Tír na nÓg
Tír na nÓg is one of the names for a mysterious realm that An Tuatha Dé Danann fled to after the Milesian invasion. While many of them decided to go underground in the mounds and hills of Ireland, others moved to the island-dwelling of Tír na nÓg or ‘The land eternal youth’. Other […]
Trim
Trim or Baile Átha Troim in Irish, meaning ‘town at the ford of elderflowers’, is a heritage town in County Meath. It is situated on the River Boyne and has a population of 9,194. The town is famous for the medieval Trim Castle or ‘King John’s Castle’ – the largest Norman castle in Europe. It was built by Hugh […]
Tory Island
Tory Island or Toraigh in Irish, is an island 14.5 kilometres off the northwest coast of County Donegal. It is the most remote inhabited island in Ireland. The island is approximately five kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide, with a population of about 170 people. Its name means ‘place of steep rocky heights’. This Irish-speaking […]
Straits of Moyle
The Straits of Moyle or Sea of Moyle is the name given to the narrowest expanse of sea in the North Channel between north-eastern Northern Ireland (County Antrim) and the south-western highlands of Scotland. The narrowest part of the strait is between the Mull of Kintyre and Torr Head. The distance between the two shores […]
Loughrea
Loughrea, or Baile Locha Riach in Irish, is a thriving market town in County Galway. Its name means ‘town of the grey lake’, as it is situated on the northern shore of ‘the grey lake’. It has a population of about 5,600. The town was founded in 1236 by Richard de Burgo, an Anglo-Norman knight […]
Hill of the White Field
Following the Milesian invasion of Ireland, An Tuatha de Danann were forced to move to the mountains, hills and caves. The leaders of An Tuatha found safe places or ‘sidhe’ for their people to live. These ‘sidhe’ were areas of natural beauty, high in the hills and away from the Milesians. Lir was assigned ‘Sidhe […]
Emain Macha
Emain Macha, also known as Navan Fort, is an ancient ceremonial site found on a low hill about 2.6 km west of Armagh, Northern Ireland. The site consists of a large circular hilltop enclosure 250 metres in diameter, marked by a large bank and ditch encircling the hill. Archaeological investigations show that there were once buildings on the site, […]
The Hill of Uisneach
The Hill of Uisneach or Cnoc Uisnigh, is a low-lying sloping hill found just outside Mullingar in County Westmeath. Standing at just 596ft above sea level, its historical, archaeological, political, cultural, religious, mythological and geographical significance to Ireland is huge. It has long been regarded as the centre of Ireland with a large limestone boulder […]
Newgrange
Newgrange is one of Ireland’s most famous monuments. It sits majestically on a low rising hill overlooking the River Boyne close to Drogheda in County Meath. Newgrange was constructed in the Neolithic period about 5,200 years ago (3,200 B.C.), making it older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt. It is part of a complex […]
Lough na Súil
Lough na Súil, which means the ‘Lake of the eye’ is located between Geevagh and Riverstown in County Sligo. According to legend, it marks the spot where Balor’s ‘evil eye’ fell after he was killed during the second battle of Moytura. Lugh watched the battle unfold from a cairn overlooking the battlefield now known as […]
