20 Attractions to Explore Near Tayto Park

A majestic wooden roller coaster located at Tayto Park in Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland. Manufactured by The Gravity Group, the wooden coaster features an overbanked turn and opened on 6 June 2015. With the figure of Ireland’s greatest mythological warrior emblazoned across the front of the rollercoaster, Cú Chulainn leads his passengers through an epic and thrilling experience like no other.

Skryne Castle is a 3-storey, 12th-century structure, located in lush countryside and just a short distance from the legendary Hill of Tara. The castle is currently available to rent on a self-catering basis. The building is also said to be haunted by the ghost of a nun who disappears silently when spotted, and a tall man and his hunting hound were rumoured to walk the grounds too, although they have not been seen in recent times.

Killeen Castle is one of only two Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses in Ireland. The course measures over 7,700 yards from the back tees. The substantial investment in the drainage at the time of construction has given a course that is payable 365 days a year. Killeen Castle Golf Club offers the ultimate championship golfing experience.

This is an Elizabethan castle now in ruins, located near Duleek in County Meath. It was constructed by William Bathe in 1590 and was then rebuilt in 1830. The castle was abandoned in the 1950s and is now in a sorry state of repair. It is claimed that King James II once owned the castle and that he stayed there in 1690 when en route to the Battle of the Boyne. Some say that his ghost returns to the castle on occasions and appears dumbfounded.

Dunsany Castle is situated on an estate that comprises of marsh, wood and farmland with the River Boyne running along the back of the land. It is located in the village of Dunshaughlin, 6 miles from Trim. It is a grey stone castle built over 4 floors with four crenellated main towers. The castle is surrounded by a protective wall and has three entrances one with a gatehouse lodge and stewards house.

This was once the ancient seat of power in Ireland – 142 kings are said to have reigned there in prehistoric and historic times. As Christianity achieved dominance over the following centuries, Tara’s importance became symbolic. Its halls and palaces have now disappeared and only earthworks remain. Tara forms part of a larger ancient landscape and Tara itself is a protected national monument under the care of the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Irish Government.

The Lia Fáil is a stone at the Inauguration Mound on the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland. It is also known as the Coronation Stone of Tara. According to legend, all of the kings of Ireland were crowned on the stone up to Muirchertach mac Ercae, c. AD 500.

Four Knocks is a Passage Chamber Tomb built about 5000 years ago. It is located 10 miles southeast of Newgrange between Ardcath in County Meath and the Naul in County Dublin. It has a short passage leading into a wide pear shaped chamber with three smaller offset chambers. The original roof was probably a wooden structure supported by a central pole. The name Fourknocks may be from the Irish Fuair Cnocs meaning Cold Hills.

The farm is a family run mixed farm with Tillage, Sheep, Poultry, Donkeys, Goats, Pigs and Rabbits set in the open countryside of the Boyne Valley near the village of Donore. With fantastic facilities and opportunities nearby, it serves as heart-warming accommodation for a group of friends or family wanting to explore Counties Louth, Meath, Dublin and Wicklow.

Bective Abbey was founded in 1147 for the Cistercian Order by Murchad O'Maeil- Sheachlainn, King of Meath. It was Ireland's second Cistercian Abbey. The remains now visible at the Abbey date mainly from the 13th to 15th centuries. They include the church, chapter house and cloister. It is a protected structure and recorded on the register of National monuments of Ireland.

Newgrange is a 5,200 year old passage tomb located in the Boyne Valley in Ireland's Ancient East. It is surrounded by 97 large stones called kerbstones some of which are engraved with megalithic art; the most striking is the entrance stone. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.

Glasmore Abbey is a ruins in Ireland, situated northeast of Killeek, close to Glasmoe Abbey. An iconic attraction in this area and there are so many options for leisure activities too.

Brú na Bóinne is one of the most important prehistoric megalithic sites in Europe drawing thousands of visitors daily. Each of the tombs has their own myths to explore against the beautiful backdrop of the gently meandering River Boyne. The archaeological landscape within Brú na Bóinne is dominated by the three well-known large passage tombs, Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth, built some 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic or Late Stone Age.

A 5,500-year-old passage tomb uncovered at Dowth Hall in the heart of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage site in Co Meath is “the most significant megalithic find in Ireland in the last 50 years”, archaeologists believe. It is less developed as a tourist attraction than its neighbours, partly because the chamber is much lower, and partly because the decoration is less visible.

Knowth is a Neolithic passage grave and an ancient monument of the World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne located 8.4 km west of Drogheda in Ireland's valley of the River Boyne. It is the largest passage grave of the Brú na in diameter,covering roughly a hectare. It contains two passages placed along an east-west line and is encircled by 127 kerbstones, of which three are missing, and four badly damaged.

Athlumney Castle is a tower house and fortified house and a National Monument in Navan, Ireland. The motte at Athlumney was built in the years after 1172 when Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath granted the title of Baron Skryne to his ally Adam de Feypo; he in turn granted Athlumney to a relative Amauri de Feipo, who built the motte. The older part of Athlumney Castle is a tower house built in the 15th century.

Dunmoe Castle is a castle and National Monument located near Navan, Ireland. The Castle was built in the 15th Century and was home to the D'arcy family. The Castle, originally a four turreted structure, is now, through years of ruin, reduced to just two. It remained intact until it was destroyed by fire during the 1798 rebellion and today visitors can see what remains of the four-storey castle. It can be found between Navan and Slane.

The Swords Round Tower dates from the 9th century and marks the site of an old monastery founded by St. Colmcille in the year 560 A.D. St. Colmcille blessed the local well of clear water, thus giving the town it's name 'Sord' meaning clear or pure. It is also reputed that the bodies of Brian Boru and his son Murrough rested here after the Battle of Clontarf when they were on their way to Armagh for burial.

Ward River Valley Park is a park in Ireland and has an elevation of 23 metres. Ward River Valley Park is situated west of The Old Vicarage, close to Kim Archibold Memorial. There are viewing points, picnic sites and sports pitches, Swords Town Park which includes a playground and tennis courts and Swords Castle forms part of this park.

The Castle situated in the centre of the ancient town of Swords is the only fortified residence of the Archbishop to survive in a reasonable state today. The buildings that make up the Castle form a rough pentagon enclosing an area of approximately 0.5 Ha with a perimeter wall of 305 meters. The Castle was built over a period of 400 years starting before 1200 A.D.