monuments ireland

This finely decorated but incomplete High Cross is contemporary with the Hiberno-Romanesque arch in St Mary's Cathedral. It was built in the 12th century by Turloch O' Connor to commemorate the completion of St Mary's Cathedral and his victory over the O' Flahertys. It is now located in the grounds of the Church of Ireland Cathedral....

In Fitzwilliam Square is the Halpin Monument , an obelisk of polished granite. This commerates Captain Robert C Halpin (1836 - 1894) , a Wicklowman who commanded the GREAT EASTERN, the ship that laid the first cable across the Atlantic....

On Grand Parade, also once a waterway, stands the grandiose National Monument , recalling the Irish patriots who died between 1798 and 1867. Bishop Lucey Park, off Grand Parade, has a section of city walls and a fine gatewary from the old cornmarket....

Hook Head is a long, low rocky peninsula, ideal for seawatching in spring and autumn.
The Hook Head and Baginbun areas are top class diving sites in the south east. Visibility is excellent in the clear water here. At the nearby Naomh Seosamh Hotel in Fethard-on-Sea, it is possible to get a compressor. The hotel also has a drying room facility for divers.
Baginbun Head is associated with the first landings of the Normans in 1169.
The famous expression 'By Hook or...

The Dromore Mound, which is the remains of an ancient Motte and Bailey, can be found just a few hundred metres from the town centre. It is one of the finest examples of a Norman Motte & Bailey to be found in Ireland today and is protected by the Historic Monuments Branch of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland....

John Barry Memorial - Gazing out to sea, opposite the tourist office in the Crescent, is the fine figure in bronze of Commodore John Barry - father of the American Navy. Born in Wexford, he went to sea as a boy and settled in the United States. During the American War of Independence he became a naval hero and was made Commander-in-chief of the Navy in 1797. He is buried in St. Mary's Churchyard in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The statue was presented to Ireland by the U.S. government to honour the o...

A pillar (originally forming a part of a cross?) standing on the site of an ancient monastery founded by St. Modomhnach in the 6th century and now beside a railway bridge. On one face is a centaur holding an object looking like an axe in one hand and a dagger(?) in the other, and above him are two animals. On the other face is a circular motif with a Celtic spiraloid pattern. On the two narrow sides are animals, one of which is a stag. The date of the pillar is uncertain, but it could date t...

In 1933 the successful damming of the Kilkeel River valley was the culmination of 30 years work initiated by Belfast City and District Water work initiated by Belfast City and District Water Commissioners ( responsible by an Act of parliament to supply water to the city of Belfast) This set in place first the Mourne Wall and then the immense reservoir in a renamed "silent valley". Built to gather waters from a mountain catchment extending over most of the High Mournes, the Silent Valley and Ben...

Templetown Crannog & Tower House on Green Island Enagh Lough is listed as an ancient monument site with remains of Templetown Church lying nearby. It is one of the most significant ancient sites where the landscape is interspersed with many wonderful examples of what life was like in times gone by. Ancient heritage is a fascinating pastime and one enjoyed by a great number of visitors....

Bannbridge town's most famous son was probably Captain Crozier of North West Passage fame who was born in 1796 at a large house in the town's Church Square. Today the house looks out onto the Crozier Monument which has a unique feature at its base - four polar bears who look up at a statue of Captain Crozier whose gaze is to the North West....