Celtic Tour of the Boyne Valley -What To Expect

Celtic Tour of the Boyne Valley -What To Expect

At Celtic Group Hostels we offer our groups a wide range of day tours to give them a chance to explore Ireland outside of Dublin city. Some of our most popular day tours from Dublin are those with our partners Extreme Ireland. But what should you expect on a day tour? Read on to hear Anna and Sarah’s low-down of the Celtic Tour of the Boyne Valley:

Sarah and Anna took a day out of the office (lucky!) to experience the Celtic Tour of the Boyne Valley. They had a wonderful time and are dying to tell you how it went, here’s their low-down of the day:

Which tour?
Celtic Tour of the Boyne Valley

Who was our guide?
The friendly and knowledgeable McDara! He gave us information throughout the tour with his own little insights along the way. He also explained the roots of Irish place names as he also works as an Irish language teacher!

What did we see?

• Hill of Tara – seat of the high kings, with the first passage tombs of the day, the Lia Fáil (stone of destiny) and a fairy tree! Also here is the statue of St Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint who brought Christianity to Ireland.
• Trim Castle – a Norman castle built to keep an eye on the powerful Strongbow. Here we tried Echo Gate, where you can hear your voice echoed back across the Boyne River.
• Loughcrew passage tombs – fascinating 5000 year old tombs built in line with the equinox with elaborate stone carvings as part of a sacred pagan burial place. We learnt about the legend of the witch and made a wish on Hag’s Seat.
• The Jumping Wall – where legend has it the churchyard walls mysteriously moved by the power of dead priests.
• Monasterboice – home of the largest and most spectacular Celtic crosses in Ireland.
• Drogheda town and Oliver Plunkett’s remains – St Peter’s Church in Drogheda is resting place for the relics and preserved head of the martyr and victim of the Popish Plot, Oliver Plunkett.

What to expect?
This day tour is a great way to see the range of interesting people and their histories that have shaped Ireland today. 5000 year old passage tombs and Norman castles, all a short drive from Dublin city. Even if history isn’t your strong point, the guides bring the stories to life with fascinating information and humour along the way. Extreme Ireland’s guides know their stuff and go out of their way to make the day enjoyable and memorable.

Tip: This is a great way to get a highlighted history of Ireland and the Boyne region from the past 5000 years – all in one fun and memorable day.

This tour is a real must see for anyone who wants to learn more about Irish history, from the ancient pagan roots, up through to the Christian legacy that remains today, and all in one interesting day tour! We had a brilliant day out, learnt a great deal and had a lovely time – we think that you will too. If you’d like to book this tour for your group or find out more about all the other things we can book in Dublin, Cork, Galway City, The Cliffs of Moher and Connemara for your group – contact us now.