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.
![]()
Limited Access
Altamont Gardens
Old-world gardens with an atmosphere all of their own
![]()
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
![]()
Limited Access
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
![]()
Limited Access
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
![]()
Site Closed
Famine Warhouse 1848
The unlikely site of a bloody skirmish
![]()
Limited Access
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
![]()
Limited Access
Glendalough Visitor Centre
A valley of sanctuary for saints and scholars
![]()
Limited Access
Heywood Gardens
Discover a tranquil and romantic hillside landscape
![]()
Limited Access
Hill of Tara
Experience the legacy of the high kings
![]()
Site Closed
Holycross Abbey
A place of pilgrimage with a fascinating past
![]()
Limited Access
Jerpoint Abbey
Where Irish medieval sculpture reached new heights
![]()
Site Closed
Kells Priory
Visit Ireland’s largest enclosed ecclesiastical site
![]()
Limited Access
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
![]()
Limited Access
National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh
An oasis of rare horticultural delights
![]()
Limited Access
Old Mellifont Abbey
Visit Ireland’s very first Cistercian foundation
![]()
Limited Access
Ormond Castle
Discover a Tudor gem
![]()
Site Closed
Reginald’s Tower
Step inside Ireland’s oldest civic building
![]()
Limited Access
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
![]()
Site Closed
Swiss Cottage
An idyllic fantasy of country life
![]()
Limited Access
The John F. Kennedy Arboretum
A garden of presidential proportions.
![]()
Site Closed
The Main Guard
A courthouse with centuries of history under its arches
![]()
Limited Access
Tintern Abbey
Where monks toiled and legacies were created
![]()
Limited Access
Trim Castle
The ultimate symbol of Norman glory
