20 Attractions to Explore Near Skryne Castle

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Donaghmore Round Tower is a well-preserved 10th-century construction situated just northeast of Navan in County Meath. The architectural style of the church indicates it was built in the 15th Century. Most likely, it replaced an older church built in the Romanesque style; a carved Romanesque head is incorporated in the south wall of the bell tower. At the site, visitors can view the remains of a church and the round tower, which has interesting carvings and sculptures.

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.

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.

The Ledwidge Cottage Museum commemorates the Irish poet, political activist, nationalist and war hero Francis Ledwidge (1887-1917). The cottage is the family home where Ledwidge was the eight of nine children who grew up in poverty. It is a perfect example of a 19th Century farm labourer's cottage and was purchased and restored by the Francis Ledwidge Museum Committee in 1981.

Slane Castle, set in the middle of a 1,500 acre estate in the heart of the Boyne Valley, County Meath, and is the perfect venue to host your family, friends, wedding, gala dinner, conference or corporate function. It holds the Slane Festival within its grounds, with the Irish Independent claiming in 2004 that "Slane today is the kind of internationally recognised venue that can claim even Madonna's attention". Its sloping lawns form a natural amphitheatre.

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.

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.

Slane Abbey is the ruins on the Hill of Slane, Ireland where Saint Patrick infamously lit his bonfire during the pagan festival of Ostara, directly opposite the Hill of Tara. The current ruins include 1512 CE reconstructions of the monastic Abbey.

The Sheep Gate is the only surviving gate of five that once provided access to Trim. The town wall and its gates were built in the 13th or 14th century. Sheep Gate may have been so named as a toll was charged here for sheep being brought in to be sold at market. The gate was the southeastern entrance to the town, and is located just north of the River Boyne. Sheep Gate survives as a stone archway.

St. Mary's Abbey in Trim, County Meath, Ireland is a former house of Augustinian canons dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The abbey was situated on the north bank of the River Boyne, opposite Trim Castle, on land given to St. Patrick who is often credited with founding the abbey. The abbey was a prominent pilgrimage site, famous for the healing power of its statue of the Virgin Mary, until its dissolution under Henry VIII during the Reformation.