Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo |
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| Rebuilt in 1870, Ashford Castle is a short walk from the village of Cong, where the John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara classic, "The Quiet Man" was filmed. | 
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| Blarney Castle, Co. Cork | ||
| Built in 1446, Blarney Castle is visited by thousands every year to kiss the Blarney Stone to "confer a magical eloquence." | 
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| Bunratty Castle, Co. Clare | ||
| Built in the 15th century, Bunratty Castle has been restored, inside and out, to look as it did in 1600. | 
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| Cabra Castle, Co. Cavan | ||
| Cabra Castle dates back to 1699, and has an interesting and unique history. In 1991, it re-opened as a hotel with beautiful grounds a lovely 18-hole golf course. | 
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| Dunguaire Castle, Co. Clare | ||
| Built in the 16th century, Dunguaire Castle was actually the first castle we visited on our journey. | 
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| St. Finian's Monastery, Co. Meath | ||
| The current Church of Ireland church stands on the site of St. Finian's 6th century monastic school. This wonderful site provided a geocache treasure hunt. | 
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| Kells Monastery, Co. Meath | ||
| Kells Monastery, located in the village of Kells, was settled in the 6th century by St. Columba. It is widely thought that the monks who fled here from Iona in 806, are the illuminators of the Book of Kells. | 
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| Knappogue Castle, Co. Clare | ||
| This huge castle was built by the McNamara clan in 1467. It is now owned by a group of Texans, and is used to host medieval banquets. It is described as one of the "country's most charmingly furnished castles." | 
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| Kylemore Abbey, Co. Mayo | ||
| Built in 1860s by Mitchell Henry as a present for his wife, the Kylemore now serves as a Benedictine abbey and international girls boarding school. | 
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| Muckross House, Co. Kerry | ||
| Built in 1843 on the eastern edge of the Ring of Kerry, this residence is set on several thousand acres and once housed the Queen for a royal visit. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside. | 
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| Trim Castle, Co. Meath | ||
| Trim Castle is everything you think of when you picture old castles with motes. Very cool! | 
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| Random Castle, Co. Westmeath | ||
| Every little village you drive through has a castle, or abbey, or old church to visit! This one was in Delvin. Don't blink or you'll miss it. | 
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| Random Abbey, Co. Waterford | ||
| We ran across this abbey late at night on our way to Waterford. The road narrowed, as the sign suggests, and it was VERY dark, and we came very close to actually taking a chunk of this abbey with us. | 
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