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3 Historical Places in Ireland with Interesting Backgrounds

Being the 3rd largest island worldwide, Ireland has many tourist attractions and a little something for everyone. However, if you’re a history nerd, you would probably prefer visiting places with an intriguing history on your next cultural tour to Ireland. Ireland has countless historical places, and the Irish language is one of the oldest languages worldwide.

Here are some places in Ireland with an exciting history. Visit them for a once-in-a-lifetime historical journey!

Reginald’s Tower

Reginald’s Tower in Waterford is Ireland’s oldest complete building. Moreover, it was the first building in history to include mortar during its construction. The residents of Waterford will have many interesting tales to tell about this building, which was the front line of defence in the city back in the day.

The ancient residents of Waterford have also used the building as a prison and a museum. Built in the 13th century, this building should be on every history buff’s bucket list.

Leap Castle

Love tales about ancient, haunted buildings? Your Leap Castle on your trip to Ireland. Located in Offaly, Leap Castle is one of Ireland’s most haunted locations. It was built in the 15th century, and the castle has witnessed some horrifying incidents since then. The castle got abandoned in 1922 when the Darby family moved out after the Irish rebellion.

However, Darby lost his grip on sanity while living in the castle, and it’s rumoured that his ghost still wanders around the castle. But he’s not alone! There’s the ghost of Thaddeus, a priest and the heir of the castle, killed by his brother. Moreover, the castle has an oubliette, where people once discovered hundreds of skeletons. These spooky details make Leap Castle one of Ireland’s most fascinating historical locations.

Glendalough

Looking for a historical place that allows you to relax? Explore Glendalough in the County Wicklow. In the early 6th century, St. Kevin founded a monastery at Glendalough as a place for peaceful religious rituals. Also known as the valley of two lakes, Glendalough is one of Ireland’s most popular tourist destinations.

The area has amazing scenery and lots of wildlife and offers a break from the city’s bustling life. But better than all these is the rich history of Glendalough. Most of the buildings in Glendalough were built in the 10th and 11th centuries, and these were later restored in the 18th century. Visit Glendalough to enjoy a peaceful and historically interesting getaway.

Do you want to explore these and other places in Ireland with a rich history? Try getting a cultural tour of Ireland with My Ireland Family Heritage. We are a team of government-certified genealogists and qualified tour guides conducting Irish ancestry and genealogy tours in Ireland.

In addition, our customised tours allow tourists to visit historical locations and even see the places where their ancestors lived. Reach out to us for a personalised historical tour in Ireland.

 

 

 

 

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Review of My Ireland Heritage Tours Presented on Trip adviser Oct 2024 By • Family TomBarron2013 New York City, NY2

Once in a lifetime experience

Oct 2024 • Family

We highly recommend My Ireland Heritage for anyone who wants to learn and be guided to their Irish “roots” and much, much more. Sean Quinn and Ian Darragh of My Ireland Family Heritage have deep knowledge or the areas we wanted to visit in Meath, Sligo and Kilkenny. While we knew about one side of the family history back to 1690, there was nothing known about the other that arrived in the US in the 1870s.

Ian, Sean, and Nicola did thorough research on our localities and locations from which our ancestors left for America in 1849 and later. In addition, Ian and Sean did separate day-long “recons” in advance of our time with them, seeking out local people and the specific properties with maps and whatever records still available. Their results were absolutely outstanding! In both our cases, they found and took us to our still-existing cottages and shops from the early 1820s.

It was so enjoyable to be with Ian for three days and for a special day with Sean. Whether it was the Newgrange World Heritage sites 5,500 years old , the Battle of the Boyne 1690 , or the local cemeteries and churches of our ancestors. Ian was especially attentive to my wife throughout the travels after she twisted her ankle in a rain-soaked old cemetery.

Throughout the process of trip preparation over months to giving us the final, wonderful books of Meath and Sligo, Aisling was highly professional and responsive with all the many details. The bound books she prepared are treasures! Thanks to all for truly exceptional experiences.

Newgrange World Unesco Site 5500 years old
Battle of the Boyne 1690 AD
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Entrance stone at Newgrange

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Review of My Ireland Heritage Tours Presented on Trip adviser by Shelley L @ sjlively

Exceptional in every way!

Over the last few months of preparing for our trip, every single detail was meticulously attended, not only professionally, but helpfully, and in such a friendly manner, that I felt as if I knew Sean, Aisling and Ian before I even stepped off the plane.

The amount of work these wonderful people put into our personal history is mindboggling. My mother was an avid amateur genealogist, and had worked for decades to bring to light the trail our family took, but our resources are limited.

Sean knows exactly where to look, and was able to fill in so many gaps that had eluded us for generations. Some of the information he found, unbeknownst even to him, actually solidified the findings we had amassed over the years. Ours was a family in coal mining – I only found on our tour that they had originated from a mining area, and their arrival on the  border coincided exactly with the decline in the mining industry in County Wicklow.

I would have been overjoyed simply with the knowledge of why they left when they did, about 12 years before the famine. Breaking through our brick wall of great grandparents even farther back on the family tree was a dream come true, but to be able to set foot on not only the area they lived, and find that the house is still there was overwhelming. Seeing the family church and cemetery where our ancestors and extended family still rest is a truly moving experience.

The care taken by this company in each and every aspect of the journey cannot be overstated. Only about 2 weeks prior to my trip, Sean contacted me to let me know that he had also stumbled across some of my husband’s family name in the process and included them as well in his research. How often can anyone say that they not only got what they paid for, but more than they ever imagined? I can say that. They were even kind enough to answer a few follow-up questions after my return home, as I was so stunned on my tour with Ian that I didn’t think ask at the time.If you have the opportunity to make the trip to Ireland, contact My Ireland Family Heritage before you go.

If your family was there, Sean will go above and beyond to find them. Even without family, contact them anyway. Ian is a walking encyclopedia of history, and so fun to talk to. Aisling will make sure every “I” is dotted, and every “T” is crossed.  Thank you so much for the trip of a lifetime, and the opportunity to pass on everything we have discovered to future generations

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