A Look at Leinster

Longford

While the bog lands of County Longford may not sound like a tourist pull, a discovery in 1984 in Corlea unveiled a piece of ancient architecture unique in Ireland. Boards of timber nailed into a giant walkway were found, preserved after having been buried beneath the bog for centuries. Now known as the Corlea Trackway, the roadway is constructed of timber which was felled in 148 BC and is the only remaining example of roads from Ireland’s Iron Age. Inside the Visitor Centre in Corlea is an 18-meter stretch of the original road.

Laois

To experience an authentic blend of centuries-old relics and the contemporary pulse of a thriving Irish town, Portlaoise  is the perfect spot. The Rock of Dunamase, set against the backdrop of the Slieve Bloom Mountains is just outside the town. The ruins which stand today were first built in the late 12th century and were restored and occupied by several different groups throughout Dunamase’s history. Portlaoise is also home to Dunamase Arts Centre, which features ongoing exhibitions and presents internationally known musical acts, and O’Moore Park stadium, which hosts many Football and hurling fixtures and has a capacity of 30,000.

Louth

The smallest of Ireland’s counties, the coastal county of Louth provides no shortage of heritage sites and is associated with a number of significant events in Irish history – the Battle of the Boyne, Blessed Oliver Plunkett, Cromwell’s Siege and the surrender of the Irish Chieftains, but one of the better kept secrets of the “Wee County” is the Knockabbey Castle and Gardens. The 30-acre site offers a walk through Ireland’s gardening history, with Victorian flower gardens, restored greenhouses, and a Tower House designed to tell the stories of the owners and tenants who have passed through Knockabbey since it was built in 1399.

Meath

County Meath, the “Royal County,” is home to some of the most important historic monuments in all of Ireland, including the Hill of Tara, once the seat of the High Kings, and the archaeological complex of Brú na Bóinne which is 5,000 years old and includes the burial sites of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. At the summit of the Hill of Tara lies an oval Iron Age enclosure known as the Fort of the Kings. Within are two linked enclosures, known as Cormac’s House and the Royal Seat. In the center of the latter is the Stone of Destiny, where legend holds the High Kings were crowned.  Newgrange, meanwhile, is a World Heritage Site, and one of the most important Neolithic chamber tombs in Europe, predating both the Great Pyramid in Egypt and Stonehenge. It was built in such a way that at dawn on the winter solstice each year, a beam of sunlight illuminates the chamber floor of the construction. No visit to Meath is complete without a visit to the village of Slane – the cradle of Irish Christianity where St. Patrick lit the paschal fire.

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Nster.com