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Craggaunowen
In woodland around 6km southeast of Quin, peaceful Craggaunowen includes recreated ancient Celtic farms, dwellings such as a crannóg (artificial island), a 5th-century ring fort, plus real artefacts including a 2000-year-old oak road. Craggaunowen Castle is a small, well-preserved
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King House Interpretive Centre
Sinister-looking dummies tell the turbulent history of the Connaught kings, the town of Boyle and the King family, including a grim tale of tenant eviction during the Famine. Kids can try on replica Irish cloaks, breeches and leather shoes, write with a quill and build a vaulted ce
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Dunfanaghy Workhouse
This prominent stone building on the western edge of town was once the local workhouse, built to keep and employ the destitute. Conditions were horrible. Men, women, children and the sick were segregated and their lives were dominated by gruelling work. The building is now a herita
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Salmon Weir
Upstream from Salmon Weir Bridge, which crosses the River Corrib just east of Galway Cathedral, the river cascades down the great weir, one of its final descents before reaching Galway Bay. The weir controls the water levels above it, and when the salmon are running you can often s
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Deer Stone
At the junction with Green Rd as you cross the river just south of these two churches is the Deer Stone in the middle of a group of rocks. Legend claims that, when St Kevin needed milk for two orphaned babies, a doe stood here waiting to be milked. The stone is actually a bullaun (
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Famine Warhouse
A relic of one of Irelands darkest chapters, the Famine Warhouse sits seemingly benignly today amid typical farmland near Ballingarry. During the 1848 rebellion, rebels led by William Smith OBrien besieged police who had barricaded themselves inside and taken children hostage. Poli
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Inisfallen
The first monastery on Inisfallen (the largest of the lakes islands) was founded by St Finian the Leper in the 7th century. The extensive ruins of a 12th-century Augustinian priory and an oratory with a carved Romanesque doorway stand on the site of St Finians original. You can hir
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Eyre Square
Galways central public square is busy in all but the harshest weather. A welcome open green space with sculptures and pathways, its lawns are formally named Kennedy Park in commemoration of JFKs visit to Galway, though locals always call it Eyre Square. Guarding the upper side of t
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Killruddery House & Gardens
About 3km south of Bray on the Greystones road are Killruddery House & Gardens . A stunning mansion in the Elizabethan Revival style, Killruddery has been home to the Brabazon family (earls of Meath) since 1618 and has one of the oldest gardens in Ireland. The house, designed b
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National Leprechaun Museum
Ostensibly designed as a child-friendly museum of Irish folklore, this is really a romper-room for kids sprinkled with bits of fairy tale. Which is no bad thing, even if the picture of the leprechaun painted here is more Lucky Charms and Walt Disney than sinister creature of pre-Ch
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Berkeley Library
To one side of the Old Library is Paul Koralek’s 1967 Berkeley Library . This solid, square, brutalist- style building has been hailed as the best example of modern architecture in Ireland, though it has to be admitted the competition isn’t great. It’s fronted by Arnaldo Pomodoro’s
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Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) Gallagher Gallery
This large, well-lit gallery at the end of a serene Georgian street has a grand name to fit its exalted reputation as one of the most prestigious exhibition spaces for modern and contemporary art in Ireland – although its worked hard to shrug off a reputation for being a little dow
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Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve
The valley of the River Glengarriff, to the northwest of Glengarriff, was once the private estate of the Earl of Bantry. As such its ancient oak woodland has survived, the thick tree cover maintaining humid conditions, which allow ferns and mosses to flourish. The reserve is rich i
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National Print Museum
You don’t have to be into printing to enjoy this quirky little museum, where personalised guided tours are offered in a delightfully casual and compelling way. A video looks at the history of printing in Ireland and then you wander through the various (still working) antique presse
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Mitchelstown Caves
While the Galtee Mountains are mainly sandstone, a narrow band of limestone along their southern side has given rise to the Mitchelstown Caves. Superior to Kilkennys Dunmore Cave and yet less developed for tourists, these caves are among the most extensive in the country with nearl
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Cliffs of Moher
One of Irelands most famous sights, the Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mothair, or Ailltreacha Mothair) rise to a height of 214m (702ft). They are entirely vertical and the cliff edge is abrupt. Where access is permitted theres a protecting wall. On a clear day the views are tremendous
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Spire
The citys most visible landmark soars over OConnell St and is an impressive bit of architectural engineering that was erected in 2001: from a base only 3m in diameter, it soars more than 120m into the sky and tapers into a 15cm-wide beam of light…its tall and shiny and it does the
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Hall of the Vicars Choral
The entrance to the Rock of Cashel is through this 15th-century building, once home to the male choristers who sang in the cathedral. It houses the ticket office. The exhibits in the adjoining undercroft include some very rare silverware, Bronze Age axes and St Patricks Cross – an
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Dublin Zoo
Established in 1831, the 28-hectare Dublin Zoo just north of the Hollow is one of the oldest in the world. It is well known for its lion-breeding program, which dates back to 1857, and includes among its offspring the lion that roars at the start of MGM films. Youll see these tough
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Jeanie Johnston
One of the citys most original tourist attractions is an exact working replica of a 19th-century coffin ship, as the sailing boats that transported starving emigrants away from Ireland during the Famine were gruesomely known. A small on-board museum details the harrowing plight of
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