We only visited the Newgrange site. It was absolutely stunning. The visitor center is closed and…read morethe bus system is a little slow but eventually we got there. Our guide gave a talk and explained what we were about to see inside but was a bit short and impatient with us once we entered the tomb. The tours are timed precisely and there was a group right behind us so she hurried us along. We went with a tour group so everything was arranged ahead of time. Outside you can walk around the ruin. The scenery is beautiful all around. I'd love to see it again but tickets are difficult to get without a lot of planning. It's a must see site if you get the chance.

This is a fascinating archeological sight and if that were the only item being rated, it would…read moreclearly be five stars. However, the facilities and buses were very old and run down. Some of the outside stairways were closed due to crumbling concrete and metal railings were rusty with peeing paint. I would rate the facilities as two star. The tour of the mounds was fascinating. We only got to see two of the three since one was closed. The highlight was Bu na Boinne where we were taken inside and shown a recreation of the Summer Solstice. The tour guides were excellent and we enjoyed the the hours long tour. Back at the main facility, we had lunch. There was a choice of quiche and other prepared dishes that are reheated for you. Service was excellent and I would rate the food as three stars. It got the job done by keeping you from being hungry. It was a bit sad to see such a national treasure as this in such a rundown state. Someone or some government should step in and bring it back to its former glory. Even in its current sad state, it is well worth the trip to see it.

Interesting place. We saw this on a trip out to the Boyne and the hill of Tara…read more Founded in 1142 by St Malachy of Amagh the abbey is on the banks of the river Mattock (near Drogheda- pronounced like drow-eh-da- stress on the drow, at least the way our tour guide said it) There's not much left, but it's lovely and makes for a great photography opportunity. It's haunting. The octagonal lavabo (1200) for washing (purification) is unusual- the monks washed their hands here before eating. The visitor center has an interesting exhibit on the work of masons.

Mellifont was the first Cistercian abbey to be built in Ireland, founded in 1142 on the orders of…read moreSaint Malachy, the Archbishop of Armagh. Sadly, little of the original Abbey remains, save a octagonal 13th-century lavabo, where the monks washed their hands before dinner - and this in a time when hygiene was not a top priority, even for men of God. There is a visitor's centre, and guided tours on request, but the abbey is only open to the public from May to September.

If you aren't Irish, you may not of heard of the Battle of the Boyne. It took place in 1690 but let…read moreme assure you, we are still talking about it - feel free to bring the subject up in pubs. It was a seminal battle that pretty much altered the course of Irish history, between Protestant King William III and his father-in-law, the Catholic King James II. The contestants were playing for the Irish, English and Scottish throne. The battle, won by William, helped ensure the continuation of Protestant supremacy in Ireland. You can find out more at the Battle of the Boyne centre, which has original and replica 17th Century weaponry displays, a battlefield tour and a laser battlefield model and, for the more genteel amongst you, a tea pavillion and a walled garden.

One of the best locations around Drogheda for a walk. One can walk out from Drogheda along the lit…read moreand newly surfaced footpath on the south shore of the Boyne. or drive to the Battle of the Boyne centre, park in the car park, and walk around several fields and along the old canal. Great place to take your dog but keep them on a lead and pick up after them. There's a tea pavilion which serves the usual tea / coffee and cake, and light lunches. A very pleasant way to spend a few hours and enjoy a walk in the countryside.

Carlingford is currently the home of President Joe Biden's Irish cousins. Great people. Just 8…read moremiles away. Carlingford is also a fine example of a medieval walled town, built at the time of the Normans in the 12th century. The Vikings had invaded Ireland in the 9th Century and historical records establish that they occupied Carlingford Lough. The name Carlingford is Scandinavian translating into 'Fjord of Carlinn'. The Normans arrived in Ireland in 1169 as allies of Irish King Dermot MacMurrough. By 1184 they had reached Carlingford. A Norman Knight, Sir John de Courcy claimed this part of Louth for himself. Sir John was a busy beggar. He arrived in Ireland in 1176 and by the time of his expulsion in 1204, he had conquered considerable territory, endowed religious establishments, built abbeys for the Benedictines (yes the monks that created champagne and benedictine), the Cistercians and he also built strongholds at Dundrum Castle in County Down and at Carrickfergus Castle in County Antrim. The very first historical reference to Carlingford dates to 1184 when Sir John gave the rights of the ferry at Carlingford to the Abbot of Downpatrick indicating that the harbour was in use as a ferry point. However, the town of Carlingford only developed after the castle known as King John's Castle was built. The castle today is a ruin, but it's still obvious what it was nearly a thousand years ago - a place of defence. As for its creator Sir John De Courcy, well he returned to Ireland, sailing across the Irish sea from the Isle of Man in July 1205 with Norse soldiers and a hundred boats. John and his army landed at Strangford and laid siege to Dundrum Castle in vain, because the defences he himself had made were too strong. King John then had John de Courcy imprisoned and he spent the rest of his life in poverty so the clerics he was so generous toward left him broke. He was subsequently released when he "crossed himself" to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. De Courcy died in obscurity just outside what is now Craigavon - I suppose anyone who dies there still departs in obscurity as the best thing about Craigavon, even a thousand years later, is still the road out of it.

As you drive into Carlingford King John's Castle sets the scene for the magnificent historical…read morevalue of this town. The views from the ledge are amazing and worth the bit of climbing to get up to it! Transports you back in time as you see all the way over to Warrenpoint and soak up the atmosphere from days gone by. Look out for the plaques dotted around to learn more!

Fore Abbey is a 7th century abbey spread across the valley of ancient structures. The abbey complex…read moreincludes several notable features, such as the remains of the Benedictine monastery, St. Feichin's church, and the famous Fore Crosses. There are several ruins to explore on this stop.

For a ruin, this place was really in good shape. Most here are a pile of rocks that vaguely…read moreresembles a building. This one had rooms and working stairs. If you go, there is a big parking lot on the main road. You don't have to park on the street.

Absolutely fascinating, powerful, and educational. I believe you can just arrange a visit yourself…read moreif you're driving but we weren't so we took Mary's tour here (and to Knowth and Hill of Tara). Mary herself is an incredible source of knowledge so the ride up and back was full of cool information. The bus trip was easy and comfortable though just an fyi there are no restrooms on board. Once we arrived our small group had a reasonable amount of time to spend walking through the visitors center and learning more about the tombs and history before hopping another short shuttle ride to Knowth first. The guide at Knowth was very helpful, thorough and interesting. You can't enter these tombs but I really enjoyed walking around the site and taking it all in. There's plenty to see and some beautiful views on a clear day. The visitors center is very well done... don't miss it. I almost wished we had just a little more time, like 15 minutes, to be honest. It's chock full of information. There are restrooms and they have a small gift shop and there won't be an opportunity to return (at least if you're on Mary's tour there won't be) so if you'd like a keepsake be sure to purchase it first. After Knowth it's back on the shuttle and out to Newgrange itself where small groups can go in with one of the very helpful and friendly guides. I thought for sure I would get claustrophobic but I had no trouble at all. All in all it was absolutely mesmerizing. 10000/10000 would go again.

So the way that I travel, I like to rent a car and just drive around with my partner. The best way…read moreto experience a new country is just to live like everybody there. So as we were driving along, we found this beautiful park drove into and really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. There's a beautiful walkway that takes you down to this building. As we open the doors, there's a greeter and I asked her a little bit about what this whole experiences and she didn't really have much information to give me. So I said why not let's go ahead and see what we got ourselves into. There is a beautiful museum and there is a beautiful café with lots of different treats and sandwiches and entrées. There's also a gift shop that has really great gifts that you could give to family and friends a couple of the items we got were a wishing Stone and a worry stone. The experience did not stop there, you have to walk down this beautiful pathway where everything is green and luscious and you get to a bus stop. The bus comes and takes you down this roadway that leads you to what we found out was a tomb. It was a surprise to us that we found out that this tomb was actually one of the oldest tombs in the world, even older than the Egyptians. As we get to the property, we see a beautiful architectural, severe round building with one little small entrance. The entrance to the tomb is narrow but a large man can still fit through it to see the experience. As we come to find out, it was a tomb, possibly from a rich family and Ireland that controlled most of the land. The family had incest to keep the power within. All of these are possibilities they do not know because of how old this is. Once in the tomb, you get to see that there are three burial plots, and there's a light experience to show that once a year the sun hits a certain way and lightslights the tomb up for a period of time. After you're done with that, you get back on the bus and they take you back to the museum area where you can go ahead and have lunch or you can be done with experience altogether. This all lasted maybe an hour or two and really gave us something to do when we did not have anything planned. This whole experience cost us about $26 and was pretty nice and learned something new that I did not know before.

It's really cool place to visit. The place is a Cistercian abbey on the River Boyne in Bective,…read moreCounty Meath, Ireland. The abbey was founded around 1147. Is in ruins but some areas are really well preserved. It is very quiet, the 5 times I've been there I think I've seen 10 people and That was too many haha! So it's very relaxing and inspiring. I always take my dog, so he can run all over the place. It is good that is very clean and well cared. It's great location for photographs.

An amazing and quintessentially Irish prehistoric tomb. To gain access, you have to call to the…read morehouse of Mr. Fintan White (call 01 8354722 before 6pm) which is just a mile west of the Tomb -turn left at the Y-junction with the white and green house, go straight up the narrow track where the main road turns left. Whites' house is some distance up here - the 5th on the right.is the fifth house on the right. Don't worry, it's signposted! It's an amazing opportunity to get a private view of a megalithic passage tomb, smaller than Newgrange but just as eerie. The roof, which looks like a green mound from the outside, is artificial and was put in place to preserve the remains of the tomb. Inside, it takes the eyes a few minutes to adjust to the gloom,but once they do, the carvings and chambers are visible. Standing in a sacred space of your ancestors is a pretty cool thing. Apparently the entrance is aligned with the movement of the sun, as is Newgrange. Well worth a visit.