2008 Tour Itinerary

Megalithic Ireland

The tombs & structures of the Irish Stone Age

Day One: Sunday

Afternoon guided tour of the National Museum of Ireland with museum guides and your Tour The Ages guide. The museum tour will be specifically tailored to Irish Prehistory but you'll have plenty of time to investigate the rest of the museum exhibits. Browse the Museum bookshop and pick up some reference books for the week ahead. We then set off for our hotel near our first Archaeological site tomorrow morning, Lough Gur, Co. Limerick.

Day Two: Monday

Spend the morning and early afternoon around Lough Gur, County Limerick. This site is famous for standing remains dating from the Neolithic period to the Medieval. It's also quite a beautiful place and a designated wildlife reserve. We later travel to our Hotel in the Burren Galway, via the spectacular Cliffs of Moher.

Day Three: Tuesday

Explore the eerie lunar-like Karst limestone landscape of the Burren in Co. Galway, examining various Megalithic Tombs including the iconic Poulnabrone Portal Tomb. Travel on to Galway City where you'll have rest of the day free from 3pm to explore this vibrant city, capital of the west.

Day Four: Wednesday

Travel up through the incredibly beautiful and barren landscape of Connemara to the Ceide Fields perched on the cliffs of north County Mayo. Explore the Ceide Fields, the oldest enclosed field system in Europe and visit the interpretive centre. We travel onwards and stay in Sligo Town for the next two nights.

Day Five: Thursday

Exploring Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery and Creevykeel Court Tomb in the environs of Sligo take up most of the day, we also briefly visit Yeats' grave at Drumcliff.

Day Six: Friday

Travel from Sligo down towards County Meath for lunch at Loughcrew House and Gardens and walk up to Loughcrew Megalithic monuments, famous for their artwork. We stop off on our way to the hotel in Kells to have a brief wander around the ecclesiastical medieval ruins.

Day Seven: Saturday

Tour of the Hill of Tara, a landscape replete with archaeological earthworks ranging from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. This are was the coronation place for Ireland's pre-Christian Kings. Visit Dowth Passage Tomb, part of the Boyne Valley Complex and the nearby Four Knocks Passage Tomb, before returning to Dublin City via the Airport.