Architecture in Ireland

Discover 21 places to experience unusual architecture in Ireland.

Cork City Gaol

This 19th-century prison once held Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz, writer Frank O’Connor, and a nine-year-old pickpocket.

Churchtown, Ireland

Hook Lighthouse

One of the oldest lighthouses in the world, this structure was built more than 800 years ago.

Dublin, Ireland

The Dragon Gates

Fantastic stainless steel dragon gates complete with mesh wings.

Plaque.

Cabinteely, Ireland

Brennanstown Standing Stone

One of Ireland's lesser-known megalithic structures.

Kilmacduagh, Co. Galway, Ireland

Galway, Ireland

Kilmacduagh Monastic Settlement

The ruins of a monastery that dates to the 7th century.

Though in ruins, the church is still remarkable.

Killeshin, Ireland

Killeshin Church

An elaborate Romanesque archway, built right before the British occupation of Ireland.

Kilcoe Castle

Kilcoe Castle

A stunning medieval castle owned and restored by the famed actor Jeremy Irons.

11th-century Sunken Structure.

Dublin, Ireland

Aungier Street Lidl Archaeology

This supermarket offers shoppers a window into the past alongside their groceries.

Samuel Beckett Bridge.

Dublin, Ireland

Samuel Beckett Bridge

Dublin's most modern, visually spectacular bridge is modeled after Ireland's national emblem.

A beehive house.

Fahan Beehive Huts

Ireland's most remarkable collection of these curious cone-shaped houses is worth the buzz.

The Grand Royal Arch Room.

Dublin, Ireland

Freemasons' Hall

The Grand Lodge of Ireland is one of the oldest in the world, full of fantastical, elaborately themed rooms.

Thoor Ballylee in Ireland.

Galway, Ireland

Thoor Ballylee

This 14th century tower house was once the home of Irish poet W.B. Yeats.

Howard pyramid mausoleum at Old Kilbride Cemetery in Arklow.

Wicklow, Ireland

Howard Mausoleum Pyramid

On the Irish coast, 18 members of the Howard family are eternally resting in an Egyptian pyramid.

The entrance to Kilmacurragh House, covered by exotic plants and trees

Wicklow, Ireland

Kilmacurragh House

Oliver Cromwell once seized the land under this house, which included the ruins of a medieval abbey that the owner used to build his stately home.

The GPO at night

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin General Post Office

The modern birthplace of Irish freedom.

Fiddaun Castle

Galway, Ireland

Fiddaun Castle

A remarkably intact castle that once was the largest in Ireland.