Irish Celtic druids were ancient Ireland’s elite scholars: priests, judges, and healers who wielded law and lore. This article explores who they were, what roles they played, and why they matter in Irish history and mythology.
Nendrum Monastic Site on Mahee Island is Northern Ireland’s best-preserved early-Christian monastery. Founded c. AD 450 by St Mochaoi, its triple stone cashels, unique 7th-century tidal mill and stunning Strangford Lough views reveal a community where faith met engineering genius. Free to visit year-round, it’s a must-see for Irish history lovers.
Ballyaghagan Cashel crowns Cave Hill 275 m above Belfast—a stone ringfort 42 m wide that housed farmers a millennium ago and hides even older flint scatters beneath its walls. Today a short stroll from Upper Hightown Road car park rewards visitors with panoramic views, Iron-Age ambience and a tangible link to the city’s forgotten past.
Clinging to the edge of Antrim’s cliffs, Dunluce Castle has witnessed centuries of storm, siege, and legend. Once home to earls and warriors, its ruins now tell quieter tales — of ambition, collapse, and the shifting tides of Irish history.
The Ogham alphabet—20 sharp strokes named after trees—records Ireland’s oldest written words. Carved on stone pillars from Kerry to Pembrokeshire, this 5th-century script holds clan names, boundary claims and a hint of druid lore. Decode its notches, track new finds and see how Ogham still inspires tattoos and typefaces today.
Dun Aengus (Dún Aonghasa) crowns a 100 m Atlantic cliff on Inis Mór, its triple drystone walls and jagged chevaux-de-frise guarding the island since the Late Bronze Age. Excavations by Claire Cotter revealed metal-working debris and ritual deposits, while modern paths now guide visitors through Ireland’s most spectacular prehistoric fort.
Perched above Tipperary’s Golden Vale, the Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig) rose from a royal hill-fort to a 12th-century ecclesiastical powerhouse. But its ancient roots claim to go back much further into Iron Age Ireland. Here we explore the evidence.
Iron-Age Ireland relied on bog iron for blades, ash and oak for spear-shafts, wool for textiles and imported glass for status beads. This guide traces each material from source to finished artefact—mines, quarries, bogs and workshops—backed by excavation data and experimental archaeology.
Explore the ancient roads of Ireland—from prehistoric trackways to Iron Age ceremonial routes—and uncover how these paths shaped settlement, trade, and myth.
From dyed cloaks to imported silks, Iron Age Irish clothing was far from drab. Discover how ancient fashion reflected power and culture — and how its legacy still echoes in what we wear today.