Rathcroghan, Tulsk. County Roscommon 2500BC-1000AD
Once one of Ireland's great ancient capitals Rathcroghan is one of the four ancient Royal sites of Ireland and has been a place of burial and ritual gatherings for over 6000 years. There are over 240 identified archaeological sites of which 60 are protected within an area of about 2.5 square miles. These range from natural limestone caves, [...]
Macroom Castle Gatehouse, Macroom. County Cork 1200-1900
A remarkable example of castellated Romanticism The original castle on this site was built around 1200 for the O'Flynn family to guard the strategic crossing over the River Sullane. It was later owned by the Carews, then the MacCarthys who became the Lords of Muskerry. During the rebellion of 1602, the castle was sieged and caught fire. In [...]
Blarney Castle, Blarney. County Cork 1450
Kiss the stone for the gift of the Gab Blarney Castle was built by Cormac MacCarthy, the King of Munster around 1450. It is currently a partial ruin but there is access to some rooms and its rooftop battlements where the famous Blarney Stone can be found. There are many legends as to the origin of the stone. [...]
Claregalway Friary & Castle, Claregalway. County Galway 1252 & 1450
Home to the de Burgo family for 250 years The Claregalway Friary & Castle are situated on the banks of the River Clare. The Friary was commissioned in 1252 by John de Cogan, a Norman knight who took possession of the area following the Norman conquest of Connacht. It flourished until the reformation in the mid-16th century when [...]
Tacumshane Windmill, Tacumshane. County Wexford 1852
The last windmill to be in use in Ireland The Tacumshane Windmill was built in 1846 and features a rare revolving straw thatch cap to catch the wind for its sails. The Normans introduced these types of vertical tower windmills as an alternative to watermills which required access to fast-flowing rivers and were thus able to grind more [...]
Dolmen of the Four Maols, Ballina. County Mayo 2000BC
Ballina's Bronze-Age beauty The Ballina Dolmen is located just outside the town of Ballina on Primrose Hill overlooking the Moy River. These are not the remains of a portal tomb but rather a cist grave from the center of a Bronze Age burial cairn. The tomb is also known as the 'Dolmen of the Four Maols' and has [...]