Kells’s places to visit, starting with Kells High Crosses
Most of what there is to see is castles or historic places: 5 of 6. 5 places to visit are mapped inside Kells’ urban area, and one more within 5 km of its edge. Walking distance covers 5 of them, all within 1 km of the middle. A drive of 20 km brings you to Trim Castle.
Most famous in Kells
Kells High Crosses aside, the next best known are a museum, an abbey or priory and a church.
Historic houseKells High Crossesin townMuseumMuseumKells Courthouse - Tourism and Cultural Hubin townAbbey or prioryAbbey or prioryKells Historic Trailin townChurchChurchSt Columba's Churchin townHistoric siteHistoric siteKells Round Towerin townHistoric houseHistoric houseSpire of Lloyd and People's Park100 m outside town, to the westEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The places, mapped
Out at 1.9 km is Spire of Lloyd and People's Park, the farthest.
The dashed line is Kells’ urban area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · CSO 2022 outline
What is on offer
Most common are castles or historic places: 5 of 6.
Green: inside Kells. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
Every entry
The 5 inside Kells come first, then one more within 5 km of its edge.
The 5 inside Kells come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches, protected structures and monuments belong to the History page, not here.
Monuments and historic buildings in Kells → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Kells →
For a day out
Leading the 12 is Trim Castle, 20 km away; they include 6 castles and 4 abbeys or priories.
Castle · Office of Public WorksTrim Castle20 km south
CastleSlane Castle21 km east
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksOld Mellifont Abbey27 km east
Abbey or prioryBective Abbey20 km southeast
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksFore Abbey24 km west
Historic houseMonasterboice High Cross and Round Tower31 km east
CathedralCathedral of Christ the King38 km southwest
CastleClonyn Castle19 km southwest
Abbey or prioryClonard Abbey32 km south
CastleDurhamstown Castle10 km southeastCastleCastleDunmoe Castle17 km east
CastleCabra Castle22 km northPlaces well known beyond Kells (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Office of Public Works or National Parks and Wildlife Service property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Places to visit in Kells: questions
What are the main attractions in Kells?
The best known inside Kells’ urban area are Kells High Crosses, Kells Courthouse - Tourism and Cultural Hub, Kells Historic Trail and St Columba's Church. In all, 5 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 1 more within 5 km.
Does Kells have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Kells: Kells Courthouse - Tourism and Cultural Hub.
Is there a Heritage Ireland (OPW) or national park property near Kells?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Trim Castle (Office of Public Works), 20 km south.
What are the best-known days out near Kells?
Within 40 km: Trim Castle (20 km), Slane Castle (21 km), Old Mellifont Abbey (27 km), Bective Abbey (20 km).
How is this list made?
From Fáilte Ireland’s open data on attractions (museums, castles, historic houses, abbeys, gardens, national parks, landscapes, islands, zoos and visitor farms: restaurants, pubs, shops and tour operators are left out), OpenStreetMap (places open to visitors; a ruined castle on farmland needs a sign it can be visited) and Wikidata (what each place is, who looks after it, its Wikipedia articles), merged into one list and placed in the town’s CSO 2022 outline or within 5 km of its edge.
Places to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in each town’s CSO 2022 outline. Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (12)
- Kells High Crosses: Pinacle, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Trim Castle: Billy Irwin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Slane Castle: Sitomon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Old Mellifont Abbey: Hopmans at nl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bective Abbey: Klennon77, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fore Abbey: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Monasterboice High Cross and Round Tower: Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral of Christ the King: Mullingar, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Clonyn Castle: Gavigan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clonard Abbey: Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Durhamstown Castle: Garry Dickinson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cabra Castle: Joseph Mischyshyn, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).