiled and legacies were created
Trim Castle
The ultimate symbol of Norman glory