Castles · Tour
The Stone That Roars for a True King, and a Group of No More Than Three
A private day in the Boyne Valley with a driver-guide, in a car carrying one to three people. That number is the point: nobody else is in the car, and the driver-guide's attention stays with you.
The Hill of Tara comes first, a sacred landscape with more myth attached to it than any other ground in Ireland. Then Bective Abbey, whose ruins are the reason to make the detour. Then Trim Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in the country.
The commentary runs between the stops as well as at them, which is what a driver-guide is for.
What's included
- Private transportation
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Itinerary
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Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara, in County Meath, is a ceremonial and burial site with a great deal of myth attached to it. It was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland and a political and spiritual centre for centuries. The Lia Fáil, the Stone of Destiny, stands on the hill, and by tradition it roared when a true king touched it. Around it are burial mounds and ring forts going back to the Neolithic. Tara still stands for Irish sovereignty, which is why it draws the visitors it does. Note: travel time from your hotel counts as part of the time given to this stop.
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Bective Abbey
Bective Abbey stands near the River Boyne in County Meath. It was founded in 1147 by the Cistercians, the second house of that order in Ireland. The building mixes Romanesque and Gothic, and what survives is the cloister, the stone carving and the fortified walls. It was a religious and economic power in its day, and it was closed in the 16th-century Dissolution of the Monasteries. Braveheart was filmed here.
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Trim Castle
The largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, built in the late 12th century by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter as a military and administrative centre. The keep is three storeys and cruciform in plan, which is unusual, and the curtain walls and towers around it say plainly what it was for. It is now a heritage site with guided tours, and it appeared at length in Braveheart. Note: travel time back to your hotel counts as part of the time given to this stop.
Extra fee
Not included
- Meals
- Admission Tickets to Trim Castle
Good to know
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Show 3 more Show less
- Up to 3 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en.
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