The Historical Tour!

This tour will take you through the Middle of the West, letting you experience firsthand the taste of Ancient Irish Culture, as well as some of its more recent achievements. From the stone age, through the bronze, iron and middle ages, many different peoples have left their mark on this beautiful, haunting countryside. Our tour guides will show you the highlights and remarkably well preserved remnants of these civilisations!

Galway Crystal Heritage Centre
This centre includes various exhibits, a celebration of this ancient city's rich and colourful legacy. Your guided tour will illustrate and illuminate the intricacies of the crystal making process, while also depicting the influences that led to these beautiful creations. Also see the Claddagh village exhibition, Galway Hooker exhibition, and the hall of the tribes!

Athenry Medieval Town
Athenry, 15 miles east of Galway, proudly claims to be the finest surviving medieval town in Ireland. Founded about 1235 by the de Bermingham's as Connaught's second major town, it became 'fossilized' after its disastrous sacking in 1579 by Red Hugh O'Donnell. As a result, Athenry still retains more and better medieval monuments than anywhere else in the country.
Not only is Athenry's street-plan unchanged since medieval times, but its town walls, with wide surrounding moat, five out of six wall towers and one fine arched gateway surviving, are without doubt the most impressive and best of their period.

Turoe Stone and Pet Farm
The Turoe Stone is one of the most instantly recognisable examples of ancient art in Ireland. It is the best example, from a select few surviving examples, of a Celtic art style called La Tène. Also nearby is the Turoe petting zoo, perfect for families, with a wide selection of animals, and a feeling of community with the countryside.

Aughrim Interpretative Centre
The battle of Aughrim Interpretative Centre tells the story of the deadly battle fought at Aughrim, deciding much of the fate of the country for centuries to come. The centre contains artifacts and descriptions of the battle itself and the opposing sides.

Coole Park
Coole Park outside Gort in County Galway was the home of Lady Augusta Gregory, dramatist and co-founder with Edward Martyn and W.B. Years of the Abbey Theatre. The area is also a National Nature Reserve due to its great wildlife importance - its native woodlands and turloughs.The visitor centre uses multimedia presentations, models, exhibitions and audio visual to inform the visitor of both the natural and literary heritage of the area.

Kilmacduagh Round Tower
Kilmacduagh, north of Limerick in county Galway, is the tallest of the Irish towers at 34 meters and, while quite stable, appears to be tilting dramatically. Little is known of the adjoining monastery, probably founded in the early 7th century, and the round tower was erected sometime in the 10th or 11th centuries.