archaeological ireland

Inhabited by the early monks, these Clochan (beehive huts) were made of carefully constructed stones formed into a dome shape.

There are a number of them particularly on the west coast of Ireland. This one is virtually intact in the village of Kilmurvey....

An exceptionally fine portal-tome or dolmen, prominent on the skyline 1/4 mile to the east of the main road, 4 miles north-north-west of Ardara. It well displays the classic features from which this type of monument derives its name. The matched portal stones and gracefully uptilted capstone (nearly 20 feet long and one of the largest in Ireland) oversailing the chamber entrance convey a sense of architectural awareness on the part of the builders and its streamlined profile has inspired numer...

The Ulster Cultural Institute offers a choice to the visitor which ranges from an archaeological exhibition, traditional music archive, tapestry weaving exhibition, art gallery and library.

Cultural courses on offer include Irish language classes at all levels, hill walking, set dancing, archaeology, tapestry weaving and painting....

Reached by a small by-road leading to a car-park, the King's stables is a mysterious place which must have played some ritual role within the landscape around the great royal site of Navan Fort, one mile to the east. It is a dangerous and steep-sided 10-foot-deep man-made pool surrounded by a bank, constructed sometime before 1000 B.C. its significance must lie in its water, as the prehistoric Celts are known to have practised a water cult. A brief excavation in 1975 revealed the front of a h...

Take the Collooney-Sligo road to the second signpost left for Lavagh and the Ox Mountains Drive. As you approach this turn the distinctive shape of Knock-Na-Shee looms up before you. Recent aerial photography of the mountain has revealed contours which suggest that one of the biggest Stone Age burial grounds in Europe lies beneath the surface of this "Hill of the Fairies", - the English translation of the Irish name. There is a pitch and putt course to your left before you turn for Lavagh....

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...

Uisneagh Hill is about 11 miles from Mullingar on the R390. On this hill can be found the Catstone or "Ail Na Mearainn", said to be the meeting point of the five ancient provinces of Ireland. This is the hill on which King Tuathal Teachmar erected his royal palace in the second century. An imposing hill, 180 metres high, "Uisneagh" provides a magnificent view of the midlands. It was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland for 200 years prior to the coming of St. Patrick and the geat paga...

Knockma, the great - Hill of Maeve - is situated 8km west of Tuam. Maeve, the legendary Queen of Connacht, and Ceasair, one of the earliest colonists of Ireland, are reputed to be buried in the cairns on the summit of the hill.

Tradition as well as popular superstition, also points to Knockma as the home of fairy legend for here Finvarra, the King of the Connacht fairies, is reputed to hold his court. From the summit of Knockma may be obtained one of the grandest panoramic views in Ire...

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...

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....