Things to do in Donore

If you’re here with older children why not head to Tayto Park Farm, where you can get up close to farm animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys and cows. Alternatively, you could also visit Tayto Park’s woodland safari, where you’ll be able to see some more unusual creatures including wolves, foxes, exotic birds of prey and even some big cats.

Malahide Castle itself has been in the Talbot family for over 800 years. An exhibition on the ground floor takes visitors on an interactive journey through the history of both the family and the castle itself. Malahide Castle’s landscaped gardens are another of its key features. Over 5,000 different species of plant grow here, making this one of the most varied and luxurious botanical gardens on offer in the Replublic of Ireland.

In 1991, a terrible fire ravaged the castle, destroying much of the interior and requiring an extensive 10-year restoration project to bring back its former glories. The work was meticulously carried out and much of the original detail and design lovingly reimagined.

In the form of a large circular structure, the inside of Newgrange is filled with stone passageways and large chambers, with the whole building ringed by 97 colossal kerbstones. Today we can only guess at the exact purpose for which it was constructed, but archaeologists believe it must have been a kind of tomb or sacred temple.

The ruins at Trim were once Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle. It was built in the 12th Century over a period of 30 years, under the watchful eyes of Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter, staunch followers of Henry II of England.