East Coast and Midlands

• 🌍 Dublin is the lively unmissable capital of Ireland.
• 🌍 Bray on the Dublin / Wicklow boundary is a resort town with a scenic headland.
• 🌍 Malahide at the other end of County Dublin has a restored castle.
• 🌍 Trim has a well-preserved Norman castle and is near sites such as Hill of Tara.
• 🌍 Drogheda is a historic city and a good base for reaching Brú Na Bóinne.
• 🌍 Kildare has a cathedral with a fine Round Tower, and is near the Irish National Stud.
• 🌍 Portlaoise is a workaday place but it's near the bastion of Rock of Dunamase.
• 🌍 Tullamore is best known for its two whiskey distilleries.
• 🌍 Athlone on the Shannon has a sturdy castle and a pub dating from 900 AD.

• 🌍 Brú Na Bóinne Archaeological Park is a remarkable Neolithic site, with Newgrange its best known feature.
• 🌍 Glendalough is an extensive monastic complex in a scenic mountain valley.
• 🌍 Clonmacnoise is a medieval monastery on the banks of the Shannon.

In the souvenir tea-towel version of Irish history, Leinster was the large eastern territory of the four that made up Ireland, the others being Munster, Ulster and Connaught, with a High King presiding over all. In reality in early medieval times there were more like a dozen, forever warring and shifting boundaries, and recognising no overlords. The Normans arrived in the 12th century and began a land-grab, starting in the fertile lowlands of the south and east, and divided Ireland into shires or counties. Resistance from Leinster was a tad stiffer than they cared for, so they effectively bribed that kingdom to keep quiet. They also subdued Meath the kingdom to its north, and this became absorbed by Leinster, creating something like the present East Coast and Midlands Region.

The Normans pushed on west but were thrown back by the Gaels, and weakened by plague and internal strife. They held onto Dublin and an arc of territory — "The Pale" — extending roughly 150 km out, and it was only from the 16th century that the English Tudors were able to resume conquering the rest. The battles fought in Leinster were extensions of those in Great Britain: Cromwell's ruthless campaign against the Royalists, and King James' rearguard action against the Protestant King William. Thereafter, peace for the most part, and the region developed agriculture, industry and transport on modern lines. Georgian Leinster was very much part of Britain, with Dublin constructing its elegant wide streets and leafy squares, and even the formerly "beyond the Pale" County Offaly witnessing the world's first aviation disaster, cutting-edge astronomy, and the world's first automobile fatality. In the 19th century canals then railways snaked across terrain that was little impeded by mountains or bogs, and all these routes focussed on Dublin. They still do.

This meant that even before independence in 1921, the area was heavily built upon and its antiquities rifled or ploughed under. That build-up has continued in the century since, so it's remarkable how much heritage remains. There are prehistoric monuments older than the pyramids, ancient Christian sites, much-battered castles and stately mansions. Dublin is the place to start exploring because, quite apart from having the visitor amenities and transport connections, its excellent museums display the best of the region, indeed the best of the country. But you do need to get out from the city to the many places that can only be experienced on site. The region is promoted by the national tourist agency as "Ireland's Ancient East".

Dublin Airport (DUB ^IATA) is at the north edge of the city. It has a wide choice of flights at competitive fares, and direct buses across the entire region.

Trains run to Dublin Connolly from Belfast, Sligo and Rosslare ferry port, and to Dublin Heuston from Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.

Ferries sail to Dublin port from Liverpool, Holyhead and the Isle of Man. Dún Laoghaire is no longer a ferry port.

Motorways and bus routes radiate out from Dublin, so you can reach this region within 3 hours from almost anywhere in Ireland.

• Go to the races at Leopardstown south side of Dublin, The Curragh in Kildare (which hosts the five Irish Classic Horse Races), Punchestown near Naas which is a steeplechase course, or Fairyhouse in Meath.
• Play golf: lots and lots of courses especially on the Dublin outskirts.
• The Grand Canal and the Royal Canal stretch from the Liffey all the way west to the Shannon. They're navigable and have good towpaths.
• The Wicklow mountains start just south of Dublin, with Lugnaquilla at 925 m. The Slieve Bloom mountains further west only reach 527 m with Arderin.
• Long distance trails could take 2-3 days, or be broken up into easy hikes, such as the Wicklow Way, Offaly Way and Westmeath Way.

• Dublin has got the lot.
• Wicklow: Good spots are Roundwood Inn in Roundwood, Strawberry Tree in Aughrim, Happy Pear in Greystones and Ashford Oriental.
• Kildare: Naas and Kildare town have the most choice.
• Offaly: There's a good selection in Tullamore and Edenderry.

• Dublin around Temple Bar is tourist-trappy, with raucous hen parties upchucking onto the cobbles. Go a little way west or south for pubs of real character.
• Distilleries: Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin is on the tourist circuit but no longer in production, try Teelings. There are several in other towns, and Tullamore has both the D.E.W. and the Kilbeggan distilleries.
• Ancient pubs: the Brazen Head in Dublin claims to date from 1198 AD but is only documented from 1668. But Sean's in Athlone goes back to circa 900 AD.

Wrap up well in the Wicklow mountains, but the area is mostly lowland and the hazards are man-made - especially traffic.

• All the transport routes radiate out from Dublin, so a few hours on the road will bring you anywhere across Ireland.
• This region stretches to the border at Dundalk, so next stop north is Northern Ireland. Belfast and the Giant's Causeway are the big draws, but don't overlook the Mourne Mountains or Antrim glens.
• Southeast Ireland has attractive Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny.
• West cross the bogs and low-lying fields into Shannon Region and West Ireland, with prehistoric sites, the cities of Limerick and Galway, the Atlantic crashing against the Cliffs of Moher, and a scattering of small islands.