Glendalough Religious Site

Address: Glendalough Monastic Site, Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland

Website: https://www.visitwicklow.ie/

Hours: Site generally accessible year-round; visitor centre hours vary seasonally

Admission: Monastic site: free to visit outdoors; visitor centre and some services may charge a small fee - check local/Heritage Ireland info

Glendalough is a monastic settlement and valley in County Wicklow founded by St Kevin in the 6th century, set around two glacial lakes within the Wicklow Mountains. The site comprises compact early medieval ruins and a surrounding landscape of wooded slopes and walking trails.

Key surviving features include a tall stone round tower, the remains of churches and monastic buildings, and numerous carved grave slabs and crosses clustered in the monastic enclosure. The lakes and valley provide a range of trails from short circuits to longer hikes into the national park.

The site developed from an early Christian foundation into a significant medieval monastic centre and continued as a pilgrimage and devotional place over the centuries, with much surviving fabric dating to the early medieval and medieval periods. Conservation and visitor management focus on protecting the ruins and the valley landscape.

Glendalough lies in the Wicklow Mountains, a short drive south of Dublin, with dedicated car parks and a visitor centre near the Lower Lake that serves as the main starting point for walks.

• Founding and landscape: Founded by St Kevin in the 6th century, the site combines early medieval monastic ruins with a scenic glacial valley best explored on foot via marked trails.
• Walking and facilities: Multiple well-waymarked walks range from short lakeside routes to longer hikes in Wicklow Mountains National Park; visitor facilities are concentrated near the Lower Lake car park.

What to See#

• Round tower: The round tower, standing near the Upper Lake, measuring roughly 30 metres in height and serving as the site’s most visible medieval structure.
• Monastic city ruins: The monastic city area with the ruins of St Kevin’s Church, the cathedral and multiple small graveslabs and crosses clustered in a compact valley setting.
• Lakes and trails: Two glacial lakes known as the Upper and Lower Lakes that frame the monastic site and form the basis for a series of marked walking trails in the valley.

Glendalough is in County Wicklow’s valley of the rivers - the visitor centre and main parking are adjacent to the monastic sites and trailheads. By car it is about an hour south of Dublin (allow roughly 45-60 minutes depending on traffic) via the N11/M11 and regional roads.

There are regular coach and tour services from Dublin that stop at Glendalough; once at the visitor centre most points of interest are walkable on well‑marked trails (short walks from the car/coach drop‑off).

• Start at the Glendalough Visitor Centre to get up-to-date trail advice and park in the main car park; arrive early or late in the day to avoid school/coach-group peaks around the monastic ruins.
• If you want fewer people on the trails, take the Green Road or the longer Upper Lake/Spinc route later in the afternoon; the short monastic-city loop around the Round Tower is the most crowded section.
• Make time to walk beyond the lower lake-the Poulanass waterfall and the upper valley viewpoints are frequently missed by visitors who only see the monastic settlement.