Prehistoric Ireland

We start the day travelling south of Dublin to view Broadleas and the Athgreaney stone circles. After lunch, we head to Fourknocks and step inside the main tomb to marvel at a rare carving of a Neolithic face.

Journey to Newgrange this morning, a monumental burial mound from the Neolithic period, pre-dating Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza. From here, we tour the UNESCO-listed site of Knowth. Later, we visit the Hill of Tara, once the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. We wander the Iron Age hilltop enclosure and view the so-called Stone of Destiny.

We head for Loughcrew - a rugged group of partially engraved Megalithic carvings - and then our journey moves onto the coastal town of Sligo. This area’s natural harbour once saw trade from Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. Following lunch, we encounter one of the best and largest examples of an Irish Court Tomb at Creevykeel.

Today’s highlight is our visit to Carrowmore, considered as the largest prehistoric cemetery of Ireland. 30 monuments are still visible on site. After lunch, we will wonder around the Carrowkeel megalithic complex, one of the most important Neolithic centres of prehistoric Ireland.

Galway, a settlement established in the 12th century, is ours to discover today. En route, there are stops to view Drumanone dolmen and Castlestrange Stone. After lunch, we journey to Poulnabrone dolmen in the Burren, one of the most iconic archaeological monuments of the island. In Galway, we visit the Prehistoric collection in the Galway City Museum and tour the area.

On our last full day we catch a ferry across to Inis Mor, a magnificent island bearing a wealth of sites and monuments. We visit Dun Aengus – the largest prehistoric hillfort on the Aran Islands. The impressive enclosure walls are dramatically situated on the edge of a steep cliff above the sea.

Travel from Galway or Dublin airport for our onward independent journeys.