School Tours
Here at the Irish National Heritage Park, we share the stories of different peoples who settled in Ireland throughout its history and this story begins in the Stone Age.
Primary Schools
Our guided tours for primary schools are both educational and fun. Beginning in the Stone Age, an approx 90 minute tour brings children on a journey through Ireland’s past, as they wander through Prehistoric settlements, monuments and burial places, and up to the introduction of writing and Christianity. Bringing to life what students have learned in the classroom, they learn about farming in Iron Age Ireland and the invention of the world’s first automatic machine for grinding wheat into flour. The tour finishes with the arrival of the Vikings and Anglo-Normans. Some of the children might even discover that they are Vikings at the end of the tour!
Secondary Schools
Secondary school tours are approximately 90 minutes in length and cover Irish history from the Stone Age and Bronze Age, through to Early Christian Ireland, The Iron Age and Early Medieval period, which are part of the current curriculum. All tours refer to archaeology, excavations, and primary sources, showing how they are used to learn about how people lived, learned, farmed and fought throughout Ireland’s past. The park is one of Ireland’s largest outdoor museums, as well as a heritage park featuring reconstructed sites based on the latest archaeological finds within Ireland.
Additional Extras for School Tours
Birds Of Prey
Meet the Birds of Prey School Experience is with Resident Falconer, Jim O’Connor. See these incredible birds – hawks, owls, and falcons against a visually stunning backdrop at the top of the Hill of Carrig, overlooking the stunning River Slaney. Students will learn what the daily working life of a falconer is like and the care that goes into minding these majestic birds.
Daily Life Daily
Life in Viking Wexford School Experience. Students in over a one-hour experience, will be thought to think, behave, and breathe like one of the first Vikings to invaded, and live in Ireland. Set in the Royal House of the Crannog, Students will gain insights into Viking traditions and customs, before preparing for battle! Strike a Viking coin to bring home.
Language Schools
The Irish National Heritage Park offers an introduction to Irish history, beginning with the first settlers in the Stone Age, and continuing up to the arrival of the Vikings. This approximately 90-minute tour brings students through 9,000 years of Irish history, exploring Ireland’s past through Prehistoric buildings, a Stone Circle, a Ringfort, and a Viking House.
Third Level
The Irish National Heritage Park is a great facility for Students of History and Archaeology – especially Archaeology. It’s a great resource for experimental archaeology, showing students how prehistoric and early medieval buildings were constructed. The buildings in the park were all constructed under the supervision of Archaeologists. While almost all of the sites are reconstructions, there is an authentic site in the park – the site of the first Anglo-Norman fortification in Ireland. This was built by Robert FitzStephen in the winter of 1169.
What’s On
It’s always worth checking the calendar to see what’s coming up at The Irish National Heritage Park. Better still, why not join our mailing list and receive regular updates? There’s always something going on – you could say we’re making history every day!
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Birds of Prey
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Daily Life in the 10th Century
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Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Book Tickets
Booking your tickets on line before you arrive is convenient and it secures your place.
