Celebrating UNESCO at 80: Discover Ireland’s Most Exciting Sites on the Rise

Giant's Causeway in Sunset, Co Antrim

This year marks 80 years since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) was established in 1945. One of UNESCO’s most celebrated initiatives is the World Heritage Sites programme, which recognises and protects cultural and natural heritage sites of outstanding universal value.  

Ireland is blessed with a rich and unique heritage that stretches back to its very beginnings, and the island’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites reflect this history. There’s the spellbinding landscape of the Giant’s Causeway, with its hexagonal stones tumbling down to the crashing waves of the Atlantic. There’s the rocky outpost of Skellig Michael, an ancient Christian monastic island with spectacular cliffs and beehive-shaped stone huts. And there’s Brú na Bóinne, one of the most important prehistoric megalithic sites in Europe.  

With a diverse and celebrated cultural history, Ireland also boasts several designations within the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with uillean piping, hurling and Irish harping all inscribed on the list. And it doesn’t stop there! Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature, Galway is a UNESCO City of Film, and Belfast is a UNESCO City of Music – reminders that heritage here isn’t frozen in time, it’s woven into the fabric of everyday life.  

Given its wealth of ancient mysteries - from stone forts to imposing fortresses - it's no surprise that even more sites across the island have been recognized by UNESCO, placed on their World Heritage Tentative List. So, what’s next for Ireland’s UNESCO ambitions? From ancient landscapes to culturally significant landmarks, these locations offer a more under-the-radar experience for the curious traveller, and there is no time like the present to discover them. These are the sites to watch:  

Clonmacnoise, Monastic Site, Co Offaly

The monastic beauty of Clonmacnoise 

Sitting peacefully on the banks of the River Shannon, Clonmacnoise in County Offaly was an Early Christian site and centre of learning. At a time when much of Europe was in the so-called Dark Ages, Ireland was the “Island of Saints and Scholars”. From monastic sites such as Clonmacnoise, Glendalough and Mellifont Abbey, Irish monks set off in boats to take their scholarly learnings to faraway lands. Much has changed at Clonmacnoise since its foundation by St Ciarán in the 6th century, but elements are still well-preserved, including two imposing round towers, a cathedral, ruins of seven churches and several high crosses. Chief among them is the beautifully carved Cross of the Scriptures, a glorious piece of medieval art created in the 10th century. Standing over four metres tall, it depicts Christ’s Crucifixion, the Last Judgement and other stories from the Bible. Still surrounded by a peaceful landscape, Clonmacnoise remains a place of spiritual and historical significance. 

Reach for the stars 

Not far from here lies the site of another scholarly endeavour. The Great Telescope, also known as The Leviathan of Parsonstown, was built at Birr Castle in the 1840s by the Third Earl of Rosse. A colossal feat of engineering and science, this groundbreaking telescope revolutionised astronomy from right here in Ireland and the title of largest telescope in the world for over 70 years.  

Birr Castle is just one of three Historic Astronomical Observatories of Ireland that have been added to the World Heritage Tentative List. In County Dublin, the DIAS Dunsink Observatory has been a centre for astronomical research and public engagement in Ireland since it was built in 1785, while less than two hours' drive north, the Armagh Observatory, first established in 1790, is the oldest scientific institution in Northern Ireland. 

Lunar landscapes out west 

While visits to these centres of science will inspire thoughts of far-away planets, visitors to The Burren in County Clare are often left in awe by the lunar-like landscape of this wild and otherworldly corner of Ireland, which is part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark. 

In winter, its stark grey and deep green colours offer a special bleak beauty, that sits in almost silent anticipation of as the island of Ireland awaits the return of spring and summer. In these seasons, dappled bursts of yellow, purple, blue, and pink wildflowers bloom in the crevices of stone and beneath ancient archaeological sites - a harmonious blend of geology, botany, and human history. And as a bonus? This part of the world is home to some of the best pubs and traditional music venues on the island of Ireland. County Clare is probably one of Ireland’s best-kept secrets, so if you get a chance to stay, take it. 

Carrowkeel Megalithic Site, Co Sligo

The passage tombs of Sligo 

Further north, the Passage Tomb Landscape of County Sligo is one of Ireland’s most remarkable and yet to be disturbed prehistoric landscapes. This area is home to scores of tombs and stone cairns set in scenery that inspired our Nobel-winning poet WB Yeats, who spent his summers roving through the county’s valleys and climbing its oddly shaped hills and mountains. 

The passage tombs are found in two areas. To the north, along the county’s Wild Atlantic Way, is the Carrowmore complex and the Cúil Iorra peninsula. To the south, buried in the Bricklieve Mountains, is the Carrowkeel complex. The proposed heritage site includes over two dozen locations, covering approximately 16 sq km of Sligo’s most scenic and untouched terrain. Get there before it changes, and you’ll experience a UNESCO World Heritage Site in all but name. 

Soaking up serenity 

Our final recommendation covers a vast area of natural beauty in the northeast corner of Northern Ireland. The Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark covers almost 2,000 sq km of spectacular beauty forged by nature. The region boasts the dramatic Dromara Hills, scenic Strangford Lough, the Ring of Gullion and the famous Mourne Mountains, which sweep down to the sea and offer seven peaks over 700 metres with views as far as the Isle of Man and Scotland.  

Humans have left their mark on this landscape, shaping the land with agriculture and industry. The area is dotted with ancient Neolithic megaliths and cairns, frontier hill forts and earthen ramparts, high crosses and holy wells, as well as the graves of Ireland’s earliest saints, including celebrated St Patrick, who walked these hills before being laid to rest in nearby Downpatrick. Today, local honey producers, fishermen and farmers ply their trade alongside burgeoning local breweries, distilleries and restaurants. 

Set in landscapes of quiet grandeur, these timeless places offer more than beauty—they invite a deeper, more soulful encounter with Ireland’s enduring story. There’s no better time to see them for yourself.