46 Best Sights in The Southeast, Ireland

In the former town courthouse, Lismore Heritage Center and its exhibits focus on the town's Celtic origins and its links to famous people from Sir Walter Raleigh to Prince Charles to Fred Astaire. Lismore Experience, an impressive video presentation, charts the history of the town from its monastic 7th-century origins up to the present day, with a virtual reality tour of the castle an additional option. The center also has a large crafts shop, and the Robert Boyle Escape Room is a fun way to uncover the great discoveries of the noted local 17th-century scientist.

Waterford's newest museum cleverly incorporates two medieval-era structures within its walls. Inside, the focus is on Waterford's rich Norman history. A collection of rare and beautiful artifacts includes the Charter Roll of 1372, a list of all charters granted to Waterford up to that time, written in Latin. Also here you'll find the sword of King Edward IV and 15th-century "Cloth of Gold" religious vestments—a true work of art. There's a detailed audiovisual display to add to the experience.

The first post-Reformation monastery, Mount Melleray Abbey was founded in 1832 by the Cistercian Order in what was then a barren mountainside wilderness. Over the years the order has transformed the site into more than 600 acres of fertile farmland. The monks maintain strict vows of silence, but you're welcome to join in services throughout the day and are permitted into most areas of the abbey. It's also possible to stay in the guest lodge. There's a small heritage center about the history of Irish monasticism with a few ogham stones and a short film.

This small museum tells the tale of the United Irishmen and the ill-fated 1798 rebellion.

The end of the line for car ferries to and from Fishguard (3½ hours) and Pembroke (3¾ hours) in Wales, Cherbourg (19½ hours) in France, and Bilbao in Spain (28 hours) is Rosslare Harbour, 8 km (5 miles) south of the village. Irish Ferries and Stena Sealink have small kiosks in the ultramodern terminal, which also has lockers, a café, and a sprawling waiting room. You can purchase ferry tickets at the terminal, but reservations are also a must if you're traveling by car, because space is at a premium. Connecting bus and rail stations are also here.

There's a feeling of time travel as you step off the busy main street and into one of Ireland's finest examples of a Tudor-era merchant's house. Built by John Rothe between 1594 and 1610, this medieval complex with stone-wall courtyards (one of which houses a medieval well) is owned by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and houses a collection of Bronze Age artifacts, ogham stones (carved with an early Celtic alphabet), and period costumes. The Burgage Garden re-creates, down to the plant types themselves, a typical 17th-century Irish merchant's garden. There's also a genealogical research facility to help you trace your ancestry.

Ireland's largest bird sanctuary, the Saltee Islands make a fine day trip from Kilmore Quay. You can see kittiwakes, puffins, guillemots, cormorants, gulls, and petrels, especially in late spring and early summer when several million seabirds nest among the dunes and rocky scarp on the southernmost of the two islands. From mid-May to mid-September, look for boats at the village waterfront or on the marina to take you to the islands, weather permitting.

Standing on a commanding site overlooking the Slaney, the Gothic Revival structure of St. Aidan's was built in the mid-19th century under the direction of Augustus Welby Pugin, famed architect of the Houses of Parliament in London.

Built, as the name implies, by the Vikings in the mid-11th century, this church has one sole extant remnant: its original door, which has been incorporated into the wall of a meeting hall.

With its distinctive clock tower and grand entrance portico, this limestone-marble building on Parliament Street stands on the site of the execution of poor Petronilla, the "witch" burned at the stake in the 14th century in lieu of her mistress, Dame Alice Le Kyteler. Built in 1761, burned down in 1985, and then completely rebuilt, Tholsel now houses the city's municipal archives and council offices. Musicians often busk in the portico, and city walking tours are sometimes allowed inside to explore. Adjacent to the Tholsel is Alice's Castle, a town jail rather grandly fitted out in 18th-century architectural ornamentation.

This arts and culture center contains the local tourist office and the Tipperary Family History research center—a top spot for all those tracking down their Irish roots.

One of Waterford's finest Georgian buildings, Waterford City Hall dates from 1783 and was designed by native son John Roberts. The arms of Waterford hang over the entrance, which leads into a spacious foyer that originally served as a town meeting place and merchants' exchange. The building contains an enormous 1802 Waterford glass chandelier, which hangs in the Council Chamber (a copy hangs in Independence Hall in Philadelphia). The Victorian horseshoe-shape Theatre Royal is the venue for the annual Festival of Light Opera in September.

Of the five fortified gateways through the Norman and Viking town walls, Westgate is the only one remaining. The early-13th-century tower has been sensitively restored. Keep an eye out as you wander this part of town for other preserved segments of the old town walls.

Once the scene of bull baiting, a cruel medieval sport that was popular among the Norman nobility, this arena was sad witness to other bloody crimes. In 1649, Cromwell's soldiers massacred 300 panic-stricken townspeople who had gathered here to pray as the army stormed their town. The memory of this heartless leader has remained a dark folk legacy for centuries and is only now beginning to fade.

Wexford's grand and hoary landmark, the Theatre Royal, has been entirely rebuilt to serve as the Wexford Opera Theatre for the world-famous Wexford Opera Festival, held here during the last two weeks of October and the beginning of November. The strikingly modern, Keith Williams–designed building is custom-built for opera and offers fabulous views out over Mt. Lenister to the northwest and Tuskar Rock lighthouse to the southeast. The surprisingly large main auditorium seats 749 with a smaller second space for 172. Year-round, touring companies and local productions are also seen at these venues.

A nature lover's paradise, Wexford Wildlife Reserve is just a short walk across the bridge from the main part of town. It shelters a third of the world's Greenland white-fronted geese. As many as 10,000 of them spend their winters on the mudflats (known locally as "slobs"), which also draw ducks, swans, and other waterfowl. Observation hides are provided for bird-watchers, and an audiovisual show and exhibitions are available at the visitor center.