A Slice of Irish History and Legend
The idea for this itinerary came to me after my annual trip to see family and friends in Ireland last September. I had visited some of the sites previously - Newgrange, Corlea Trackway, Kells, and Belvedere. I took the opportunity of mild weather to visit various sites in Counties Meath, Westmeath, Louth and Roscommon that spanned thousands of years of Irish history. From the Bronze Age megalithic sites at Rathcroghan to the medieval Old Mellifont Abbey to the Great Famine Museum at Strokestown House and the moving quiet of the Famine Graveyard outside Mullingar, (my home town and where my brother, Todd, still lives), I was stuck yet again by the remarkable span of history to be found across the Irish north Midlands and over the Shannon river.
As always, the dramatic nature of the backstories at each site, the knowledge of the expert docents in attendance, and how much each site spoke to a particularly interesting phase of Irish history moved me to imagine how I might combine these sites into an itinerary that would take you across 5,000 years of Irish history, and throw in a few legends along the way.
And so, below, I give you “A Slice of Irish History and Legend”, all to be seen in 9 days and within a few hours drive of Dublin, so you don’t have to spend too long in a tour bus!
Outbuilding at Belvedere House, Co. Westmeath
On Day 1 after arriving in Ireland in the wee hours - overnight flights from the US arrive at about 5 am local time, though it will feel like midnight, EST! - you will have personal time to recover at the hotel, and then spend the afternoon sightseeing in central Dublin. I will be happy to provide suggestions on local sights, shopping and maybe even a local pub or two mentioned in Ulysses!
We will spend all of Day 2 in Dublin, visiting Trinity College Dublin (https://www.tcd.ie/) and the Book of Kells exhibition (https://www.visittrinity.ie/book-of-kells-experience/) in the morning, and the National Museum of Ireland (https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Archaeology) in the afternoon. Trinity and the Book of Kells are a must-see in Dublin, and include an excellent exhibition on how the medieval monks made such beautiful illuminated manuscripts with natural products.
Day 3 will take us to County Meath to visit the medieval town of Kells - no, not where the book was written (that was likely on the island of Iona, off the coast of Scotland), but where it was kept for 650 years after being transported from Iona. In the afternoon, we will take a tour of the town to learn of its history going back at least 1500 years, and, indeed, into prehistory, and view remarkable monuments - a round tower, a high cross, and an 11th century stone oratory - dotted about the small town as if recently placed in a convenient location for tourists. We will use the Headford Arms Hotel in the center of the town as our base for a couple of days.
Paul on O’Connell Bridge, Dublin.
Paul on Sliabh na Caileach, Co. Meath
On Day 4 we will visit one of the most dramatic man-made structures in Ireland or even Europe: Newgrange megalithic tomb (https:// www.newgrange.com/; also, featured in a New York Times Travel article in 2026: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/20/travel/ireland-newgrange-ancient-passage-tombs-mounds.html). This 5,200-year old tomb…
In the afternoon we will visit Sliabh na Caileach, the witches hill (“sliabh”, anglicized to “Slieve”, means hill in Gaelic - https:// voicesfromthedawn.com/loughcrew/ ). For those up to it, there is a gentle climb to the 900-foot summit. From there, you will have a wonderful view across County Meath and an opportunity to examine the burial mound that is thought to be at least 5,400 years old, part of the Loughcrew complex of ancient graves in the area.
On the way back to Kells we will stop at the Spire of Lloyd Tower (https://www.discoverboynevalley.ie/boyne-valley-drive/heritage-sites/ spire-lloyd), an inland lighthouse built at the end of the 18th century on the site of an Iron or Bronze Age ring fort. It is also said that the army pf legendary Queen Maeve camped here on her way to steal the prize bull in the story The Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge - see below)
Day 5 will explore the excellent example of a 12th century Norman castle in the town of Trim - where parts of the movie Braveheart were filmed (even if it was about a Scottish rebel!).
In the afternoon we will visit the (historically) more peaceful Old Mellifont Abbey, the ruins of a 13th century Cistercian abbey in County Louth (https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/old-mellifont-cistercian-abbey-monastic-site/).
Paul at Gothic Folly at Belvedere House, Co. Westmeath
After breakfast on Day 6 we will depart Kells and travel approximately 40 miles to Belvedere House, on the shores of Lough Ennell in County Westmeath (https://belvedere-house.ie/). Belvedere is a stunning 18th century Georgian house with extensive gardens and the largest Gothic folly in Ireland (https://belvedere-house.ie/the-follies/).
After lunch, we will check in at nearby Bloomfield House Hotel (also on the shores of the lake).
In the afternoon you will have a choice of playing a round of golf at the adjoining Mullingar Golf Club, or visiting Corlea Ancient Trackway (https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/corlea-iron-age-roadway/), a 2,000-year old road discovered under the bog in nearby County Longford.
The next morning (Day 7), we head to Strokestown House and the associated National Famine Museum. (https://strokestownpark.ie/ national-famine-museum/). The museum is located in what were outbuildings and stables of the “Big House”. The contrast between the landlords Big House and the plight of the starving Irish tenants could not be more striking.
After lunch we will drive 20 miles west, crossing Shannon into County Roscommon, to visit Rathcroghan Visitor Centre (https:// www.rathcroghan.ie/) in the village of Tulsk. After reviewing the interpretative center, we will take to the fields to explore some of the over 240 archeological sites, including the legendary Owenyngat Cave (“the cave of the cats”), recorded by Christian scribes as a gate to the Otherworld. The area is the home of Queen Maeve, the legendary warrior queen of Connacht who launched the Cattle Raid of Cooley (the “Táin Bó Cúailnge”).
Corlea Trackway, Co. Longford
Strokestown House, Co. Roscommon
On the morning of Day 8, carrying on the theme of the Famine Museum, we will visit the small Famine Graveyard (https:// nationalfamineway.ie/mullingar-famine-graveyard/) outside Mullingar, a simple but moving testament to those who died in the nearby Mullingar Union Workhouse, perhaps some on their trek from Strokestown House.
Paul at Famine Graveyard, Co. Westmeath
Great Famine Museum, Co. Roscommon
We will then visit the village of Fore (https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/fore-abbey/) to see archeological sites including St Fechin’s Church (7th century), the Benedictine Priory (12th century) and the Anchorite’s (Hermit’s) Cell, a small tower and attached chapel, the latter being the crypt for the Nugent family of Clonyn Castle, Earls of Westmeath (not immediate relatives, as far as I know ;-)
Later in the afternoon we will return to Dublin (about 1-1.5 hour drive) to check in at our hotel.
Paul in front of GPO, Dublin.
Our last full day (Day 9) will be spent visiting the 1916 Rising Museum in the GPO (General Post Office, https://www.gpomuseum.ie/), ground zero for the events of Easter Week 1916 that set in motion the final push for Irish independence.
In the afternoon we will visit the EPIC Emigration Museum (https:// epicchq.com/) on the banks of the River Liffey. Here you will get a sense of the extent of emigration from Ireland over the past several hundred years, and better understand why 30-40 million Americans can claim some Irish ancestry.
In the evening we will celebrate our trip with a group dinner at the Trocadero Restaurant (https://www.irishtimes.com/food/restaurants/review/2025/03/27/trocadero-restaurant-review-a-timeless-classic-that-is-old-school-in-the-best-sense-2/), just off Grafton Street in the city center (and walking distance to our hotel).