Should I Buy A Heritage Card?
The short answer is yes!
Let's find out a little more about the O.P.W. Heritage Sites and the Heritage Card.
First of all - What is a heritage card?
A heritage card allows free entry into all of the paid O.P.W Heritage Sites for one year.
Ok, who are the O.P.W.?
The Office of Public Works is responsible for caring for, maintaining and operating the country’s most important heritage sites.
What are the Heritage Sites?
Heritage sites are places of cultural importance ranging from islands (Skellig Michael), historical houses (Castletown House), castles (Rock Of Cashel) and national parks (Glenveagh National Park). There are nearly 50 paid attractions managed by the O.P.W. and many more are free.
Right, how much does it cost?
The Heritage Card costs;
- €40 for adults, €30 for over 60s
- €10 for students
- €10 for children under 18 and
- €90 for a family of 2 adults and up to 7 kids
Your Heritage Card can be used for one year from the day that you buy it.
Who Should Buy A Heritage Card?
If you regularly visit Irish Heritage Sites or would like to visit them more often, it's a no-brainer.
€40 is a bargain for a pass that allows you to visit places like Clonmacnoise, Kilmainham Gaol and the Rock Of Cashel. Never mind the lesser known gems such as Doneraile Park, Boyle Abbey and Parke's Castle that you can discover.
Suppose you visit Doneraile Wildlife Park, Kilkenny Castle, The Rock Of Cashel, Clonmacnoise, Castletown House and Kilmainham Gaol within a 12 month period.
The total cost, including guided tours in Castletown House and Kilkenny Castle, will be €54. That's €14 more than the price of an adult heritage card and you have only visited one heritage site every two months.
Imagine the value you could get if you visited one heritage site every month or fortnight. Or the value if you are a student (€10) or a family (€90).
I'm in, where can I get one?
You can buy your heritage card at many of the OPW Heritage Sites.
What Heritage Sites are on Scratchable Map Ireland?
There are 19 Heritage Sites on Scratchable Map Ireland. You could get almost one third of the map scratched using your Heritage Card alone!
- Glenveagh National Park, County Donegal
- Parke's Castle, County Leitrim
- Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon
- Ceide Fields, County Mayo
- Dun Aonghasa, County Galway
- Burren National Park, County Clare
- Doneraile Wildlife Park, County Cork
- Killarney National Park, County Kerry
- Muckross House, County Kerry
- Skellig Michael, County Kerry
- Cahir Castle, County Tipperary
- Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny
- Reginald's Tower, County Waterford
- Rock Of Cashel, County Tipperary
- Bru Na Boinne Visitor Centre (Newgrange), County Meath
- Castletown House, County Kildare
- Clonmacnoise, County Offaly
- Glendalough, County Wicklow
- Kilmainham Gaol, County Dublin
Did you know that you can visit many of the O.P.W. Heritage Sites for free on the first Wednesday of every month.
Looking for a beautiful way to record your journey around Ireland? Check out Scratchable Map Ireland.
Hear a locals view on visiting Cahir, County Tipperary.
Get the inside track about visiting Kilkenny City.
