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Drogheda to Kilkenny: Ireland's Ancient East – Route Guide

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Newgrange passage tomb — Ireland's Ancient East
Photo: Stanley Howe · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Travel by car for four days through Drogheda and the Boyne Valley, Dublin, Glendalough and Kilkenny. Public walks explore towns, riversides, city streets, monastic landscapes and the Medieval Mile. Newgrange and Knowth tours, ticketed interiors, whiskey experiences, performances, long hikes and other organised activities are optional and need separate planning and current access arrangements.

Drogheda to Kilkenny: Ireland's Ancient East is a 212 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as a 4-day trip; the plan below is the 4-day version for June, built from 274 verified places, with planned transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

4
days
212km
distance
4
Stops
274
curated stops

View ready-made plans 4-day plan · best time to go

The route

Drogheda & the Boyne Valley→ 51 kmDublin→ 51 kmGlendalough & Wicklow→ 110 kmKilkenny

What you'll see

Monasterboice
Contemplate the 10th-century Round Tower and intricate High Crosses among monastery fragments.
Drogheda & the Boyne Valley
Christ Church Cathedral
Viking roots and soaring architecture define this ancient site.
Dublin
St Kevin's Church
Explore a small, reconstructed 11th-century church with a unique appearance.
Glendalough & Wicklow
Gowran
See St Mary's Collegiate Church, a mix of ruin and restored sections with a historic Ogham stone.
Kilkenny
St Peter's
Admire the grand architecture of this historic church, completed in 1793.
Drogheda & the Boyne Valley
Dublin Castle
Echoes of history resonate through medieval stone and grand rooms.
Dublin
St Saviour's Priory
Explore intricately carved ruins in Romanesque style from the 12th century.
Glendalough & Wicklow
Callan
Visit the Norman Motte-and-bailey and the ruins of an Augustinian Friary.
Kilkenny

Choose your length

4-day plan8 stops · 5.5 h transit2 stops/day · 1.4 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: May, June, July, August, September

Wicklow's gorse blazes yellow, monastic sites stay open late, and the Newgrange tour queue is a stroll rather than a siege.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

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View ready-made plans