Ireland's Ancient East: A Guide to its Historic Treasures

Ireland's Ancient East: A Guide to its Historic Treasures presents a richly illustrated introduction to one of Ireland’s most compelling heritage regions. Featuring 100 remarkable sites, the book travels from Carlingford in County Louth through the Boyne Valley in County Meath, onward to the historic landscapes of Tipperary and Kilkenny, and concludes in County Cork.

Highlights include internationally renowned landmarks such as Clonmacnoise, Newgrange and the Rock of Cashel, alongside lesser known treasures including Athassel Priory in Tipperary, Gaulstown Dolmen in Waterford and the Loughcrew passage tombs in Meath. Spanning more than 5,000 years of history, archaeology, heritage and folklore, the guide provides practical visitor information, clear directions and detailed maps, making it an ideal companion for exploring Ireland’s Ancient East.

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Introduction to Ireland's Ancient East

Around practically every corner on Ireland’s eastern coast you can discover millennia of history and archaeology, dating back to the first days after the glaciers released their frozen grip on the country at the end of the last Ice Age.

Fáilte Ireland’s new concept, Ireland’s Ancient East, helps visitors to explore counties Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Longford, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare, Offaly, Laois, Carlow, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Wexford, Waterford and the eastern parts of Limerick and Cork.

Each of these counties has its own unique story to tell. From the wild majesty of the Wicklow Mountains, to the plains of Kildare, the bogs of the midlands and the lush green pastures of Tipperary you can discover the fascinating story of the people who shaped these landscapes and who, in turn, were shaped by the land. This region holds some of the world’s finest examples of prehistoric ingenuity and religious practice.

Ireland is also internationally famous for the wealth of early Christian monasteries that are so prevalent across this region, with their intricate high crosses and soaring round towers. Ireland was altered by successive waves of peoples arriving from across the seas, from the farmers who brought agriculture to these shores and forever changed the landscape over 5,000 years ago, to the Vikings who arrived as raiders before going on to establish Ireland’s first secular towns and cities, and the Anglo-Normans who constructed massive castles and sprawling abbeys.

Ireland’s story is soaked with drama and intrigue, not least in the tumultuous years of the seventeenth century, when a series of wars, famines and rebellions tortured the land. The years that followed saw the great estates of Ireland established by the new power in the country, the Protestant Ascendancy. The sense of injustice in the years that followed would lead to further hardship that eventually led the road to independence and the modern state of Ireland.

Ireland is a landscape imbued with unique stories and tales, where you can encounter an authentic cultural experience and be inspired by the landscape, life and people of the island. This guidebook suggests 100 archaeological and historical places to visit to help you explore the story of Ireland. The sites are numbered according to their geographic location, with Carlingford being the most northerly, and Blarney Castle being the most southerly. I have further broken Ireland’s Ancient East into sub-regions for ease of navigation, and each entry has a table containing practical information and coordinates about the sites.

The great difficulty when compiling a book such as this is choosing which sites to include and which to omit, as there are thousands of incredible places waiting to be discovered in Ireland’s Ancient East. These sites are some of my personal favourites, and are a mix of large, well-known attractions like the Rock of Cashel and hidden gems such as Gaulstown Dolmen. These ancient ruins, mighty fortresses and great houses in all their splendour still resonate with echoes of the past.

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