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In the many centuries before the building of the houses that we live in today, the Irish countryside was dotted with thousands of structures made of wood, earth and stone. Discover our ancient monuments in this feature by Dr. Peter Harbison.
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Christ Church Cathedral
Standing on high ground in the oldest part of the city, Christ Church cathedral is one of Dublin's finest historic buildings. It dates back to 1038 when Sitric, the then Danish king of Dublin, built the first wooden church here. In 1171 the original simple foundation was transformed into a cruciform stone church, though the present structure dates mainly from 1871 to 1878 when a huge restoration was undertaken. Only the transepts, the crypt, and a few other portions date from the medieval period.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
Dowth, Co. Meath
Dowth is one of the three principal tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex of passage-tombs (the others being Newgrange and Knowth). It is less developed as a tourist attraction than its neighbours, partly because the chamber is much lower, and partly because the decoration is poorer.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
Corcomroe Abbey
This well-preserved abbey is picturesquely sited among the grey hills of the Burren, Co. Clare. The abbey is noted for its detailed carvings and other rich ornamentation, which are not commonly found in structures from this period. It features a typical cruciform church facing east, with a small chapel in each transept.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
Charles Fort
Charles Fort near Kinsale, Co. Cork was constructed in the late 17th century on the site of an earlier coastal fortification. It is a classic example of a star-shaped fort and has five bastions. The two seaward bastions, the Devil's and the Charles' were for defending the harbour and both are casemated - that is, they have gun embrasures inside as well as on top of the walls.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
Roche Castle
Roche Castle, like its sister castle at Carlingford, were both built by the Anglo-Normans as part of the process of taming and colonizing north Louth in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Striking and powerful, it commands a pass northwards and affords wonderful views over the surrounding country.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
Carrick-on-Suir castle
This castle of the Butlers - Earls and later Dukes of Ormonde - stands above the Suir on the east side of Carrick. It was acquired in 1315, though the oldest part of the castle is a mid-fifteenth-century walled bawn with a tower house in each of its northern corners. There are few defensive features save for small firing-holes either side of the front door.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare is a fine example of a larger type tower-house in Ireland. This particular structure was built in 1425.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
Browneshill Dolmen
The Browne's Hill Dolmen is a portal tomb dating from c.3300 to 2900 B.C. It has a very large granite capstone measuring 4.7 metres x 6.1 metres x 2 metres. The capstone rests on two portal stones, a door stone and a prostrate slab. The massive capstone of this dolmen, estimated to weigh at least 100 tonnes, is one of the largest of its type in Europe.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
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- Borlase, William Copeland, The Dolmens of Ireland, their Distribution, Structural Characteristics, and Affinities in Other Countries; together with the folk-lore attaching to them and traditions of the Irish people, Volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, 1897
Borlase, William Copeland, The Dolmens of Ireland, their Distribution, Structural Characteristics, and Affinities in Other Countries; together with the folk-lore attaching to them and traditions of the Irish people, Volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, 1897
The Dolmens of Ireland, their Distribution, Structural Characteristics, and Affinities in Other Countries; together with the folk-lore attaching to them and traditions of the Irish people by the Liberal politician and antiquarian, William Copeland Borlase (1848-1899) was published in 1897 in three volumes.
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Dublin City Public Libraries
- Wakeman, W.F., A Survey of Antiquarian Remains On The Island Of Inismurray, London: William & Norgate, 1892
Wakeman, W.F., A Survey of Antiquarian Remains On The Island Of Inismurray, London: William & Norgate, 1892
A Survey of Antiquarian Remains On The Island Of Inismurray by William Frederirck Wakeman (1822-1900) first published 1893 is a study of the monastic ruins on the island of the uninhabited island of Inishmurrary off the coast of Co. Sligo. A monastic community now in ruins was established there by St. Molaise in the 6th century.
Sligo County Library
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