Irish Historical Sites. 5 to See in Ulster

Hi everyone. I hope I find you all well this week. Time to get on the virtual road once more as we take a tour of some must-see Irish historical sites, province by province. We begin our journey in Ulster and travel though some of its nine beautiful counties. First stop, County Down

Irish Historical Sites in Ulster

1. Mount Stewart

The stunning Mount Stewart house dates back some 250 years and is beautifully situated on the eastern shores of Strangford Lough. In 2015, the house underwent a major restoration and now visitors can feast their eyes on the many treasures and artworks the house has to offer. Then there are the absolutely magnificent gardens which are considered to among the best in the world. Among the many themed gardens on the estate is the stunning Shamrock garden, inspired by Irish mythology.

2. Dunluce Castle

3. Mussenden Temple

We follow this beautiful coastal route even further north into County Derry. Mussenden Temple dates back to 1783 and was built as a library for Frideswide Bruce, the niece of the then 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry. The location is just divine. The temple perches 120ft above the Atlantic giving breathtaking views.

4. Devenish Island

We head south east across Ulster now to County Fermanagh. There are some 154 islands on Lough Erne and Devenish Island is truly magical. It came into being as a monastic site in the 6th century and was founded by Saint Molaise. Today, you can still see surviving buildings from the 12th century as well as a 15th century church and high cross.

5. Grianán of Aileach

Our final stop takes us to the north of County Donegal to step back in time to ancient Ireland. Grianán of Aileach is a stone ringfort which stands on a hilltop in Inishowen with incredible views of the Inishowen Peninsula, Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle. The original structure dates back to around the 6th or 7th century and was the royal seat of the Gaelic Kingdom of Ailech. Major restoration of the fort took place in 1870.

Well I hope you enjoyed our tour of historical Ulster as much as I did. Drop by next week as we venture into the province of Connaught.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Slán go fóill!

Lulu.