Free plan

Ireland outdoors

Heritage sites to visit in Ireland

104 monuments you can visit and Ireland's world heritage — abbeys, dolmens, round towers and forts — set in the landscape around them.

World heritage 4

UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Global Geoparks on the island.

Heritage site · Co. MeathBrú na Bóinne World Heritage SiteUNESCO World Heritage SiteDonoreBrú na Bóinne, which means the ‘palace’ or the ‘mansion’ of the Boyne, refers to the area within the bend of the River Boyne which contains one of the world’s most important prehistoric landscapes. It is located close…

Heritage site · Co. ClareBurren and Cliffs of Moher GeoparkUNESCO Global GeoparkDoolinJust to the north of the Cliffs of Moher you will find the Burren, a strange and beautiful karst landscape with its own extraordinary geological, natural and cultural distinctiveness. Together these two complimentary…

Heritage site · Co. KerrySkellig Michael World Heritage SiteUNESCO World Heritage Siteoff Iveragh PeninsulaThe Skellig Rocks, Skellig Michael (also known as Great Skellig) and Little Skellig, are towering sea crags rising from the Atlantic Ocean almost 12 kilometres west of the Ivereagh Peninsula in County Kerry. Located at…

Heritage site · Co. WaterfordThe Copper Coast GeoparkUNESCO Global GeoparkBunmahonThe Copper Coast is a stretch of the southern coast of Ireland in County Waterford. It is named for the historic metal-mining industry, the legacies of which now constitute a tourist attraction. This geologically…

Abbeys, churches & monastic sites 37

Early Christian settlements, friaries and medieval churches.

Heritage site · Co. MonaghanAbbey Church, ClonesChurchCrossmoyleAbbey Church is constructed from finely cut blocks of sandstone, and a round headed window in the south wall indicates that the church can be dated to the middle of the 12th century. On the outer face of the north wall…

Heritage site · Co. WicklowAghowle ChurchChurchAghowle Lower (Shillelagh By.)The ancient church at Aghowle is associated with St Finnian (who died in 549), and he is supposed to have established a church at Aghowle before founding his more famous site at Clonard, Co. Meath. The name Aghowle…

Heritage site · Co. KerryArd FheartaArdfertCathedralArdfertA monastery was founded here by St. Brendan 'The Navigator' in the 6th century. There are three medieval churches, an ogham stone and a number of early Christian and medieval grave slabs on the site today. The earliest…

Heritage site · Co. LimerickAskeaton FriaryReligious houseMoig SouthAskeaton Friary is situated on the banks of the River Deel and was probably founded by the fourth Earl of Desmond, who was known as Gerald ‘the poet’, sometime around 1400. The friary was originally founded for the…

Heritage site · Co. CorkBallybeg AbbeyReligious houseBallybeg WestPhilip de Barry founded the priory of St. Thomas à Becket at Ballybeg for the Canons Regular of St. Augustine in 1229. His grandson, David Óg de Barry, the first Baron Barry enlarged the revenues of the priory in 1251…

Heritage site · Co. WicklowBaltinglass AbbeyReligious houseBaltinglass EastBaltinglass Abbey stands on the banks of the River Slaney on the outskirts of the small town of Baltinglass. The abbey was founded in 1148 by the king of Leinster, Diarmait MacMurrough, as a daughter house of the…

Heritage site · Co. MeathMainistir BheigthíBective AbbeyReligious houseBectiveBective Abbey overlooking the legendary River Boyne is the oldest Cistercian foundation in Meath and the second oldest in Ireland. It was founded in 1147 with an endowment from Murchad Ua Máel Sechnaill, who ruled over…

Heritage site · Co. RoscommonMainistir na BúilleBoyle AbbeyReligious houseKnocknasheeAn impressive and well preserved Cistercian Monastery which was founded in the 12th century under the patronage of the local ruling family, the MacDermotts. Though mutilated during the 17th and 18th centuries when it…

Prehistoric monuments 8

Dolmens, passage tombs, stone circles and standing stones.

Heritage site · Co. CarlowBrowneshill Megalithic TombMegalithic tombKernanstownKnown as the ‘Browneshill dolmen’, because it is sited on a hill on which sits the former estate house of the Browne family, the remains of this megalithic tomb are well-preserved and the chamber faces down slope to the…

Heritage site · Co. SligoCarrowmore Megalithic CemeteryMegalithic tombCarrowmore (Carbury By.)This is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland and is also among the country's oldest, with monuments ranging from five and a half thousand to six and a half thousand years old. Archaeologists have recorded…

Heritage site · Co. CorkDrombeg Stone CircleStone circleDrombeg (Carbery E. (W.D.) By.)Drombeg stone circle is dramatically situated on a rocky terrace with sweeping views over farmland to the Atlantic Ocean. Drombeg is perhaps the finest example of a distinctive series of stone circles found in Cork and…

Heritage site · Co. DublinKilmashogue Megalithic TombMegalithic tombKilmashogueToday the wedge tomb at Kilmashogue is located in forestry, but originally it would have been situated on an open mountain side overlooking the lowlands now occupied by Dublin city. The site was excavated in 1953. The…

Heritage site · Co. MeathKnowth Passage Tomb CemeteryMegalithic tombKnowthThe great passage tomb cemetery of Knowth, built over 5,000 years ago during the middle of the Neolithic period (around 3200 BC), is one of a number of monuments which, together with the nearby passage tombs of…

Heritage site · Co. MeathLoughcrew Megalithic CemeteryMegalithic tombCorstown (Fore By.)The Loughcrew Cairns, also known as the Hills of the Witch, are a group of Neolithic passage tombs dating to 3000 BC. The tombs are located on three different hills and Cairn T, one of the largest tombs in the complex…

Heritage site · Co. MeathNewgrange Passage TombMegalithic tombNewgrangeThe great passage tomb mound of Newgrange built over 5,000 years ago during the middle of the Neolithic period (around 3200 BC) is one of a number of monuments which, together with the nearby passage tombs of Knowth and…

Heritage site · Co. LouthProleek Megalithic TombsMegalithic tombProleekLocated to the south-west of the Cooley Mountains near the lower slopes of Black Mountain, Proleek portal tomb is one of the best-known and most iconic megalithic tombs in Ireland. The tomb comprises three upright…

Castles & forts 33

Tower houses, castles, ring forts and promontory forts.

Heritage site · Co. LimerickAdare CastleCastleAdareAdare is regarded as a fine example of the medieval fortified castle in Ireland and is one of a number of outstanding castles situated in County Limerick. It is sited on the north bank of the River Maigue in a strategic…

Heritage site · Co. GalwayAthenry CastleCastleAthenryAthenry is one of the most notable medieval walled towns surviving in Ireland, owing its foundation to Meiler de Bermingham who built his castle there c.1250. The oldest part of the castle is the hall-keep. It is a…

Heritage site · Co. GalwayAughnanure CastleCastleAughnanureBuilt by the O'Flahertys c. 1500, Aughnanure Castle lies in picturesque surroundings close to the shores of Lough Corrib. In 1546 the O'Flaherty's motto "Fortune favours the strong" and the powerful Mayo O'Malleys Motto…

Heritage site · Co. WexfordBallyhack CastleCastleBallyhackBallyhack Castle is located on a steep slope in a commanding position overlooking Waterford estuary. The castle, a large tower house, is thought to have been built c. 1450 by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, one of…

Heritage site · Co. CorkCaisleán Chúirt an BharraighBarryscourt CastleCastleBarryscourtBarryscourt castle is the 16th century seat of the Barry family. The present castle, with its largely intact bawn wall and corner towers, is a fine example of an Irish tower house. Both the First floor Main Hall and the…

Heritage site · Co. CorkCahervagliar RingfortRingfortCappeen WestThis large earthen ringfort is situated near the village of Cappeen in West Cork. It is unusual in terms of the arrangement of its enclosing banks and ditches and the presence of a stone-lined entrance passageway within…

Heritage site · Co. TipperaryCahir Castle, CahirCastleTownparks (Caher Par.)Once the stronghold of the powerful Butler family, the castle retains its impressive keep, tower and much of its original defensive structure. It is one of Ireland's largest and best preserved castles. It is situated on…

Heritage site · Co. KerryCarrigafoyle CastleCastleCarrigafoyleCarrigafoyle Castle is situated at the mouth of the River Shannon, and was referred to as the ‘Guardian of the Shannon’ because of its strategic location overlooking the shipping lanes that supplied the city of…

Heritage sites by county

Every county, with the places we'd suggest first. Each county page lists them all.

Carlow2 Cavan2 Clare4 Cork7 Donegal3 Dublin9 Galway7 Kerry7 Kildare2 Kilkenny5 Laois2 Leitrim2 Limerick3 Longford2 Louth2 Mayo3 Meath8 Monaghan3 Offaly2 Roscommon4 Sligo2 Tipperary8 Waterford3 Westmeath2 Wexford6 Wicklow4

County Carlow · 2

County Cavan · 2

County Clare · 4

County Cork · 7

County Donegal · 3

County Dublin · 9

County Galway · 7

County Kerry · 7

County Kildare · 2

County Kilkenny · 5

County Laois · 2

County Leitrim · 2

County Limerick · 3

County Longford · 2

County Louth · 2

County Mayo · 3

County Meath · 8

County Monaghan · 3

County Offaly · 2

County Roscommon · 4

County Sligo · 2

County Tipperary · 8

County Waterford · 3

County Westmeath · 2

County Wexford · 6

County Wicklow · 4

Heritage sites to visit in Ireland | Winsome Planet