Ireland’s Celtic heritage is written across the landscape in stone — from the mysterious passage tomb of Newgrange (older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids, aligned perfectly with the winter solstice sunrise) to the windswept ring forts of the Dingle Peninsula, the high crosses of Monasterboice, and the rocky outcrop of the Rock of Cashel, where St. Patrick is said to have converted the King of Munster to Christianity using a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Ireland’s Celtic past is not a museum piece — it lives on in the Irish language (Gaeilge), in the traditional music sessions that still erupt spontaneously in pubs from Donegal to Dingle, and in a landscape that is so dense with archaeological sites (over 40,000 recorded monuments in a country of 5 million people) that you are rarely more than a few kilometres from a stone circle, a ring fort, or a megalithic tomb.
Quick Facts: Celtic Sites in Ireland
- Best time to visit: May–September for the best weather and longest days to explore outdoor sites; the winter solstice at Newgrange (December 21) — access to the chamber is by lottery (thousands apply for ~50 places)
- Key sites: Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth — UNESCO, the greatest concentration of megalithic art in Europe); the Rock of Cashel (the most spectacularly sited ecclesiastical site in Ireland); the Hill of Tara (the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland); the Aran Islands (Dún Aonghasa — a stone fort perched on the edge of a 100-metre cliff); and the Dingle Peninsula (some of the densest concentration of Celtic archaeological remains in Ireland, including the Gallarus Oratory)
- How to get there: Many sites are clustered in the Boyne Valley (Newgrange, Tara) — ~45 minutes from Dublin by car; the Rock of Cashel is ~2 hours from Dublin; the Dingle Peninsula is ~4 hours from Dublin — a car is essential for exploring Ireland’s Celtic landscape
The Top 10 European Ski Resorts
Europe remains a key continent for ski enthusiasts, with a proliferation of resorts. It’s fair to say that new resorts are being opened at regular intervals, although the quality of those destinations can vary somewhat. I enjoy a variety of winter sports and have been fortunate enough to visit a number of leading resorts. Here […]
