Make your own history with a tour of Ireland’s Ancient East

For a road trip less ordinary, sail across the Irish Sea to experience the finest medieval castles, prehistoric stone circles and culinary hotspots the Emerald Isle has to offer. By Anna Hart

Main image: Durrow Viaduct, part of Waterford Greenway (Getty)

Few European destinations are as culturally and historically rich as Ireland’s Ancient East, making it perfect road-trip material for travellers who crave experiences beyond the ordinary. Thanks to ferry connections at Dublin and Rosslare, it’s easy to bring your own car over from Great Britain, opening up a wealth of glorious drives through undulating hills and ancient forests. Add in stop-offs at prehistoric burial sites, spellbinding castles and characterful country pubs and it’s easy to understand why Ireland’s Ancient East is climbing to the top of the must-do lists of intrepid travellers. Here’s what not to miss …

Binge on natural scenery

• Powerscourt waterfalls. Photograph: Getty

Get a brand new profile pic at Powerscourt waterfall at the foot of the Wicklow mountains, Ireland’s highest cascade at 121 metres. It’s a scenic three-mile drive through the ancient forests of the Powerscourt estate – and look out for the giant sequoia. In Wicklow, charter boats leave regularly on dolphin-watching trips, which also showcase scenic and historic spots from a sea-based vantage point. If you’re feeling active, hire bikes and cycle the Waterford Greenway, a 28-mile bike route that traces a former rail track between Waterford and Dungarvan.

Eat and drink Ireland
With its abundance of natural produce, dining in Ireland is a highlight. The town of Wexford has a rich heritage and, in recent years, has earned a reputation as a culinary hotspot, with inventive menus centered around locally sourced produce. Check out pretty courtyard restaurant the Yard, the healthy breakfasts and lunches at Stable Diet cafe, or the simple, affordable food of hip young chef Warren Gillen’s Cistín Eile. Meanwhile, in Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile, pioneering new restaurants showcase the talents of local chefs. Rive Gauche, for instance, combines Irish produce with French culinary flourishes. Alternatively, try Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland, with a long-standing restaurant scene to match. Bodega serves Mediterranean dishes prepared with local seafood and beef from the Comeragh mountains. La Boheme serves French staples, such as confit duck, in a beautiful Georgian building.

• Houses along the River Nore in Kilkenny. Photograph: Peter Zelei/Getty/Moment RF

Culture and creativity
For such a small nation, Ireland has a rich heritage of craft and design. The National Craft Gallery in Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile (which forms part of the Kilkenny Craft Trail) serves as a useful introduction to the Irish traditions of jewellery making, pottery, weaving and other cottage industries. The stable block at Kilkenny Castle is a working gallery and studio space, where you might catch young potters at the wheel, or meet other makers and producers.

Road-trip through history

• Blarney Castle. Photograph: Getty

Exploring Ireland’s Ancient East by car immediately immerses you in some 5,000 years of history. Start with the Boyne valley, where you’ll find ancient burial mounds at Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth (which comprise the Brú na Bóinne Unesco world heritage site). Slane Castle and Slane Castle Distillery are worth a tour, but don’t miss Trim Castle, Ireland’s largest Anglo-Norman castle. Ireland is a country where myths and legends merge into history, and you’ll definitely want to make a pilgrimage to medieval Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone, which bestows “the gift of the gab” on all who climb the steps to press their lips upon it.

Bed down in a country house hotel
One of the chief pleasures of an Irish road trip is the array of elegant country house hotels to choose from, often at refreshingly affordable prices. The elegant Athenaeum House hotel in Waterford is a superb choice, a canary-yellow Georgian manor on the banks of the River Suir. In Clonmel in County Tipperary, stylish digs are found at Hotel Minella, another Georgian architectural triumph, dating back to 1863. And less than an hour from Dublin, just outside Naas, sits the stately Victorian Killashee hotel and spa, with views over the Wicklow mountains and the Kildare countryside.

Irish Ferries offers three nights at the Hotel Minella with return cruise ferry for two adults and their own car, from £180 each; £228 each for the Athenaeum House hotel; or £226 for the Killashee hotel and spa. For more information visit irishferries.com