Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow's most visited attraction is this magnificent 64-sq-km estate, whose main entrance is 500m south of Enniskerry. At the heart of it is an elegant…
Must-see attractions in Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Glendalough
Nestled between two lakes, haunting Glendalough (Gleann dá Loch, meaning 'Valley of the Two Lakes') is one of the most significant monastic sites in…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Magnificent Castletown House is Ireland’s single-most imposing Georgian estate, and a testament to the vast wealth enjoyed by the Anglo-Irish gentry…
Bray
A stunning mansion in the Elizabethan Revival style, Killruddery has been home to the Brabazon family (the earls of Meath) since 1618 and has one of the…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
The Irish National Stud, 1.5km south of town, is the big attraction in Kildare – visitors have included Queen Elizabeth II. Owned and managed by the Irish…
Vale of Avoca
Engaging hour-long tours at this craft brewery guide you through the brewing process, from milling local grains to mashing, whirlpooling, fermenting,…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Housed within the ruins of a 13th-century abbey, the unusually tall and slender Moone High Cross – Ireland's second-highest, at 5.3m – is a masterpiece…
County Wicklow
Magnificent Russborough House is one of Ireland's finest stately homes, a Palladian palace built for Joseph Leeson (1705–83), later the first Earl of…
County Wicklow
This fine Palladian mansion was the birthplace and Irish headquarters of Charles Stewart Parnell (1846–91), the 'uncrowned king of Ireland' and one of the…
County Wicklow
Wicklow's infamous jail was notorious throughout Ireland for the brutality of its keepers and the harsh conditions suffered by its inmates. The smells,…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Part of NUI Maynooth, and turning out Catholic priests since 1795, St Patrick's College & Seminary is Ireland's second-oldest university (after Trinity…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
The solid presence of 13th-century St Brigid's Cathedral looms over Kildare's Market Sq. Look out for a fine stained-glass window that depicts Ireland's…
Wicklow Mountains
Desolate and utterly deserted, the Glenmacnass Valley, a stretch of wild bogland between the Sally Gap crossroads and Laragh, is one of the most beautiful…
Wicklow Mountains
On the southern edge of the Powerscourt Estate, 6km south of Powerscourt House, is this picturesque waterfall. At 121m it's the highest in Ireland (though…
County Wicklow
Wicklow's nickname, 'the Garden of Ireland', is justified by green idylls such as the 8-hectare Mt Usher Gardens, just outside the unremarkable town of…
Lullymore Heritage & Discovery Park
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Developed on an area of cutaway bog, where peat has been extracted for commercial purposes, this award-winning, family-oriented park offers a huge range…
County Wicklow
Founded by Cistercian monks in 1148 and inhabited for nearly four centuries, this 56m-long, now-ruined abbey incorporates both Cistercian and Irish…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Run by the nonprofit Irish Peatland Conservation Council, this interpretive centre celebrates the amazing biodiversity of Ireland's bogs, and traces the…
Wicklow Mountains
Finding your way out of this 2m-high Celtic hedge maze is harder than it looks. Watch others attempt it from the viewing tower; there's also a hedgeless,…
Glendalough
Glendalough's trademark is St Kevin's Kitchen or Church, at the southern edge of the monastic site. This compact structure, with a miniature round-tower…
Wicklow Mountains
At the head of the Glencree Valley, this cemetery is dedicated to the 134 German servicemen who died in Ireland during WWI and particularly WWII. Many of…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Founded in 1934, Newbridge Silverware produces and sells vast quantities of silver jewellery, silver-plated cutlery, homewares and engravable gift items…
Glendalough
The considerable remains of Reefert Church sit above the tiny River Poulanass, south of the Upper Lake car park. It's a small, plain, 11th-century…
Oughterard Round Tower & Cemetery
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
The 10m-tall stump of an 8th-century round tower marks this ancient Christian site, 7km southeast of Straffan. Its name in Irish means 'high place', and…
Wicklow Mountains
At 503m it's nowhere near Wicklow's highest summit, but the Great Sugarloaf is one of the most distinctive hills in Ireland, its conical peak visible for…
Bray
Along Bray's seafront promenade, this kids' walking trail links up five brightly coloured murals created by children's author and illustrator Chris Judge…
National Science & Ecclesiology Museum
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Father Nicholas Callan (1799–1864), Professor of Natural Philosophy at St Patrick's College in the mid-19th century, was a pioneer of research into…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Rising 7m high, this 9-ton granite standing stone is Ireland's tallest. Thought to date back to 2000 BC, it's one of a group that makes up a stone circle…
County Wicklow
One of Ireland's rarest ceremonial monuments, this Neolithic stone circle is believed to date from 2500 BC. Its 29 upright stones form a circle 30m in…
Bray
Resident marine creatures at the only aquarium on Ireland's east coast include sharks, rays, eels, tropical and cold-water fish, piranhas, octopuses,…
Steam Museum & Lodge Park Walled Garden
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
The history of steam power and its role in the development of industry is told at this museum, housed in a former church. Along with various models, there…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Housed inside the Newbridge Silverware showroom, beneath a sparkle of glitter balls, is this unexpected display of star-studded memorabilia. There are…
County Wicklow
Surrounding the ruins of an 18th-century mansion are these ornamental gardens, originally laid out in 1712 and replanted in the 19th century to reflect…
Parnell National Memorial Park
County Wicklow
In the village centre, this beautiful park with ponds, sculptures and winding paths has a bronze statue of Rathdrum-born Irish nationalist hero Charles…
Cathedral of St Peter & St Paul
Glendalough
The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, just southeast of the Round Tower at the Glendalough monastic site, has a 10th-century nave; the chancel and…
Glendalough
The visitor centre beside the Glendalough monastic site has a high-quality 20-minute audiovisual presentation called Ireland of the Monasteries.
Glendalough
The 10th-century Round Tower at the Glendalough monastic site is 33m tall and 16m in circumference at the base. The upper storeys and conical roof were…
Glendalough
At the junction with Green Rd as you cross the river just south of the Glendalough monastic site is the Deer Stone, set in the middle of a group of rocks…
Counties Wicklow & Kildare
Castledermot village was once home to a vast ecclesiastical settlement, but all that remains of St Diarmuid's 9th-century monastery is a 20m round tower…
County Wicklow
The white letters spelling out 'Hollywood' on the hillside might be smaller than their California counterpart (1.8m as opposed to 13.7m), and newer (2011…
