Still the private residence of Henry Conyngham, Earl of Mountcharles, Slane Castle, 1km west of the town centre, is best known for its outdoor concerts with massive rock-royalty names: Bon Jovi, Eminem, U2, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Oasis have all performed over the years.
Guided tours include the neo-Gothic Ballroom, completed in 1821, and the Kings Room. Whiskey-tasting tours include tastings of Slane Castle Irish Whiskey; an on-site craft-whiskey distillery is scheduled for completion in 2016.
Built in the Gothic-revival style by James Wyatt in 1785, the building was later altered by Francis Johnson for George IV's visits to Lady Conyngham, allegedly his mistress. It's said the road between Dublin and Slane was built especially straight and smooth to speed up the smitten king's journeys. In 1991 the castle was gutted by a fire, whereupon it was discovered that the earl was underinsured. A major fundraising drive, of which the summer concerts were a part, led to a painstaking restoration.
