Neolithic Sites of Ireland

Ireland is thought to have been inhabited from around 6000BC by people of a mid-Stone Age culture. And about 4,000 years later, tribes from Southern Europe arrived and established a high Neolithic culture. The best-known Neolithic sites in Ireland are the megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth in County  Meath. Both were built around 3200BC, making them older than Stonehenge in England, and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Explore the ancient history of Ireland at Neolithic sites. Here are just a few:

The Loughcrew Cairns
The Loughcrew Cairns, also known as the Hills of the Witch, are a group of Neolithic passage tombs dating to 3000 BC. The tombs are located on three different hills and Cairn T, one of the largest tombs in the complex, is situated on Cairnbane East. Inside this tomb lies a cruciform chamber, a corbelled roof and some of the most beautiful examples of Neolithic art in Ireland. During the Vernal and Autumn Equinox people gather at dawn in Cairn T to watch sunlight enter the chamber and illuminate the inside of the tomb.

Newgrange
Newgrange was constructed over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.), making it older than Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was built during the Neolithic or New Stone Age by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley. Knowth and Dowth are similar mounds that together with Newgrange have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Ceide Fields
Beneath the wild boglands of North Mayo lies the Céide Fields, the most extensive Stone Age monument in the world, consisting of field systems, dwelling areas and megalithic tombs. The stone walled fields, extending over thousands of acres are almost 6,000 years old, the oldest known in the world. They are covered by a natural blanket bog with it's own unique vegetation and wildlife. The Visitor Centre has won several awards, including the Gold Medal for architecture. It is located beside some of the most spectacular cliffs and rock formations in Ireland and a viewing platform is positioned on the edge of the 110m high cliff.

Dun Aonghasa
Perched spectacularly on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic ocean, this is the largest of the prehistoric stone forts of the Aran Islands. It is enclosed by three massive dry-stone walls and a "chevaux-de-frise" consisting of  tall blocks of limestone set vertically into the ground to deter attackers.

Rathcroghan
Hidden within the tranquil scenery of North Co. Roscommon is the Ancient Royal Site of Cruachan (Rathcroghan), a four square mile archaeological complex dating back over 5000 years. The literary home of Queen Meave, the Warrior Queen mentioned in the Ulster Cycle and the main protagonist in the story of the Táin Bó Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley), Rathcroghan is one of 5 ancient Provincial Royal sites dating back to the Iron Age and played a central part in the ancient history of Ireland.

Drombeg
This lovely recumbent stone circle is locally known as the Druid's Altar, and is located on the edge of a rocky terrace with fine views to the sea about a mile away. The word Drombeg means 'the small ridge'.

Kenmare
This circle lies in the town of Kenmare itself, not far from the Cromwell Bridge. Unlike any other ring in Muster, this one is egg-shaped, measuring 17.4 x 15.8m (56 x 49ft). Such shapes are unusual; their design could be a late geometrical development.

Dolmen of the Four Moals
Ballina is a lovely little town on the estuary of the Moy River. on a small hill near the railway station, lies the dolmen of the Four Maols. It is immediately beside the road and is signposted as a National Monument.

Kilcooney
On the east of the lane behind the Kilclooney church lies this magnificent site, composed by two dolmens within the remains of a 25m (82ft) long cairn.

Visit these Neolithic Sites in Ireland and more on your next self-drive tour of Ireland with Celtic Tours World Vacations.

The Traditional Aran Sweater

What trip to Ireland would be complete without browsing through an Irish Woollen Mills? At an Irish Woollen Mills, you find plenty of woolen products, a variety of knit styles and sometimes a load of over Irish products. With Celtic Tours, most of our Irish tours offer an optional shopping trip to an Irish Woollen Mills.

One of the most famous woolen products is the Aran sweater, which hails from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. Sometimes known as a fisherman sweater, the Aran sweater is bulky with prominent cable patterns. The sweaters are distinguishable by their complex textured stitch patterns, several of which are combined in the creation of a single sweater. Some stitch patterns have a traditional interpretation, often of religious significance. The honeycomb is a symbol of a hard-working bee, while the cable is said to bring safety and good luck when fishing. The diamond is a wish of success, wealth and treasure while the basket stitch represents the fisherman’s basket, a hope for a plentiful catch.The zig zag stitch represents the ups and downs of marriage as well as the twisting cliff paths that are on the islands.

Traditionally, the sweaters were hand-knitted with un-dyed, un-scoured cream-colored wool. The wools retained their natural oils which made the sweaters water-resistant, waking them wearable even when wet making them ideal for a fisherman. Up until the 1970’s, the Aran island women spun their own yarn on spinning wheels and hand-knitted the sweaters.

Today, the majority of items for sale in Ireland and elsewhere are either machine knit or produced on a hand loom. There are very few hand-knit sweaters for sale on a commercial basis. Machine-knit sweaters tend to use finer wools and have less complex patterns, since many of the traditional stitches cannot be reproduced this way. Hand-looming allows for more complicated stitches, will have fewer stitches to the inch and be somewhat thicker. It is often hard to tell the best quality hand-loomed sweater from the hand knit. Hand-knit sweaters tend to be a tighter knit, more complex stitch patterns and also much more expensive. You can tell the difference between the machine knit and the hand knit by holding it up to the light.

Visit a traditional Irish Woollen Mills on your next tour of Ireland. With Celtic Tours, most of our Irish tours offer an optional shopping trip to an Irish Woollen Mills.

Rugged Wonderland of County Galway

County Galway, a remarkable county with a truly unique atmosphere: the vibrancy of Galway City’s bright entertainment scene, the history and culture of Ireland’s largest Gaeltacht (Irish Speaking) region, the spectacular beauty of the diverse landscapes of the vast mountainous Connemara and the rich farming plains of Galway East. On top of all this, Galway has great beaches, soaring mountains, lovely villages, fabulous pubs and some of the friendliest people in Ireland.

Galway City
Galway City is an excellent walking city with pedestrian only streets. Galway is legendary around the world for its entertainment scene. Brightly painted pubs surge with live music on any given night, the winding cobblestone streets are filled with a frenzy of musicians and other street performers, known as buskers. Galway’s streets are steeped in history, yet have a contemporary vibe. The remains of the medieval town walls lie between trendy shops selling traditional Irish goods and more.

Connemara
Connemara, in the northwest of County Galway, West Ireland has scenery like that out of a fairy tale. Its mountains are a deep and rich color of green and when the clouds roll in it seems almost magical. Its barren windswept landscape is compelling and inspiring. The blanket bog covering the region houses some beautiful and varied flora. The ancient mountains have been raked to their bones by long thawed glaciers, leaving patches of grey granite and jutting outwards, and potato rows still visible from the desperate times of the Great Famine. The fields are divided by hand-made stone walls, often collapsed. Irish is widely spoken in Connemara, and is the native language of all the locals. And will appreciate if you tried to speak a little Irish to the locals, however they will not expect you to speak in Irish.

Sightseeing Highlights

Dun Aonghasa, Aran Islands
This dramatic stone fort is perched on a clifftop almost 300ft above sea level. It’s an extremely important, and vulnerable, archaeological site.

Kylemore Abbey & Gardens
Originally a Victorian-era castle, the Abbey now serves as home to the Benedictine nuns in Ireland. The gardens contain a magnificent 10,000 trees.


St Brendan’s Cathedral, Clonfert
St. Brendan’s is famed for its beautiful Romanesque doorway, which dates back to about 1200. The cathedral is on the site of St. Brendan’s monastery, which dates back to the sixth century.

Spiddal Craft and Design Centre
This center includes a number of workshops producing traditional Irish crafts including candles, leatherwork, pottery, woodwork, screenprinting and bodhráns.

Galway Crystal Factory
Galway Irish Crystal has long been one of the world's best known and loved brands of traditionally crafted Irish lead crystal. Nestled in the heart of the West of Ireland, on the shores of Galway Bay, Galway Irish Crystal is steeped in the rich and diverse heritage of this unique hinterland. Our Master Craftsmen are continuously inspired by the sheer beauty of the surrounding countryside - Connemara, Galway Bay and Lough Corrib - and influenced by the wealth of history and folklore which is synonymous with Galway, the famous City of the Tribes.

Take a trip into the rugged wonderland of County Galway for an experience of a lifetime.

Galway is a featured stop on a number of Celtic Tours Escorted Motorcoach Tours of Ireland. Learn more about Celtic Tours Escorted Motorcoach Tours

Aran Islands, Ireland

The rugged and barren landscapes of the Aran Islands, dotted with thatched roof stone cottages, Early Christian churches and ancient stone forts offer one of the best glimpses of the traditional Irish way of life. The everyday language of the Islanders is Gaelic, and their songs and stories illustrate and preserve much of Ireland’s folklore and culture.

Three islands: Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer, make up the legendary Aran Islands off the west coast of Galway. The rugged landscape made it tough for the islanders. However, they adapted themselves to the raw climatic conditions, developing a survival system of total self-sufficiency. Their methods included mixing layers of sand and seaweed on top of rocks to create fertile soil, a technique used to grow potatoes and other vegetables. The same seaweed method also provided grazing grass within stone-wall enclosures for cattle and sheep, which in turn provided wool and yarn to make hand-knitted goods for which they are famous for. The islanders also constructed unique boats made of laths and tarred canvas for fishing.

Many Irish saints had some connection with Aran: St. Brendan was blessed for his voyage there; Jarlath of Tuam, Finnian of Clonard, and St. Columba called it the "Sun of the West." Writers and artists alike have also been inspired by the landscape. Playwright JM Synge commemorates the island’s sturdy fisherfolk is “Riders to the Sea” and “The Aran Islands”. The life of this traditional Irish community has also been portrayed in the film “Man of Aran”.

Whether exploring the depths of the traditional Irish life, intrigued by early Christian structures, studying ancient stone fortresses or just looking for a bit of inspiration by the beautiful landscape; the Aran Islands are the perfect way to compliment your Irish vacation.