Ireland's ancient sites prove to be some of the best places in the country to tour. As a New Yorker born and raised, I’m endlessly surprised when traveling abroad at how significantly I need to recalibrate my sense of what “old” means. The earliest buildings and streets of my city, which I typically regard with quiet awe, are mere children, built in the 1600s, in comparison with their medieval or even Iron Age counterparts elsewhere around the world.
In Ireland, I’ve felt this especially keenly. Dublin might now be home to the European headquarters of Google and Twitter, but meander away from the Docklands office buildings and you’ll find yourself walking along Fishamble Street – thought to be the oldest street in the city – to Woodquay, the site of a Viking settlement, dating back to the 10th century. Hop on a 45-minute bus ride out of the city, and you can travel even further back in time to the Neolithic site of Newgrange , the passage tomb complex that’s older than the pyramids of Egypt.
Ireland’s Ancient East – the region encompassing the areas outside of Dublin to the north, west, and south, and east of the River Shannon, reaching from Cavan to Cork City to eastern Limerick – is the part of Ireland where history is the most palpable and accessible. From the very first cities in all of Ireland to ancient castles, ring forts, and monasteries, the Ancient East hums to the tune of 5,000 years of history you can still see and experience for yourself. Si.