Ireland’s top ten free tourist attractions - PHOTOS

New heritage initiative sees doors open for free

Nowadays these richly decorated rooms are used by the Irish Government for official engagements including policy launches, hosting of State Visit ceremonial, and the inauguration of the President every seven years.

5. Patrick Pearse Cottage, County Galway

This small restored cottage overlooking the lakes and mountains of Connemara was used by Patrick Pearse (1879-1916) leader of the 1916 Rising, as a summer residence and summer school for his pupils from St Endas, in Dublin.

The interior, although burned during the War of Independence, has been reconstructed and contains an exhibition.

6. Dunmore Cave, County Kilkenny

Dunmore Cave is a limestone cave in Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny. The cave is particularly well known for its rich archeological discoveries and for being the site of a Viking massacre in 928. It contains almost a quarter of a mile of passages and at its deepest point is 150 foot below the surface. The beauty and magic of its calcite formations as well as its scientific and historical interest make it one of Ireland's most fascinating caves.

7. Ross Castle, County Kerry

Ross Castle is is located on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park. It is considered a typical example of the stronghold of an Irish Chieftain during the Middle Ages. The date of its foundation is uncertain but it was probably built in the late 15th century by one of the O'Donoghue Ross chieftains.

PHOTOS - Ireland’s top ten free heritage sites photo gallery

8. Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, County Sligo

Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery is one of the four major passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland. It is located at the centre of a prehistoric landscape on the Cúil Irra Peninsula in County Sligo in Ireland.

Around 30 megalithic tombs can be seen in Carrowmore today. The tombs (in their original state) were almost universally 'dolmen circles'; small dolmens each enclosed by a boulder ring of 12 to 15 meters.

9. John F Kennedy Arboretum, County Wexford

Dedicated to the memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States from 1960 to 1963, the Arboretum is a plant collection of international standing. It covers 252 hectares (623 acres) on the southern slopes and summit of Slievecoiltia and contains 4,500 types of trees and shrubs from all temperate regions of the world, planted in botanical sequence.

10. Desmond Castle, County Cork

The castle was built as the Customs House for Kinsale about the year 1500 by Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond. It was used as a Customs House until 1641 when it was converted into a naval prison, following the construction of a new Customs House. The prisoners kept in the Castle were in the main French and Spanish, and the building became known locally as the "French Prison" as a result.

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