archaeological ireland

A unique trail of fifteen size specific sculptures. Encompassing miles of rugged coastline....

One of the most spectacular megalithic tombs of the distinctive south Leinster group, a stately Neolithic mausoleum, 'remarkable', to quote Borlase, 'for its solidity, and the perfect carrying out of a unity of design'. As a scheduled National Monument it is entitled to better care than it currently receives. 'It stands neglected in a corner of the disused burial ground of Kilburrin, 4 miles south-south-west of Waterford city, its great lichen encrusted stones emerging from a tangle of overgrow...

One of the few monuments of industrial archaeology in state care in the Republic is the complex of mills at Newmills, three miles west of Letterkenny.

It was operated for centuries by the Gallagher family until it ceased functioning in 1982. Water was siphoned off from the River Swilly for the quarter-of-a-mile long mill-race which fed two separate mills in turn. The upper mill, with much of its machinery still in place, was for flax, used in the making of linen, while the lower mil...

The entertaining exhibition features the area's rich geographical and archaeological heritage, including a 6th century log boat. Outside, a nature trail provides the opportunity to examine the plant and animal life of the bog at close quarters. Bicycles to suit all the family are available for hire. Maps and information on the local area are available from the centre. Eight selft catering cottages are also available for rent. A warm welcome awaits you in the foothills of the Sperrin Moun...

In the Church of Ireland cathedral in this town, there are carved fragments of a 12th century church lintel. In the hall of the church is a large stone bearing a representation of the Arrest of Christ. In the centre is Christ being arrested by two men; St. Peter stands near, sword in hand, to cut off the ear of Malchus, and on the right is a fragmentary Crucifixion. A similar stone (the right-hand fragment of the lintel), with the soldiers casting lots and Christ's tomb, is embedded in the...

"For the late Stone Age, Knowth was one of Europe's gretest public buildings. To describe it as a massive and majestic masterpiece that reflected the pride and pomp of contemporary society is not an exaggeration"....

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....

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...

This place is tentatively acclaimed to have been the inauguration place of the Kings of Connacht. The site covers an area of about 2 square miles, and consists of a great number of earthworks of different kinds, varying from a large mound (possibly a Passage-tomb which, like the Mound of the Hostages at Tara, C. Meath (q.v.), is much older than the royal site) to square, round, oblong and irregularly shaped enclosures. One of these is called the Cemetery of the Kings, and there is also a 7-foo...

This bridge is located on the Kells-Moynalty Road and spans the River Blackwater. The sturcture dates from pre-Norman times (1169 AD), a fact confirmed by the design of two of the arches. The name of the bridge derives from the family name Mape or de Malpas, who owned the land around here before the English Civil War (1642-49)....