Hidden gems in Ireland

This collection spans the ancient and the eccentric across Leinster, featuring megalithic monuments like the massive Brownshill Dolmen and the decorated Fourknocks passage tomb. In Dublin, discover the 'Hungry Tree' at King's Inns and the Victorian Iveagh Gardens. Further afield, the list includes architectural oddities like the corkscrew-shaped Wonderful Barn and Conolly's Folly, alongside the 19th-century Leviathan telescope at Birr Castle and the gothic revival Charleville Castle. These sites offer a glimpse into Ireland's layered history, from Stone Age burial sites to industrial heritage and private meditation gardens.

Hidden Gems — Map

Declan Maher / CC BY-SA 2.0

A

Hungry Tree

The Hungry Tree is a tree in the grounds of the King's Inns in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

William Murphy / CC BY-SA 2.0

B

Iveagh Gardens

The Iveagh Gardens is a public park located between Clonmel Street and Upper Hatch Street, near the National Concert Hall in Dublin,…

C

The Little Museum of Dublin

The Little Museum of Dublin is a local history museum situated at St Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland.

Lisa Blad / CC BY-SA 4.0

D

Poolbeg Lighthouse

Poolbeg Lighthouse is an active aid to navigation at the mouth of the River Liffey, near Poolbeg in Dublin, Ireland.

William Murphy / CC BY-SA 2.0

E

Phil Lynott

Life-size bronze statue of Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, unveiled in 2005 on Harry Street near his favorite Dublin haunts.

Michal Osmenda / CC BY-SA 2.0

F

Lough Tay

Lough Tay, is a small but scenic lake set on private property in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland.

Sarah777 / Public domain

G

Brownshill Dolmen

Brownshill Dolmen is a very large megalithic portal tomb situated 3 km east of Carlow, in County Carlow, Ireland.

Wandervogel / Public domain

H

Fourknocks Megalithic Passage Tomb

Fourknocks Passage Tomb is a passage grave and National Monument located in County Meath, Ireland.

//flickr.com/people/fwiffo/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

I

Ashtown Castle

Ashtown Castle is a tower house in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland.

Daniel Dudek-Corrigan / CC BY 2.0

J

Victor's Way

Victor's Way, located near Roundwood, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a privately owned meditation garden which contains black granite…

Oliver Dixon / CC BY-SA 2.0

K

Proleek Dolmen

Proleek Dolmen is a dolmen and national monument in County Louth, Ireland.

Edge977 / CC BY-SA 3.0

L

Wonderful Barn

The Wonderful Barn is a corkscrew-shaped building on the edge of Castletown House Estate, formerly of the Conolly family, in Celbridge,…

Sabrina O Brien / CC BY-SA 4.0

M

Kilmogue Portal Tomb

Kilmogue Portal Tomb, also called Leac an Scail, is a dolmen and National Monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Andrea Doyle McCabe / CC BY-SA 4.0

N

Kilfane Church

Kilfane Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Serge Ottaviani / CC BY-SA 4.0

O

Kilbeggan Distillery

Kilbeggan Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery situated on the River Brosna in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, Ireland.

Rdpolidario / CC BY-SA 4.0

P

Conolly's Folly

The Conolly Folly, a.k.a. The Obelisk, is an obelisk structure located between Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth in County Kildare, Ireland.

sarah gallagher / CC BY-SA 2.0

Q

Charleville Castle

Charleville Castle is a Gothic-style castle located in County Offaly, Ireland, bordering the town of Tullamore, near the River Clodiagh.

buzzard525 / CC BY 3.0

R

Donadea Castle

Ruins of a 16th-century tower house and later manor home, situated within the managed woodland of Donadea Forest Park.

Fiddawn / CC BY-SA 3.0

S

Jerpoint Park

The medieval lost town of Newtown Jerpoint is just west of the Cistercian Jerpoint Abbey, near Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Dennis Turner / CC BY-SA 2.0

T

The Great Telescope 'Leviathan'

A massive 19th-century reflecting telescope built by the 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845. It remained the world's largest telescope until 1917.

Other Lists

Leinster Essentials Editor's Choice Castles & Fortifications Historic Places of Worship Archaeological & Heritage Sites Museums & Galleries Ireland's Natural & Recreational Gems Gardens & Parks