archaeological ireland

Famous as the seat of the High Kings of Ireland, the Hill of Tara has been an important site since the Stone Age, when a passage tomb was constructed. Tara was a political and religious centre in early Christian times and though it declined in importance as Christianity spread in Ireland, the site still retains its air of mysticism.
Today the ruins are sadly deserted, poignant reminders of what once was, but from atop the hill the visitor can still experience some of the magic which fi...

Dysert O'Dea is renowned for its wealth of historical and archelogical remains....

Probably an Iron Age sanctuary originally, this was later to become the inauguration place of the O'Neill chieftains of Tyrone. Here at the clan seat of O'Hagan, hereditary stewards to the O'Neills, the ceremony was conducted in the presence of the assembled under-chiefs, with the recipient installed in an ancient stone chair said to have been blessed by St. Patrick. The Great Hugh O'Neill was himself thus enthroned at Tullaghoge in 1593. That the inauguration chair, a rough construction of s...

The three most spectacular buildings in Dublin - the Custom House, the Four Courts and the King's Inns - are all the work of James Gandon, an English architect who was persuaded by Lord Beresford to come to Dublin to design his new Custom House in 1781. Gandon turned down an offer to design public buildings in St Petersburg in Russia, and made his home in Ireland. The Custom House project was fiercely opposed by rival interests whose business depended on retaining the old site further inla...

Occupying a commanding hill-top overlooking islanded Lough Gill to the south and pretty Colgagh Lake to the west, this large and imposing monument is perhaps the best example of a centre court-tomb in the country. Its traditional name, by which it is still known hereabouts, is Leacht Con Mhic Ruis. The oval court, 50 feet in length with an entrance on the south side, has two segmented galleries at its east end and one at the west. In the last century all three galleries had large lintel stones...

The 'Royal County' of Meath boasts a dramatic history and proud heritage that no other country can match. Man has settled here for over 8,000 years and everywhere one turns one can see surviving monuments and relics scattered profusely beside the rolling rivers and on the lush plains. Formerly one of the five historic provinces of Ireland, it was from here that the ancient roads of Ireland radiated, spreading Royal Meath's influence and affluence to all the corners of Ireland....

An Iron Age promontory fort, one of the most sophisticated monuments of its class, remarkable for the ingenious nature of its defences. It stands on a V-shaped headland in the south-west of the Dingle peninsula and while not difficult of access is unsignposted because of its hazardous condition, to which warning notices on the site draw attention. The position of Dunbeg is very exposed and parts of the cliff have been severely eroded, carrying sections of the masonry into the sea. The landwar...

The Burren Centre introduces you to the unique Burren District, with models, displays and an audio-visual reveal its complexities. Visitors can explore its geology and geography, learn about the rich diversity of Burren flora and fauna and the history of man in the landscape. The presentation is available in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Spanish.

The Burren centre located in the ancient Cathedral town of Kilfenora boasts one of the greatest concentrations of high cross...

This place is tentatively acclaimed to have been the inauguration place of the Kings of Connacht. The site covers an area of about 2 square miles, and consists of a great number of earthworks of different kinds, varying from a large mound (possibly a Passage-tomb which, like the Mound of the Hostages at Tara, C. Meath (q.v.), is much older than the royal site) to square, round, oblong and irregularly shaped enclosures. One of these is called the Cemetery of the Kings, and there is also a 7-foo...

The monastery was founded by St Moling who died in 696. Active in politics, he succeeded in convincing the Leinstermen to let the Munstermen off the Borama, a triditional tribute of cattle which they were forced to pay. St.. Moiling is said to have been Bishop of Ferns and also of Glendalough. The kings of south Leinster, including the McMurrough Kavanaghs, were buried here. St. Mullin's Abbey is a medieval nave-and-chancel church with spiral staircase. Near it are the stump of a Round Tower,...