Private Hire Day Tours with Michael Fox, National Tour Guide and Professional Driver
Discover Ireland’s Ancient East with private, fully guided day tours centred on the Boyne Valley and its extraordinary layers of prehistory, early Christianity, and medieval heritage. Separate full day tours are also available to County Wicklow, renowned for its dramatic landscapes, historic estates, and beautifully landscaped gardens.
A guided introduction to Brú na Bóinne, where timed visits to Newgrange and Knowth sit at the heart of the day. From there the itinerary moves on to the royal landscape of the Hill of Tara and the historic heights of the Hill of Slane, linking prehistoric monuments with early Irish kingship and tradition.
€675 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees.
Follow the Boyne Valley's medieval story from fortress walls to monastic cloisters. The day features Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman keep at Trim Castle, Cistercian foundations at Mellifont Abbey and Bective Abbey, and the round tower and high crosses of Monasterboice, with time for the Hill of Slane when the itinerary allows.
€675 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees.
Built for travellers who want deeper time among Meath's Stone Age monuments. Official visits to Newgrange and Knowth are followed by quieter tombs at Dowth and Fourknocks, where carved stones and chamber spaces can be experienced at a more unhurried pace.
€675 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees.
Leave Dublin for the mountain roads of County Wicklow, where lake viewpoints and forest valleys lead to the monastic city of Glendalough. Founded by Saint Kevin in the sixth century, Glendalough combines round tower, ruined churches, and lakeside walks in one of Ireland's most atmospheric valleys.
€675 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees.
A gentler Wicklow day shaped around estate gardens and open mountain views. Expect time among the formal landscapes of Powerscourt, the rare plant collections at Kilmacurragh, and scenic drives across the Wicklow uplands, with photo stops rather than a packed monument schedule.
€675 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees.
Newgrange forms part of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site and is a Neolithic passage tomb built over 5,000 years ago. It is renowned for its stone art and its precise alignment with the Winter Solstice sunrise.
Knowth is the largest of the three great passage tombs at Brú na Bóinne, built around 3200 BC. It is distinguished by its twin passages and by the extraordinary quantity of megalithic art carved on its kerbstones, representing one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric art in Europe.
Dowth is a Neolithic passage tomb dating to around 3200 BC and forms part of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage landscape. Less excavated than Newgrange or Knowth, it retains a more enigmatic character and appears to have been associated with solar events linked to the winter period.
Fourknocks Passage Tomb dating back 5,000 years
Fourknocks is a Neolithic passage tomb later reused in the Bronze Age. Quieter and less visited than Brú na Bóinne, it offers an intimate insight into Ireland’s prehistoric funerary landscape.
The Hill of Tara is the great ceremonial landscape traditionally associated with the High Kings of Ireland. Its earthworks, monuments, and commanding views make it one of the most symbolically important sites in Irish history.
Bective Abbey is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1147 and closely connected to Mellifont. Its surviving cloister and riverside setting make it one of the most atmospheric monastic ruins in County Meath.
Trim Castle is Ireland’s largest Anglo-Norman fortress, raised by Hugh de Lacy beside the River Boyne. The grounds are free to explore, while access to the keep is by guided OPW tour.
Monasterboice is one of Ireland’s most important early Christian monastic sites, celebrated for its outstanding high crosses, including Muiredach’s Cross, among the finest examples of medieval stone carving in Ireland.
The Hill of Slane rises above the River Boyne and is closely linked with Ireland’s conversion to Christianity. Tradition holds that Saint Patrick lit the Paschal fire here in defiance of pagan law.
The Hill of Skryne lies close to Tara and has long associations with kingship and early medieval history. Tradition records that relics linked with Saint Colmcille were brought here for safekeeping during times of unrest.
Duleek, meaning “the House of Stone”, was an important early Christian centre associated with Saint Cianán. The site includes the remains of St Mary’s Abbey and a churchyard rich in medieval and later memorials.
Kells is a historic monastic town with a strong early medieval heritage. The site is known for its impressive stone crosses and the nearby Spire of Lloyd, an unusual inland lighthouse offering wide views across the surrounding countryside.
Tlachtga, also known as the Hill of Ward, is closely associated with the festival of Samhain. Tradition speaks of a great ceremonial fire lit here, with flames carried to other royal hills across the region.
Fore Abbey in County Westmeath was founded by Saint Feichin in the 7th century and later developed as a Benedictine priory under the de Lacy lordship. The ruins are set in a peaceful valley and are linked locally with the “Seven Wonders of Fore”.
A day tour to County Wicklow offers a contrast to the Boyne Valley, with mountain scenery, historic routes, and peaceful valleys. Highlights often include Glendalough and the dramatic landscapes of the Wicklow Mountains.