Monuments & Museums
These are just some of our favorite places to visit in the area. There's so much more than we've listed on this page, but we'll be adding to this list regularly.
The Irish National Famine Museum
The Famine Museum uses a combination of original documents and images to explain
the circumstances of the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s.
It's located in
Strokestown Park, which includes Strokestown House—a faithfully restored 18th Century mansion
that retains its original furnishings—and a beautifully restored
six acre Georgian walled garden. Open from March to October.
Roscommon Castle
Roscommon Castle was built in the late 13th Century and is owned by the
current Earl of Essex.
Newgrange
Newgrange, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a 5000 year old neolithic passage tomb surrounded by a ring of decorated stones. It has clear
astronomical alignment to the Winter Solstice, and at 2 hours away by car makes a great daytrip.
Arigna Mining Experience
The Arigna area has a tradition of mining that dates back to the 1600s. The mining
experience takes you into the mines and into the lives of the people whose
existence was shaped by them.
Carrowkeel Megalithic Tombs, County Sligo
Pictures rarely do justice to these ancient scattered, cairns (a pile of stones marking a
prehistoric burial site or an underground tomb) on the desolate, windy, and
beautiful elevated plains outside Sligo. (Take the N4 west, about 1.5 hours drive.) There are no visitor centers or
guidebooks, it's not easy
to get to, and you are left full of questions, but you will
never forget it. Take a warm jacket or windbreaker.
Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon
A celebrated Cistercian monastery situated on the River Boyle, Boyle Abbey was
founded in 1161 under the patronage of the local ruling family, the MacDermots.
It was one of the most richly endowed religious houses in Ireland, and
bridges the Romanesque and Gothic periods.
Clonmacnois, County Offaly
Just south of Athlone are the ruins of Clanmacnoise, a 9th century
Abbey and one of the oldest Christian churches in Ireland,
founded in AD 547. It is also thought to be one of the original
sources of the Celtic high cross.
Rock of Cashel
St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, baptised King Aengus here in the
fifth century. After serving as the seat of the kings of Munster,
the site was given to the Church and the first cathedral was erected on
the Rock of Cashel in the 12th century.
