I'm planning a trip in early May with three friends. We wanted to see some standing stones or other places of interest but we only have one week. Planning to fly into Dublin (will find some B&B's etc but that's another thread, I think.) Thanks for any help!
Stirling
Wanted to also apologize for the broadness of the question. This is my first time posting to the Ireland branch and with my experience from the India and Tibet forum questions, I know how awful it is when a newbie posts a "where should I go" question.
If it helps, the one idea I've had so far is that there is a "Ring of Kerry" where one could find standing stones. It looks interesting, so maybe we will head in that direction.
Thanks again for any feedback.
Head north of Dublin, to the Royal County, Co. Meath. Just a few minutes up the N2 or N3 on the weekend, or an hour or so mid-week. It's home to Trim Castle, Hill of Tara, Kells, the Boyne Valley and River (home of the Battle of the Boyne- a fight between Irish Catholics led by James II a Scot and English Protestants led by a Dutchy, William of Orange) and the scared burial places of theBru na Boinne. Older than Stonehenge, Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth arethe burial places of ancient royalty.
Trim Castle is famous for being the movie set for Braveheart and its proximity to the Hill of Tara, a place at the heart of Irish folklore and legend, it was home of the high preiests and later a burial ground for high kings. Kells was the home of the book of Kells, until they moved it to Trinity College Dublin. You can see a replica of it better in Kells,without the hundreds of other tourists, but other than curhces and round towers there is not much else to see. Definately do a day trip to Bru na Boinne and do some reading before hand about the ancient history of the area as well as the not so ancient. The border counties were a hot bed of activity during the troubles, and while it is hard to get the locals talking about it, they have been going in for centuries now. Nearby Slane has a nice castle and a good hostel.
In the middle of all this great stuff is the raging metropolis of Navan. If you can avoid it, do, but otherwise there is a very funky chocolate shop with great coffee (rare in Ireland) in Metges Lane just off Market Square.
In addition to Nick's suggestions, I found ruined monastery at Glendalough also a wonderful sight.
Stirling ,
Try the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery in Sligo the north west of Ireland, it is about 5km from Sligo town. Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland and is also among the country's oldest, with monuments ranging from five and a half thousand to six and a half thousand years old. Archaeologists have recorded over 60 tombs of which 30 are visible. A restored cottage houses an exhibition relating to the site.
Enjoy!
Stirling - you asked about Dublin (and other places), so here's some info relevant to Dublin. In Ireland there are two type of sites with Megalithic remains (both of which are generally managed by the Office of Public Works) - those which are staffed/maintained and those which are not, but which are usually accessible. Mention has been made of the former at Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth where an admission fee is charged. They are north of Dublin and perhaps advisable to do when arriving/leaving Dublin airport.
IN the Dublin hills, and requiring some walking and navigation skills, is Ballyedmonduff passage grave, not too far from Enniskerry (Co. Wicklow) but still in south country Dublin. There is a wedge tomb at Kilmashogue, near Rathfarnham, Dublin in south Dublin.
There are standing stones in Co. Kerry - you need a hire car and a good Ordance Survey map to track these. SOme are just in the middle of a field and it is very exciting to trudge across the mud to see something which has been there for 1000s of years but which nobody really bothers about now!
A good reference book is
Peter Harbison, Guide to National and Historic Monuments of ireland (1970, 75, 92) and available in paperback.
Check the Ordance Survey site for maps.
Happy hunting!
If you are especially interested in sacred sites, I highly recommend this book. It includes good maps and directions (with GPS) for finding places mentioned:
Temples of Stone, Carleton Jones, The Collins Press. Nov 2007.
D
I don't have much time on the internet anymore, so I just got back on. Thank you, everybody, for the great suggestions - and the book sounds like it will also help.
I guess I have to go do some more research now and follow up all these leads. Thanks again - and I'll post the itinerary when I'm done. Maybe it'll help someone else.