Meath Tours

About Meath

County Meath is Ireland's royal county — the landscape where five millennia of power, ritual, and belief left their mark in passage tombs, hill forts, and castle walls. The Boyne Valley, which runs through the heart of the county, holds the densest concentration of prehistoric and historic monuments on the island, including a UNESCO World Heritage Site older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Brú na Bóinne — the Palace of the Boyne — is the collective name for the three great passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth, built around 3200 BC. Newgrange is the most famous: a grass-covered mound 85 metres in diameter and 13 metres high, with an inner chamber aligned so that a shaft of sunlight penetrates the roof box and illuminates the passage floor at dawn on the winter solstice. Access to Newgrange and Knowth is strictly through the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre — no private vehicles can approach the tombs, and tours must be booked in advance, especially from May to September. The Hill of Tara, 20 minutes south of Brú na Bóinne, was the inauguration site and ceremonial seat of the High Kings of Ireland. The hilltop holds the remnants of passage tombs, ring forts, and the Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny), which, according to legend, would roar when touched by the rightful king. The site is freely accessible year-round, with guided tours available from the visitor centre in summer. Trim Castle, 30 minutes west of Tara, is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. Built in 1172 by Hugh de Lacy, it was famously used as a filming location for the 1995 movie Braveheart. The town of Trim itself preserves a medieval street layout with the Yellow Steeple and Talbot Castle adding to the heritage. The Battle of the Boyne site at Oldbridge, between Brú na Bóinne and Drogheda, marks where William of Orange defeated King James II in 1690 — a turning point in Irish and European history. The visitor centre and restored 18th-century manor make this an accessible and well-interpreted stop. Further north, Monasterboice — a free-access monastic site near Drogheda — holds two of the finest high crosses in Ireland, carved with biblical scenes in the 10th century.