Celtic Boyne Valley Day Tour

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Tour Overview

Travel back in time to visit some of the most ancient parts of Ireland during the Celtic Boyne Valley day tour! A large portion of the tour takes place in the County Meath. This region is also known as the Royal County because this is where the High Kings of Ireland ruled the country.

Our first stop on the tour brings us to Loughcrew, a sacred site that holds approximately 30 passage tombs. We will enter the tomb with flashlights to see the amazing Celtic designs that were carved into the rock over 5,000 years ago!

After a beautiful drive though the Irish countryside, we will make a stop at Trim Castle which is the largest and best preserved Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. Take a good look around since you might recognize the castle from the great fighting scenes in the movie Braveheart!

Next, we head to The Hill of Tara which is one of the most sacred sites of ancient Ireland. As the royal center of Ireland, the High Kings ruled from this hill. From this incredible vantage point, it is said you can see a quarter of Ireland's landscape. We will look out over this breathtaking view while we enjoy lunch from the top of the hill.

Do you believe a church could jump three feet? When we stop just outside Ardee, take a look at the "The Jumping Church" and decide for yourself if you believe the ancient myth is true! We will visit the religious site of Monasterboice which is famous for the finest high cross in all of Ireland. The Celtic High Cross of Muiredach at Monisterboice is seen as one of the best surviving examples of Irish religious art.

Our last stop on the Celtic Boyne Valley day tour visits the town of Drogheda. We will take a short walking tour of the city and then have about an hour to explore the historic city on our own.

Tour Itinerary

8:00am

We depart for the Celtic Boyne Valley day tour outside the old stone church on Suffolk Street. Our knowledgeable and friendly guide will introduce himself and then we will begin our journey north!

9:30am

Our first stop will bring us to the site of Loughcrew that holds over 30 passage tombs and is one of the most important prehistoric cemeteries in Ireland. We will walk to the top of the hill where we will see the best preserved and most accessible tombs in the site. Afterwards, we will open the iron gate and enter the tomb with our flashlights to see Celtic designs carved into the rocks over 5,000 years ago.

11:00am

We will enjoy a scenic drive through the Irish countryside on our way to the great Trim Castle. The castle sits on the edge of town and is the best preserved Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. We will take a guided tour of the 800 year old castle and you may recognize the structure from the movie 'Braveheart' where many of the famous battle scenes were shot!

12:20pm

Next on the Celtic Boyne Valley day tour, we visit the Hill of Tara, the most sacred site in ancient Ireland. It is said over a quarter of Ireland's landscape can be seen from this vantage point. The Hill of Tara was the traditional inauguration site of the ancient High Kings of Ireland and was at the height of its importance around 600BC. Tara gets its name from 'Teamhair na Ri' which means 'Sanctuary of the Kings'. We will have lunch on top of the hill and enjoy the stunning landscape of Ireland while eat.

1:45pm

Back on the bus, we will travel through the village of Slane. Slane Castle hosts Ireland's premier music festival each year and can hold 80,000 people. Some past performances have included: Queen, The Rolling Stones, Guns N'Roses and U2. If you're a big U2 fan, you will be interested to know that their fourth studio album 'The Unforgetttable Fire' was recorded at Slane Castle! When we depart Slane village, make sure to ask you guide about the story of the four sisters!

2:45pm

We will head to the religious site at Monasterboice which has been around since 520AD and was founded by Saint Buite. The High Cross of Monasterboise is one of the finest crosses in Ireland and best examples of Irish religious art. Its name comes from the Irish 'Mainistir Bhuithe' meaning 'the monastery of Buite'. The tower at Monasterboice was burned in 1097, ruining its library and other artifacts, but still remains in excellent condition as the 2nd highest round tower in Ireland.

3:15pm

The final destination on the Celtic Boyne Valley day tour is to the historical city of Drogheda. During our first hour, we will meet a local tour guide who will walk us through the town showing us the significant historic sites. We will see St. Peters Church and inside the decapitated head of Saint Oliver Plunkett! Drogheda survived two attacks, the first by Edward Bruce in 1317 and then again in 1642 by Phelim O'Neill. However, the walls were unable to withstand an attack by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 and 3500 people were killed inside the city.

5:15pm

We will get back on the bus and enjoy a short (45 minute) bus ride back to Dublin.

6:00pm

We will arrive to Dublin after a great day on the Celtic Boyne Valley tour!