Ireland Travel Blog

The state runs
the good bits.

Newgrange, the Rock of Cashel, Kilmainham Gaol and most of what you actually came for are run by the Office of Public Works, a government department. Book with them, not a reseller.

Ireland's tourism image is heavily commercial and heavily exported, which obscures something useful: the most significant sites are state-run, reasonably priced, and bookable direct. Newgrange predates the pyramids. The national museums are free. None of that comes through in the pub-and-scenery version of the country.

The reading list

Link-out only. Governments, institutions and primary data, not tour operators.

The heritage sites

State-run, direct booking, no reseller markup.

  1. Heritage Ireland

    Office of Public Works · Primary

    The official portal for state heritage sites. Opening times, direct booking and access notes for Newgrange, Cashel, Kilmainham and the rest.

  2. Office of Public Works

    Government department · Primary

    The department that actually manages those sites and the national parks around them.

  3. National Museum of Ireland

    National museum · Institution

    Free entry across all branches, including the bog bodies in Archaeology, which are among the most remarkable things on display anywhere in Europe.

Practical

  1. Ireland travel advice

    UK Foreign Office · Advisory

    Straightforward, as you would expect, but it covers driving rules and insurance which catch people out.

  2. Irish Statute Book

    Government of Ireland · Primary

    Irish law online, free. Genuinely useful if you are moving rather than visiting.

  3. Ireland

    Wikivoyage · Guide

    Volunteer-written and ad-free, and clear about the difference between the Republic and Northern Ireland, which commercial guides often blur.

  4. Ireland

    CIA World Factbook · Reference

    Standard-format country data.