8 Must-visit Historical Sites in Ireland You Cannot Miss
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There are a few must-visit historical sites in Ireland that every visitor to the island should visit at least once. Here is a list of some of the not-to-be-missed historical sites across the island to add to your itinerary.
Ireland is a country with a long and rich history, and with that comes a wealth of historical sites to visit. From castles and mansions to early-Christian monasteries and even pre-historic places, there is no end to the choice of historical Irish landmarks to visit that will please even the non-history buffs among travellers.
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Must-visit historical sites in Ireland
When planning a trip to Ireland, places such as the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, and Connemara National Park sit high on the list of must-visit places, but travellers should not forget some of the amazing historical and cultural sites in Ireland when finalising their itinerary.
If you are in the planning stages of a trip to Ireland, here are some of the must-visit historical sites to consider adding to your plans for an unforgettable trip.
Clonmacnoise
Whether you enjoy history or not, Clonmacnoise in County Offaly is a great site to visit in Ireland. Located on the banks of Ireland’s longest river, the Shannon, this early-Christian monastic site is worth seeing.
Founded in the 6th century by Saint Ciaran, who was born in neighbouring County Roscommon, the site was chosen due to its location on what was the main east-west land route at the time.
In the 9th century, Clonmacnoise became world-famous as a centre of craftsmanship, religion, and learning, and many scholars flocked from across Europe to the site to take part in the activities and education available.
Despite successive attacks by Vikings and then Normans, Clonmacnoise thrived and was rebuilt every time by the monks. By the end of the 13th century, Clonmacnoise was abandoned and left to ruin, and what we see today are the remnants of a once great seat of learning.
Original wooden structures were replaced by strong stone buildings and these date from the 9th century.
The site is extensive with two round towers, the ruins of a cathedral, several churches, a collection of gravestones, and fine examples of High Crosses, traditional Celtic symbols of the era seen in places such as Glendalough and the Rock of Cashel (both below).
The High Crosses once stood on the grounds of Clonmacnoise in front of some of the churches, but they have since been moved indoors to the Visitor Centre to protect them from damage by the weather and humans alike.
The Visitor Centre also has a great audio-visual presentation about the site to give visitors more information about Clonmacnoise. Make sure to catch a showing of this video.
Clonmacnoise is worth a visit, especially if you are travelling from Dublin to Galway and you can expect to spend around 2 hours there.
🚗 How to get there: Clonmacnoise is located approximately one and a half hours west of Dublin. It is not possible to visit via public transport unless you get a bus or train to Athlone and then take a taxi for the 30-minute journey to the site. However, you might be waiting a while for a return taxi.
Dublin Castle
Of all the historical sites Ireland has, one of the most important is Dublin Castle. Located in the heart of the Irish capital, Dublin Castle is a large complex comprising the castle, government buildings, and a conference centre.
Dublin Castle was founded at the turn of the 13th century, not long after the Norman Invasion of Ireland. It was built in typical Norman style, with high defensive walls protected at each corner by towers. Over the centuries, the original fortifications and wooden buildings were replaced.
Dublin Castle was the seat of the British government’s administration in Ireland until 1922, when Ireland finally gained independence from Britain. Since then, it has been used as a justice court until the Four Courts reopened after being destroyed in the Irish Civil War, to inaugurate the Irish Presidents, to hold state functions and conferences, and it is home to some government departments, including the Revenue Commissioners.
Dublin Castle is also home to museums, including the Garda Museum (Police), the Chester Beatty Library, a museum that houses a large collection of religious and secular works of art from around the world, and the Revenue Museum.
Open to the public outside of state functions; there are daily guided tours of the State Apartments, where visitors can see the ornately decorated rooms used by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (the chief governor of Ireland) between 1690 and 1922. The Chester Beatty Library is free to visit, and you could easily spend a day exploring Dublin Castle, the museums, and its gardens.
So, if you are in the Irish capital and looking for something to do, head to Dublin Castle.
🚗 How to get there: Dublin Castle is located on Castle Street, just off Lord Edward Street, approximately 13 minutes’ walk from O’Connell Bridge and 4 minutes from Christ Church Cathedral.
Glendalough
One of the most famous historical sites of Ireland is Glendalough. Nestled in a glacial valley on the southern edge of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, Glendalough is another important early-Christian monastic site in Ireland.
Founded in the 6th century by Saint Kevin, the site gets its name from the Irish Gleann Dá Loch, which means valley of two lakes, due to the two lakes situated in the valley where the monastic site sits. It remained an important ecclesiastical site until the destruction of the settlement at the end of the 14th century by English forces, after which it was left to ruin.
The site is home to a 30m high Round Tower, a cathedral, several chapels and priests’ houses and buildings. There are also important monuments and buildings near the upper lake thought to be closely associated with Saint Kevin himself. And in the graveyard, there are examples of High Crosses.
Glendalough is a beautiful place to visit, and the walks and hikes to and around the Upper Lake are beautiful. You can easily enjoy half a day here. If you are looking for a beautiful place to visit in Ireland steeped in history, head to Glendalough.
🚗 How to get there: Glendalough is located just over one hour’s drive south from Dublin City Centre. It is possible to use public transport to reach the site, although this will take around two hours and fifteen minutes each way.
Hook Lighthouse
One of the best historical sites in Ireland that is perfect to visit even as a family is the Hook Lighthouse. Situated at the end of the Hook Peninsula along the Barrow Estuary in County Wexford, this is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the world at over 800 years old.
Built on the site of an earlier fire beacon, Hook Lighthouse was constructed towards the end of the 12th century by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who was the son-in-law of Strongbow who led the Norman Invasion of Ireland.
The first lightkeepers were monks from a nearby monastery who kept the fire beacon going to warn sailors of the peninsula’s dangerous rocks. The light beacon went from fire to coal, to gas to paraffin, and eventually electricity in the 1970s. Nowadays the lighthouse beacon is automatically operated, and the last lighthouse keepers left in 1996.
Today, Hook Lighthouse is a tourist attraction in County Wexford, and visitors can join guided tours to enter the lighthouse to learn about its history and the beacon that has shone brightly for centuries.
Hook is a fascinating place to visit, and kids will enjoy the tales of the lighthouse as well as the pirate-themed playground in front of the lighthouse.
So, if you are looking for something interesting and different while on your Ireland travels, why not head to one of the best Irish lighthouses to visit.
🚗 How to get there: The Hook Head Lighthouse is located two and a half hours south of Dublin City Centre. It is not accessible by public transport.
Brú na Bóinne
One of the oldest sites in Ireland and one of the most important in the history of the country is the Neolithic Passage Tombs at Brú Na Bóinne. Located in the heart of an area with several historical sites in Meath, these are a popular destination with tourists.
There are three main passage tombs at the Brú na Bóinne Valley monuments, and they sit along the banks of the river Boyne, hence their name. The three tombs are Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth, and to visit the first two, visitors need to join a guided tour at the Visitor Centre.
On a guided tour, visitors go to Knowth first, where the largest concentration of Megalithic Art in Western Europe can be found. Guided share their extensive knowledge of the tombs and the artwork that adorn the kerbstones as well explain the construction and uses of the tombs.
Visitors then move on to Newgrange, the most famous and important of the tombs. The passage of Newgrange normally sits in darkness where it is not in the electrical lights that illuminate it for visitors.
During the winter solstice, the passage is illuminated by the rising winter sun for just a few short minutes before being cast back into darkness for the rest of the year. Visitors who join guided tours can enter the passage and witness a re-creation of this phenomenon.
There are exhibitions in the Visitor Centre and at knowledge to tell visitors more about the tombs, and they are worth taking time to read.
The tombs are older than the Pyramids at Giza and are worth visiting, even on a day trip from Dublin. Note that you can only visit the site via a guided tour that leaves from the Visitor Centre.
🚗 How to get there: The Brú na Bóinne Valley monuments are located 40 minutes north of Dublin and can be visited by public transport in around two hours and fifteen minutes.
Derry City Walls
The Derry City Walls are one of the most important historical sites in Northern Ireland. Derry, or Londonderry as it is also known, is situated in County Derry, right on the edge of the Ireland/Northern Ireland border. It is also one of the points along the Causeway Coastal Route.
Derry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and is the only walled city in Ireland that remains completely intact.
The walls of the city were built in the early 17th century to protect English and Scottish planters who moved to Ulster during the Plantation of Ulster. The walls surround the historic centre of the city.
The walls are approximately 1 mile in circumference, and within them lie some of the city’s important landmarks, including a cathedral and Apprentice Boy’s Hall.
The walls also have seven towers, and they can be entirely walked on foot, affording visitors great views across the city. They are also lined with cannons that date from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
If you are looking to do a 7-day driving tour of Ireland, Derry is an ideal place to include to enjoy both the Causeway Coastal Route and the Wild Atlantic Way. Enjoy exploring the historic city before hitting the road to discover the rest of Ireland.
🚗 How to get there: Derry is located just over three hours north of Dublin and one hour and two minutes west of Belfast. There are public transport links between Belfast and Derry. Note that if you are renting a car in Dublin and are planning to visit Derry (or anywhere in Northern Ireland), you must inform your rental car company to ensure you have adequate insurance.
Kilmainham Gaol
Another one of the important historical sites in Dublin, Ireland, is Kilmainham Gaol. Now a museum, the building was a former prison built at the turn of the 19th century to replace the older city jail.
As far as Dublin attractions go, this is one of the most popular with visitors to the city. Visitors can only enter Kilmainham Gaol by guided tours, and these sell out fast, so it is highly advisable to pre-book your tickets to avoid disappointment.
Your guide will bring you through the maze that is the jail, visiting both the older and new East Wing while imparting their knowledge about the jail and its former inmates, many of whom with either petty criminals or political ones who fought for Ireland’s independence from British Rule.
Kilmainham Gaol is most famous for being the final incarceration home for the political prisoners who took part in the 1916 Easter Rising and who were then subsequently executed in the yard of the prison afterward.
It was decommissioned in 1924 by the Irish Free State and re-opened as a museum to the public after restoration in 1966. Kilmainham Gaol is a fascinating place to visit and has a museum dedicated to Irish Nationalism that visitors can see after their guided tour. It is an important historical site in Dublin and is not to be missed.
🚗 How to get there: Kilmainham Gaol is located 4km from the city centre, a drive of 25 minutes depending on traffic along the quays. You can reach it by public transport, or it is also a stop on some of the Hop on Hop off sightseeing buses. Just check before boarding if the bus is stopping there.
The Rock of Cashel
Situated in County Tipperary is one of the most famous historical sites in Ireland, the Rock of Cashel. A popular destination with tourists, this can be a busy site, especially during the peak summer months.
Built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Tipperary landscape, the Rock of Cashel is a ruined abbey with a roofless cathedral, chapel, round tower, and graveyard with several examples of High Crosses. Cormac’s Chapel can only be entered via a guided tour.
Visitors come to enjoy the architecture, see the roofless cathedral, and wander through the graveyard while enjoying the views which are beautiful on a clear day. It is somewhere you will spend a couple of hours easily.
Note that there is no car park attached to the site, but there is a payable public car park at the bottom of the hill for those visiting by car.
If you want to visit one of the most famous sites in Ireland, then make sure to add the Rock of Cashel to your itinerary.
🚗 How to get there: The Rock of Cashel is situated two hours south of Dublin. If you have decided to travel around Ireland without a car then you can reach the Rock of Cashel by public transport (nearly 3 hours), or you could join a day trip from Dublin that visits the site.
There is a wealth of historical sites to visit in Ireland, whether you are a fan or not. From castles to monastic sites, you won’t be short of choices for fascinating places to visit during your time on the island.
When planning your itinerary for your trip to Ireland, and whether you are staying in Dublin or will be taking day trips, make sure to add at least one of these to your plans. You won’t be disappointed.
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