Dublin Environs: Places to Explore

The road from Mellifont Abbey to Ardee passes through Monasterboice, home to some of Ireland's finest medieval High Crosses. Near the village's Round Tower, you'll find the famed Muireadach Cross and, nearby... Read more

On the western shore of the Poulaphouca Reservoir, known locally as Blessington Lakes, the small market town of Blessington, with its wide main street lined on both sides by tall trees and Georgian buildings... Read more

One of Ireland's oldest seaside resorts, Bray is a trim, growing village known for its summer cottages and sand-and-shingle beach, which stretches for 2 km (1 mile). When the trains first arrived from... Read more

The broad plain of the Curragh, bisected by the main N7 road, is the biggest area of common land in Ireland, encompassing about 31 square km (12 square miles) and devoted mainly to grazing.... Read more

Drogheda (pronounced draw-hee-da) is one of the most enjoyable and historic towns on the east coast of Ireland—and a setting for one of the most tragic events in Irish history, the siege and massacre... Read more

Perfectly positioned as a hub to explore the region north and south of the border, Dundalk—only 9½ km (6 miles) from Northern Ireland—is the main town of County Louth (Ireland's smallest... Read more

In the 9th century, a group of monks from Iona in Scotland took refuge at Kells (Ceanannus Mór) after being expelled by the Danes. St. Columba had founded a monastery here 300 years earlier, and... Read more

Horse breeding is the cornerstone of County Kildare's thriving economy, and Kildare Town is the place to come if you're crazy about horses. But, in addition to all things equine, Kildare boasts other stellar... Read more

Louth warrants a visit, if only for the splendidly preserved oratory here. St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, was reputed to have built his first church (which is no longer here) in this hilltop village... Read more

A few minutes south of the tiny Georgian town of Maynooth is the hamlet of Celbridge, official address to Ireland's largest country house, Castletown.... Read more

Ireland has more carved-stone High Crosses than any other European country, and an outstanding collection is in the small, secluded village of Monasterboice, a former monastic settlement.... Read more

The seat of County Kildare and a thriving market town in the heartland of Irish Thoroughbred country, Naas (pronounced nace), is full of pubs with high stools where short men (trainee jockeys) discuss the... Read more

Navan, at the crucial juncture of the Rivers Blackwater and Boyne, is a busy market and mining town with evidence of prehistoric settlements. It took off in the 12th century, when Hugh de Lacy, lord of... Read more

Expect to see no less than one of the most spectacular prehistoric tombs in Europe when you come to Newgrange. Built in the 4th millennium BC—which makes it roughly 1,000 years older than Stonehenge—Newgrange... Read more

One of the grandest estates and gardens in Ireland, Powerscourt is one of the main reasons that people head to Enniskerry, but just one among many. Within the shadow of famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, Enniskerry... Read more

At 800 feet above sea level, Roundwood is the highest village in Ireland. It's also surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. The Sunday afternoon market in the village hall, where cakes, jams, and other... Read more

Slane Castle is the draw at this small Georgian village, built in the 18th century around a crossroads on the north side of the River Boyne.... Read more

Its attractive location on the banks of the River Liffey, its unique butterfly farm, and the Kildare Hotel and Country Club—where Arnold Palmer designed the K Club, one of Ireland's most renowned... Read more

The heritage town of Trim, on the River Boyne, contains some of the finest medieval ruins in Ireland. In 1359, on the instructions of King Edward III, the town was walled and its fortifications were strengthened... Read more

At the entrance to the attractive, tree-lined Main Street of Wicklow Town sprawl the extensive ruins of a 13th-century Franciscan friary. Wicklow, from the Danish wyking alo, means "Viking meadow," testifying... Read more