An A-Z of Things to See in Ireland : Glens…and The Greenway
If you are wanting to sample some of Ireland’s beautiful scenery and countryside then you need to take a walk through a glen. In my A-Z of things to See in Ireland G stands for Glen. These narrow valleys are common in ‘drumlin’ country where ice sheets carved out these valleys surrounded by distinctive whale shaped hills. In Leitrim you are spoiled for choice since there are seven glens of Leitrim.
North Leitrim is probably the best place for walking and seeing glens. As well as the glens there are also lakes and waterfalls. These glens centre around the town of Manorhamilton, a pleasant place of around 2,000 souls that supports a community centre, Scuplture Centre and theatre venue The Glens Centre. A vibrant artistic community has clustered around this town. There is also a weekly Farmers Market at the Bee Park where the many organic growers, inspired by the local Organic Centre, sell their produce.
Glens, apart from being very beautiful things to see in Ireland, also offer the possibility of walks and leisurely driving tours along the byways of Ireland. The Holey Soles Walking Group, based in Manorhamilton, runs a hillwalking weekend each year, usually over the Easter weekend. The allows visitors to have skilled local guides to take groups and access private land usually out of bounds to the casual tourist.
An A-Z of Things to See in Ireland : Cathedrals, Castles and the Cavan Burren
We are spoiled for choice when we come to the letter C in my A-Z of things to see in Ireland. So this is a bit of a whistle stop tour to whet your interest about all things beginning with C to see in Ireland!
Many visitors arrive in the country through Dublin’s airport or ferry port. So if you would like to get your cathedral fix from the off there are two significant cathedrals to visit in Dublin. There is the Dublin Pro Cathedral and Christchurch. A cathedral has been on Christchurch’s site since 1028 and the current cathedral has many medieval flourishes but was last renovated by the Victorians. The bells chime out the hour. The Roman Catholic archbishopric is at St. Mary’s, also known as Dublin Pro Cathedral.
But if you are seriously into cathedrals you should probably visit the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – Armagh. The Church of Ireland St. Patrick’s Cathedral claims to have the remains of Irish hero Brian Boru buried on the site. It also hosts the Centre for Celtic Spirituality. Over on one of the other seven hills of Armagh is the Roman Catholic St. Patrick’s Cathedral which was built in the 19th Century and whose distinctive spire soars over the city landscape.
Swiftly moving onto castles you need to discern between castles that are now hotels and castle ruins. Personally, I am very enamoured of ruins and you are spoiled for choice. In the far southwest in Castletownbere on Cork’s Beara Peninsula there is Dunboy Castle and the Puxley Mansion. The Puxley Mansion counts as the ruin and Daphne DuMaurier is said to have based her novel Hungry Hill on the Puxley estate. Dunboy Castle, on the other hand, is now a castle hotel.
Castle grounds have also become popular sites for rock festivals and other pageants. The natural amphitheatre at Slane Castle has made it a popular venue for many rock groups to perform with the Kings of Leon being the 2011 act for the 30th anniversary of concerts. Markree Castle in Sligo also hosts summer concerts. Castle hotels often are venues for weddings. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills chose Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Monaghan for their nuptials.
But some of my favourite castle ruins are farther north. Castle Oughter in the Cavan Lakelands even stood up a barrage from Cromwell but the hammering was the beginning of its fall into ruin. Or you could visit Parkes Castle in Leitrim. This is close to Dromahair which was the seat of the O’Rourke Clan. From Parkes Castle, part of Yeats’ Country, you also get a great view of the Isle of Innisfree which Yeats immortalised in his poem.
The last C on my A-Z of things to see in Ireland is the Cavan Burren. Burren is Irish for a stony place and the limestone landscape of the Cavan Burren Forrest is full of many ancient artefacts. This is not to be confused with the Burren in County Clare. Both are of geological significance to the Irish natural heritage. While the Clare Burren has been much visited, the Cavan Burren is a hidden gem full of megaliths, dolmens, a cashel, lime kilns, sweathouses and much more. The Cavan Burren Forest is part of the UNESCO designated Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, which was the first international geopark since it spans Cavan in the Republic of Ireland and also crosses the border into Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.
An A-Z of Things to See in Ireland – Beaches
Ireland is an island nation fringed by beautiful beaches. When I drafted this personal A-Z of Things to See in Ireland B just had to be for beach. Ireland’s beaches vary from the sunny white strands of the Celtic Sea, the ferry ports on the Irish Sea, and the rugged and varied beaches that face the Atlantic Ocean. It would be very difficult indeed to pass by a beach on a list of things to see in Ireland. With so many hundred of miles of coastline there can never be a definitive list of beaches in my A-Z of Things to See in Ireland.
An A-Z of Things to See in Ireland: Ancient Sites
It’s a rare visitor to Ireland who does not have Ancient Sites on their wish list of things to see in Ireland. While the Big Name is Brú na Boínne (Newgrange), a World Heritage Site, there are many other Ancient Sites around Ireland to visit.
Newgrange is of especial interest as the winter solstice dawn illuminates the chamber each year. Tickets to be admitted to the chamber are dispersed by lottery and people can wait many years to see this magical event.
Lesser known but of as much archaeological and heritage significance are Carrowmore and Carrowkeel in County Sligo. Carrowmore, in the shadow of Queen Maeve’s Cairn on Knocknarea, has passage tombs just as Newgrange, which date from 4000-3500 BCE. Unlike Newgrange, Carrowmore is aligned to both the north star and the summer solstice alignment. In this ancient site complex close to Sligo town you will find many dolmens, stone circles, chambered cairns and other revenants of ancient Ireland.
Just north of Sligo Town in Cliffoney there is a very good example of a court tomb. Creevykeel is 6000 years old and one of the largest court tombs extant in Ireland. There is also evidence of an Iron Age smelting pit at this ancient site.
South of Sligo Town in the Bricklieve Mountains is Carrowkeel. Apart from the chambered cairns, it is near to Moytura where the legendary race of Fairy Folk, the Tuatha de Danaan were defeated in a battle that drove them into the underworld. On clear days spectacular views of the surrounding landscape spread before you. Because of the limestone landscape there are many fossils that keen geology students will notice.
The Cavan Burren Forest includes both megalithic and neolithic ancient sites within the 200 plus acreage of forestry owned by the Irish Forestry Commission, Coillte. This ancient site is located in West Cavan near the village of Blacklion and is about a hour’s drive east of Sligo Town. This ancient site is also close by the Shannon Pot, where the River Shannon, the longest river in the British Isles, rises from underground caverns in county Fermanagh under the international boundary to surface in County Cavan.
There is a small, superb stone circle at Drumskinny in County Fermanagh. Northern Ireland also has its fair share of ancient sites especially those of relevance to the early Celtic Christian church.
As you can see this is not an exhaustive list of potential ancient sites to visit but it does includes some of those of most archaeological and heritage significance.
An A-Z of Things to See in Ireland
Finding things to see in Ireland is easy as ABC. Here is a list drawing on thirty years experience of traveling in Ireland and ten years living here. Be assured there is no shortage of things to see in Ireland when you plan an itinerary.
A is for Ancient Sites
B is for Beaches
C is for Castles, Cathedrals and the Cavan Burren
D is for Dolmens
E is for Ecotourism Destinations
F is for Fleadhs and for Fairies
G is for Glens of Leitrim and the Greenway
H is for Holy Wells
I is for Islands
J is for James Joyce Celebrations
K is for the Kingfisher Trail
L is for Literary Festivals, Lacemaking and Loughs
M is for Marble Arch Caves and Music Summer Schools
N is for Neolithic Ireland
O is for Organic Ireland
P is for Pottery, St. Patrick’s Day Parades and Poetry Festivals
Q is for Quaker Pots
R is for Rock Art
S is for Stone Circles, Sculpture and Seaweed Baths
T is for Theatre
U is for the Ulster American Folk Park
V is for the Vale of Avoca
W is for long distance Walking Paths
X is for that X Factor - the spot to mark on the map where you suddenly turned left and happened upon that hidden gem not in the guide book as one of the things to see in Ireland.
Y is for Yeats Country
Zzzzzzzz will remind you to see that you get a sound sleep after a day spent on all these things to see in Ireland
Let Irish Blessings Tours create a tailored itinerary from you wish list of things to see and do in Ireland. Having traveled around Ireland for thirty years, Bee has the expertise and knowledge to match your dreams to your budget. A trained tour guide Bee is available to escort your group for an entire tour or to spend a day or two on a particular loop of your trip.
Contact Bee with your wish list – bee@irishblessingstours.com
Seven Things To See in Ireland
It’s important when planning your dream trip to Ireland to make a list of things to see in Ireland. While personal research and preferences need to be taken into account, local knowledge can also be critical. So, as a friend once told me, do have your itinerary to hand but also if you get a nudge from the fairies to turn left, just do it! Over a series of articles I’ll guide you to some essential Ireland attractions. While you may want to concentrate on a particular region it’s important to have a broad category of things to see in Ireland and then find out how many may be found in the area you want to visit.
Having lived here in Ireland for a decade and spent thirty years traveling around Ireland I have to confess that this is a personal list of not to be missed things in Ireland.
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