Sensory Friendly
Centre your spirit with a visit to our sensory-friendly historic places. Experience the calming effect of panoramic scenery, tranquil ruins or the relaxing sight of gardens cloaked in colour. Sit a while, close your eyes and take in the magnificent perfume of plants. Let the sound of birdsong, rustling leaves and softly flowing water features help you fully to inhabit your natural surroundings. If you enjoy or benefit from a mellow, soothing environment, here are some destinations you will simply adore.
Altamont Gardens
Old-world gardens with an atmosphere all of their own
Ardfert Cathedral
A trio of medieval churches devoted to St Brendan
Aughnanure Castle
A historical gem in the heart of Connemara
Boyle Cistercian Abbey
Step back into Ireland’s monastic past
Céide Fields Neolithic Site and Visitor Centre
The world’s most extensive Stone Age monument
Daniel O’Connell House – Derrynane House
The childhood home of Daniel O’Connell
Doneraile Court and Estate
North Cork’s ‘real-life Downton Abbey’
Fota Arboretum and Gardens
Explore an island oasis of rare and exotic flora
Glebe Gallery and Garden – Derek Hill House
Explore a world-class collection of art
Heywood Gardens
Discover a tranquil and romantic hillside landscape
Ilnacullin – Garinish Island
An island garden of rare beauty
Ionad Cultúrtha an Phiarsaigh Conamara- Pearse’s Cottage and Visitor Centre
A cottage steeped in revolutionary history and Gaelic culture
Iveagh Gardens
Experience a sense of wonder in Dublin’s ‘secret garden’
Jerpoint Cistercian Abbey
Where Irish medieval sculpture reached new heights
Kells Priory
Visit Ireland’s largest enclosed ecclesiastical site
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 Cistercian Abbey Monastic Site
Visit Ireland’s very first Cistercian foundation
Portumna Castle and Gardens
Seventeenth-century splendour on the shores of Lough Derg
Roscrea Castle, Gardens and Damer House/Black Mills
A place of medieval might and eighteenth-century elegance
Scattery Island Monastic Site and Visitor Centre
Discover the History, Myth and Legend of Scattery Island
The John F. Kennedy Arboretum
A garden of presidential proportions.
The Swiss Cottage
An idyllic fantasy of country life
