South Leinster Way - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

This is the best example of an Elizabethan manor house in Ireland. Built in the 1560s by Thomas Butler, the 10th Earl of Ormond. The U-shape of the manor house surrounds a small courtyard that abuts the north of the castle's bawn. The manor has two floors and a gabled attic. The building contains some fine period furniture and is decorated with unique and elaborate ornate stucco plasterwork in which Black Tom highlight his family’s connections to Queen Elizabeth I.

A majestic castle located in Clonea Lower townland, roughly two and a half miles east of Dungarvan, the castle lay on a rocky outcrop at the edge of the shore by Clonea Beach. It was owned by the Maguire. The structure's entry in National Monuments Service records indicate that it was "not an antiquity", but was built in the late 18th or early 19th century, possibly on the site of an earlier Fitzgerald family fortification.

This majestic neolithic tomb was approximately 5000 years old. Known locally as ‘The Caiseal’, it has only been excavated since 1990. There are two chambers on the site: the larger western chamber is aligned so that sunlight at sunset at the winter solstice shines along the passageway. It is National Monument no. 655, managed by the Office of Public Works on behalf of the state.

Kilcash Castle is an Irish ruined castle in County Tipperary. Situated on the N24 road west of Ballydine, it is believed to date from the 16th century and was gradually extended over the following centuries. This building was partially repaired in the 1980s and is now safe to visit. In the graveyard, the mausoleum contains the tombs with headstones carved with elaborate scenes of the crucifixion.

The early 16th century tower house at Poulakerry was a stronghold of the Butler Fitzwilliams family. The 4/5 storey tower house guarded a crossing over the River Suir, 100 metres to the south. The castle passed from William Butler to his sons Robert and Theobald Butler in the 16th century. The badly damaged castle was repaired and used as a garrison before being passed to John Rathborne. The castle, now missing the battlements, was restored in 1970 and used as a private residence.

Leac an Scail, is one of the tallest and most spectacular examples of a portal dolmen in Ireland, it is located near Knocktopher in County Kilkenny. It has been constructed using a large capstone resting on two large portal stones and a pillow stone resting on a backstone. It is now a visitor attraction and there are so many tourists arriving day by day.