The Office of Public Works (OPW), together with the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport are responsible for the a number of heritage sites of Ireland. They undertake protection and conservation of Ireland's heritage (specifically buildings and historic sites).
The following is a list of Government owned heritage sites in Ireland.
A-C Adare Castle – Adare County Limerick – A medieval fortified castle that was an important stronghold of the Earl of Desmond. Altamount Gardens – Tullow, County Carlow – Old world garden, Robinsonian in style. Ardfert Cathedral – Ardfert, County Kerry – 12th to 17th century Cathedral. Athenry Castle – Athenry, County Galway – 13th century, 3-storey tower house Aughnanure Castle – Oughterard, County Galway – 16th-century tower house. Ballyhack Castle – Ballyhack, County Wexford – 15th-century tower house built by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John Barryscourt Castle – Carrigtwohill, County Cork – 15th to 16th century Castle. Blasket Center – Dunchaoin, County Kerry – interpretation center for native language, culture and tradition of Blasket Islanders. Boyle Abbey – Boyle, County Roscommon – 12th century Cistercian Monastery. Brú na Bóinne – Donore, County Meath Neolithic monuments and interpretative centre. Cahir Castle – Cahir, County Tipperary Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery – County Sligo Neolithic monuments and interpretative centre. Céide Fields – County Mayo – Neolithic field system Connemara National Park – County Galway – 20 square kilometre park surrounding the Twelve Bens mountains. Coole Park Visitor Centre – Gort, County Galway, Nature reserve, former home of Lady Gregory, one of the founders of the Abbey Theatre Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre – Kenagh, County Longford – an Iron Age bog road, dating from 148BC.
D-K
Derrynane House – Caherdaniel, County Kerry – Ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell. Desmond Castle – Kinsale, County Cork – a 16th-century Custom house. Desmond Hall – Newcastlewest, County Limerick a 15th-century Castle. Donegal Castle – Donegal, County Donegal – a 15th-century Norman tower house with the addition of a 17th-century Jacobean Manor House. Doneraile Park – Doneraile, County Cork – an 18th-century landscaped park. Dromore Wood – Ennis, County Clare – Nature reserve. Dún Aonghasa – Inishmore, Aran Islands, County Galway – A prehistoric stone fort. Dungarvan Castle – Dungarvan, County Waterford, Castle with a 12th-century shell keep, with curtain wall, corner tower and gate tower. Dunmore Caves – Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny – limestone cave, site of Viking massacre in 928. Dwyer McAllister Cottage – Derrynamuck, County Wicklow – a traditional whitewashed cottage historically linked with the 1798 Rebellion. Emo Court – Emo, County Laois – a neo-classical house with extensive parklands Ennis Friary – Ennis, County Clare – 13th-century Franciscan Friary. Famine Warhouse 1848 – Ballingarry, County Tipperary – site of a skirmish in the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 Ferns Castle – Ferns, County Wexford – 13th-century castle featuring circular chapel, original fireplaces and a vaulted basement. Fota Gardens – Fota Island, Carrigtwohill, County Cork – 110,000 square metre park with ornamental pond and Italian walled gardens. Gallarus Castle – Ballydavid, County Kerry – a pre 1600 castle on the Dingle Peninsula built by the Knight of Kerry. Garnish Island – Bantry, County Cork – Island garden sheltered in Glengarriff harbour. Glebe House and Gallery – Churchill, Letterkenny, County Donegal – Regency House. Glendalough – Glendalough, County Wicklow – monastic site founded in 6th century, site has a Round Tower, stone churches and multiple stone crosses. Glenveagh National Park – Churchill, Letterkenny, County Donegal – 170 square kilometres of mountains, woodland and lakes. Heywood Gardens – Ballinakill, County Laois – Formal garden designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens Hill of Tara – Navan, County Meath – Seat of the High Kings of Ireland, Pre-Christian center of political and religious power. Holy Cross Abbey – Holycross, County Tipperary – 12th century abbey Jerpoint Abbey – Thomastown, County Kilkenny – Cistercian monastery. John F. Kennedy Arboretum – New Ross, County Wexford – 2.52 square kilometre arboretum dedicated to US President John F. Kennedy. Kells Priory – Kells, County Kilkenny Kilkenny Castle – Kilkenny, County Kilkenny – castle with extensive parklands. Killarney National Park – Killarney, County Kerry – 103 square kilometres of mountains, woodlands including the Lakes of Killarney. Kilmacurrage Arboretum – Rathdrum, County Wicklow
L-Q
Listowel Castle – Listowel, County Kerry – 13th century Castle. The Main Guard – Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary Maynooth Castle – Maynooth, County Kildare – 13th-century Castle. Muckross House – Killarney, County Kerry – Victorian House and Cardens located in Killarney National Park. Muckross Friary – Killarney, County Kerry – 15th century Franciscan friary. Newmills Corn and Flax Mills – Letterkenny, County Donegal – restored industrial buildings powered by watermill on the River Swilly. O'Dea Castle – County Clare – a 15th-century castle with high cross and visitor's centre Oldbridge Estate – site of Battle of the Boyne Old Mellifont Abbey – Tullyallen, Drogheda, County Louth – Ireland's first Cistercian abbey. Ormonde Castle – Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary – 1560s Elizabethan manor house Patrick Pearse's Cottage – County Galway Parke's Castle – County Leitrim Portumna Castle – Portumna, County Galway
R-Z
Rathfarnham Castle – Rathfarnham, County Dublin Reginald's Tower – Waterford, County Waterford Rock of Cashel – Cashel, County Tipperary – traditional seat of the Kings of Munster Roscrea Castle – Roscrea, County Tipperary Ross Castle – Killarney, County Kerry St. Mary's Church – Gowran, County Kilkenny Scattery Island Cathedral and Monastery – County Clare – early Christian place of pilgrimage Sligo Abbey – Sligo, County Sligo Swiss Cottage – Cahir, County Tipperary Tintern Abbey – County Wexford – Cistercian abbey Trim Castle – Trim, County Meath – Norman castle Wexford Wildfowl Reserve – North Slob, County Wexford
External reference Heritage Sites of Ireland, Pamphlet, OPW.
External links Heritage Ireland