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Celtic Boyne Valley Day Trip from Dublin
1 day
Popular
Full Day
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About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Molly Malone Statue, In Front of the Saint Andrew's Church Tourist Office Suffolk Street, Dublin Ireland
We meet at the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street. You will board our comfortable coach, meet your guide and fellow travellers and then sit back and relax as we head out of Dublin and head west to our first visit.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Hill of Tara (Temair), Ireland
The most sacred site of Ancient Ireland is the Hill of Tara, and this is where we head next. An important and historic site in the Boyne Valley region, it was the center of the country in a sense as the High Kings ruled Ireland from this very site. From the hill, there is a lovely view of the surrounding area. It is said that a quarter of Ireland’s countryside is visible from this hill.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Trim Castle, Trim Ireland
It wouldn’t be a drive through the Irish countryside without seeing lush and picturesque landscapes. The scenery is breathtaking as we head to the town of Trim, home to an impressive and well-preserved Anglo-Norman castle. Trim Castle is the largest castle of its type in Ireland. With a castle so well preserved and with such stunning grounds, Hollywood would be hard-pressed to find something better! You will have time to explore the sprawling castle and grounds. This is a fantastic photo opportunity. Your guide will give you information in relation to the history of this fascinating castle and the surrounding area.
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes
Stop At: Loughcrew Cairns, Slieve na Caillaigh Hills Loughcrew, Oldcastle Ireland
Next to Loughcrew, the site of multiple passage tombs from the Neolithic age 5000 years old. Get up close and personal to pre-history in these cairns with its still intact rock art ,lavishly decorating the inside walls-built more than 500 years before the first pyramids.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Stop At: Fore Abbey, Fore Ireland
St Fechin founded a Christian monastery in the 7th Century. It’s believed that before his death, 300 monks lived in the community. Among the remains, visitors can see St Fechin’s church, built about 900. In this area The area is famous for its seven wonders which include, the monastery in the bog, the mill without a race, the water that flows uphill, the tree that has three branches/the tree that won’t burn, the water that won’t boil, the anchorite in a stone and the stone/lintel raised by St Fechin’s prayers.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Hill of Uisneach, Killare Ireland
The ‘Hill Of Uisneach’ is the spiritual centre of Ireland and arguably one of the most important ancient sites in Ireland today. The point of which the five provinces of Ireland meet and where the Kings and High King could celebrate ‘Bealtaine’, the festival of the fires which marks the coming of Summer.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Extreme Ireland, Dublin Ireland
Arrive back in Dublin at 6.15pm.
Duration: 5 minutes
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This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Molly Malone Statue, In Front of the Saint Andrew's Church Tourist Office Suffolk Street, Dublin Ireland
We meet at the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street. You will board our comfortable coach, meet your guide and fellow travellers and then sit back and relax as we head out of Dublin and head west to our first visit.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Hill of Tara (Temair), Ireland
The most sacred site of Ancient Ireland is the Hill of Tara, and this is where we head next. An important and historic site in the Boyne Valley region, it was the center of the country in a sense as the High Kings ruled Ireland from this very site. From the hill, there is a lovely view of the surrounding area. It is said that a quarter of Ireland’s countryside is visible from this hill.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Trim Castle, Trim Ireland
It wouldn’t be a drive through the Irish countryside without seeing lush and picturesque landscapes. The scenery is breathtaking as we head to the town of Trim, home to an impressive and well-preserved Anglo-Norman castle. Trim Castle is the largest castle of its type in Ireland. With a castle so well preserved and with such stunning grounds, Hollywood would be hard-pressed to find something better! You will have time to explore the sprawling castle and grounds. This is a fantastic photo opportunity. Your guide will give you information in relation to the history of this fascinating castle and the surrounding area.
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes
Stop At: Loughcrew Cairns, Slieve na Caillaigh Hills Loughcrew, Oldcastle Ireland
Next to Loughcrew, the site of multiple passage tombs from the Neolithic age 5000 years old. Get up close and personal to pre-history in these cairns with its still intact rock art ,lavishly decorating the inside walls-built more than 500 years before the first pyramids.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Stop At: Fore Abbey, Fore Ireland
St Fechin founded a Christian monastery in the 7th Century. It’s believed that before his death, 300 monks lived in the community. Among the remains, visitors can see St Fechin’s church, built about 900. In this area The area is famous for its seven wonders which include, the monastery in the bog, the mill without a race, the water that flows uphill, the tree that has three branches/the tree that won’t burn, the water that won’t boil, the anchorite in a stone and the stone/lintel raised by St Fechin’s prayers.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Hill of Uisneach, Killare Ireland
The ‘Hill Of Uisneach’ is the spiritual centre of Ireland and arguably one of the most important ancient sites in Ireland today. The point of which the five provinces of Ireland meet and where the Kings and High King could celebrate ‘Bealtaine’, the festival of the fires which marks the coming of Summer.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Extreme Ireland, Dublin Ireland
Arrive back in Dublin at 6.15pm.
Duration: 5 minutes
Included
- Local guide
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Entrance fees
- Entry/Admission - Trim Castle
- Entry/Admission - Loughcrew Cairns
- Entry/Admission - Hill of Uisneach
Not included
- Lunch
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Child seats must be provided by parent or guardian
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
55%
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If you are interested about ancient history and the people this is a tour you want to take. It was a small group tour of only 14 people so it was quite intimate. Our guide was full of knowledge about these ancient places.
We had a great time on this tour, and Barry was entertaining as well as knowledgeable about the area having lived there for many years. The Hill of Tara was awe inspiring. Remember to wear waterproof shoes because the wet grass permeates other footwear. The walk up to Loughcrew passage stones was short but strenuous; a good workout! Great views of the surrounding area. Although unable to go inside the keep, the Trim Castle enclosure evoked a connection to the medieval times. We also visited the Fore Abbey, with its many old traditions, long walled path, and ancient grounds to leisurely explore and enjoy. Our final stop was the most magnificent and the perfect climax to end the trip. Our guide, Marty, cannot be described in words and that is meant in the best possible way. Uisreach, The sacred center of Ireland, again brought one back to times and traditions long past. I will not try to describe it. You’ll have to experience this yourself!
It was a really good trip. The bus guide was really nice and good. There was a lot of interesting things to see.
My 79-year-old travel-mate and I booked this tour for a misty day in late April. We had a small group of 13 on a smaller bus than the usual GreyLine buses. Eion (pronounced like "Owen") was our hilarious, extremely knowledgable and attentive tour guide. He gave us lots of local stories and facts about Dublin neighborhoods as we rolled out of town and north along the bay into the beautiful fishing village of Howth. We spent an hour there getting coffee and pastries across the street from the fishing fleet. Then on into the Boyne Valley. Eoin's knowledge of this area was great, and he took the time to stop and point things out as we went along. When we got to the parking area of New Grange he was our trusted troop leader, getting us through the complex crowd control system of getting to the site. We had to walk up and down stairs, across a river on a pedestrian bridge, and into small transport buses going up to the site. He made sure we two older women made the trip successfully. It was worth the effort! The site is breathtaking. Special guides take small groups of perhaps 12 people through the very tight rock tunnel that leads to the central chamber of the burial mound. It was a tight squeeze and not for the faint of heart. But a truly amazing experience. The chamber is lit with electric lights. They turn them off for about a minute and the group stands in the total stillness and darkness. Then a beam of light replicates the sunbeam that enters the chamber on the winter solstice. Afterwards the group has time to walk around the outside of the mound and absorb the spiritual experience of having been inside this sacred space. Then the bus ride back down through the green hills to the walking trail across the river and back up to the tour buses. We gathered there and Eoin drove us to a little town where we had lunch in a local hotel. And on to the Hill of Tara. This site does not have local guides but does have a nice gift shop/cafe. Eoin led us up onto the rugged terrain, which requires a fair amount of agility and some decent shoes. A set of walking sticks would be useful for people with balance issues. Two of our members decided to stay in the gift shop/cafe while the rest of us made our way up and down over the rolling grassy fields, listening to Eoin's stories of the history of this place. Then back on the bus and down through the rolling hills into Dublin. We hated to say good-bye to Eoin and our little group of trekkers!
Amazing tour. Full of history and breathtaking scenery. Highly recommend this tour. Rocky, our tour guide, was the best!!
The driver was very courteous and informative. His knowledge of the area was impressive. He went above and beyond expectations leading us to all the historic sites.
This tour was exceptional - I would give it 100 stars if I could. Our guide David was relaxed, kind and friendly, and he is also a trained archaeologist with amazing insight into both the prehistoric and historic time periods of Ireland's human settlement. He knew of several historic sites along the way that we were visit to see in addition to what was formally listed on the tour. We had originally planned to visit Drogheda for a walking tour, but ended up swapping it for another UNESCO world heritage site instead - excellent maneuver! This tour was wonderful from start to finish. Small bus, flexible driver and comfortable ride. No rushing from site to site - we were able to take as much time as we liked and ask lots of questions. Beautiful scenery along the way. Also, because of the tour flexibility and rural nature of the sites, we saw lots of birds and other wildlife. You will be missing out if you don't opt for this experience - best tour of the 3 we took on our trip. I just wish our other 2 tours were with this company. We'll know better for next time!