25 Nov The Grianán of Aileach
Burt, Co. Donegal Bus loads of schoolchildren drive up the winding road where the Grianán of Aileach dominates the summit. As the youngsters disperse to explore...
Dinnseanchus Tag
22 Nov Skellig Michael
Co. Kerry "The scene is one so solemn and so sad that none should enter here but the pilgrim and the penitent." (Lord Dunraven, 1875) "The...
21 Nov The Hill of Uisneach
Of the Hills in Ireland where legends speak of a celebrated gathering several have seen a modern attempt at reviving the practice without any enduring...
17 Nov Aghade Holed Stone
(Cloghaphoill)
Tullow, Co. Carlow Niall of the Nine Hostages has been called the "Irish Genghis Khan" due to the number of his descendants. More than three million...
30 Oct Rathcroghan Royal Site
Tulsk, Co. Roscommon Rathcroghan has both a geographic and a symbolic presence. It is an archaeological treasure trove, but it also is the venue of a...
15 Oct The Hill of Slane
There is now nothing remaining of the important monastery and legal center which existed here from the 6th century until the 12th. Also unseen, but...
15 Oct The King’s Stables
Navan, Co. Armagh Not a natural feature such as a holy well, this artificial pool was dug out, and allowed to fill in with water, to...
15 Oct The Rock of Doon
Termon, Co. Donegal The Rock of Doon is a craggy eminence with a storied past and a glorious panoramic view. On its flat summit there was...
15 Oct Tigh Mhóire
Dún Chaoin (Dunquin), Co. Kerry Tigh Mhóire contains what may be a prehistoric tomb, a fragment of an early cross-slab, and the grave of a Spanish...
15 Oct Howth Dolmen
Howth, Co. Dublin Nineteenth-century antiquarian Samuel Ferguson believed it to be the grave of the legendary Aideen, who died of grief when her husband Oscar was...
14 Oct Dowth
Slane, Co Meath Dowth means “darkness.” And darkness is what's left for the visitor today. The electricity has been turned off and entrance is generally prohibited....
13 Oct The Gate of the Cow;
Kilmalkedar Keelers Stone
Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry Near the town of Ballyferriter are two stone monuments vividly bringing into the landscape the stories of an enchanted cow whose milk was...
14 Sep Beltany Stone Circle
Raphoe, Co. Donegal To add to the distinctiveness of this stone circle, a horrific-looking Iron Age stone head was found near the monument, perhaps indicating that...
13 Sep Dooncarton Stone Circle
Dooncarton, Co. Mayo There are seven stones remaining here on a ridgeline with a dramatic view over Broadhaven Bay. Caesar Otway described in 1850 how his...
12 Sep The Children of the Mermaid
Enniscrone, Co. Sligo The stones on this seaside bluff in Co. Sligo were not, in legend, people accused of any transgression. Rather, it was just a...
08 Sep Árd Ladhran
Ardamine, Co. Wexford The mound of Árd Ladhran was, in legend, the tomb of Ladhra, who was interred just 40 days before Noah’s Ark set...
23 Aug Keshcorran, and the Caves of Kesh
Keash, Co Sligo It is a steep climb up a hillside, but the view from inside Cormac’s Cave makes it obvious how this location might have...
07 Aug Inishmurray Monastic Site
Inishmurray, Co. Sligo Today a visitor on a day trip from Mullaghmore might be tempted to idealize life on this small island. But the story of...
05 Aug Loughcrew Passage Tomb Complex (Sliabh na Caillíghe)
Oldcastle, Co. Meath On his visit to the Loughcrew hills, also called Sliabh na Caillíghe (The Hill of the Witch) Jonathan Swift heard tales of...
31 Jul The Hill of Tara
Tara has for generations served as the geographic focus for an aspirational sense of national glory, “the most consecrated spot in Ireland,” where blood was...
25 Jul Teltown (Tailteann)
Kells, Co. Meath The Teltown Fair was said to include Olympic-like competitions of strength and agility, even horse races and staged battles. There was also a...
03 May Baslicon Dolmen
Waterville, Co. Kerry This low monument south of Waterville is said to be the grave of Fial, a woman of the invading tribe who died from...
03 May Ballina Dolmen
(Dolmen of the Four Maols)
Ballina, Co. Mayo It is tantalizing for the modern visitor to imagine that within the folklore surrounding a particular prehistoric monument somehow, through the millennia, there...
03 May Dún Aonghasa (Dun Aengus)
Inishmore, Co. Galway Dun Aengus is precariously perched on the edge of a vertical cliff, perhaps parts of it already fallen down into the churning waters...
21 Apr The City and
the Paps of Anu
Rathmore, Co. Kerry "When you stand in the middle of the Cathair you get great feeling of satisfaction that you're standing here on one of the...
21 Apr Eightercua Alignment
Waterville, Co. Kerry The Eighercua Stone Alignment looks west to Ballinskelligs Bay and the open ocean. The mound on which it sits was likely a ritual...