Dunsany Castle and Demesne

#701 among destinations in Ireland

Archaeological site

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Facts and practical information

Dunsany Castle, Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland is a modernised Anglo-Norman castle, started c. 1180 / 1181 by Hugh de Lacy, who also commissioned the original Killeen Castle, nearby, and the famous Trim Castle. It is one of Ireland's oldest homes in continuous occupation, possibly the longest occupied by a single family, having been held by the Cusack family and their descendants by marriage, the Plunketts, from foundation to the present day. The castle is surrounded by its demesne, the inner part of the formerly extensive Dunsany estate. The demesne holds a historic church, a walled garden, a stone farm complex, and an ice house, among other features, and is home to a wide range of fauna. ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 53°32'11"N, 6°37'3"W

Location

MeathIreland

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Day trips

Dunsany Castle and Demesne – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Hill of Tara, Bective Abbey, Lia Fáil, Killeen Castle.

2.9 miN
Ancient royal archaeological complex
Hill of Tara
73 min walk • The Hill of Tara, located in the heart of the Boyne Valley in Ireland, is an ancient prehistoric site steeped in myth and history. Once considered the political and spiritual center of Celtic Ireland, it served as the seat of the High Kings until the 6th century.
4.7 miNW
Sacred and religious sites, Historical place, Monastery
Bective Abbey, Navan
121 min walk • Bective Abbey is a Cistercian abbey on the River Boyne in Bective, County Meath, Ireland. The abbey was founded in 1147, and the remaining structure and ruins primarily date to the 15th century.
2.9 miN
Archaeological site
Lia Fáil
75 min walk • The Lia Fáil is a stone at the Inauguration Mound on the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland. It is also known as the Coronation Stone of Tara. According to legend, all of the kings of Ireland were crowned on the stone up to Muirchertach mac Ercae, c. 500 CE.
1.4 miE
Golf
Killeen Castle
36 min walk • Killeen Castle, located in Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland, is the current construction on a site occupied by a castle since around 1180. The current building is a restoration of a largely 19th century structure, burnt out in 1981.
3 miN
Prehistoric site
Mound of the Hostages
77 min walk • The Mound of the Hostages is an ancient passage tomb located in the Tara-Skryne Valley in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland. The mound is a Neolithic structure, built between 3350 and 2800 BCE.
4.1 miNE
Archaeological site
Skryne Church
105 min walk • Skryne Church is a ruined medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland.
3.6 miSE
Archaeological site, Church
St. Seachnall's Church, Dunshaughlin
91 min walk • St. Seachnall's Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland.
6 miW
Forts and castles
Dangan Castle
153 min walk • Dangan Castle is a former stately home in County Meath, Ireland, which is now in a state of ruin. It is situated by Dangan Church on the Trim Road. The castle is the former seat of the Wesley family and is located outside the village of Summerhill. It was the childhood home of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
0.9 miE
Church
Killeen Church
24 min walk • Killeen Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland.
2.1 miN
Archaeological site
Rath Meave
55 min walk • Rath Maeve is a henge located near the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland. It is a National Monument.
5 miSE
Archaeological site
Loch Gabhair
127 min walk • Loch Gabhair, meaning "Lake of the Goats", is an area in the parish of Ratoath, County Meath, Ireland. It is located between the villages of Ratoath and Dunshaughlin and is the namesake of the townlands of Lagore Big and Lagore Little.