The Newcastle Lyons Audio Guide takes you on a journey of exploration that spans thousands of years, from the graves of Newcastle’s Prehistoric settlers to its international sporting heroes of today. Join us as we explore one of Dublin’s most historic villages!

The village of Newcastle is a place with an ancient history, a history that remains preserved in the landscape, everywhere you look. The settlement developed in the shadow of Liamhain, Lyons Hill, one of Leinster’s great royal sites where Kings of Leinster were inaugurated in early medieval times.

The earliest major settlement at Newcastle appears to be a great religious enclosure, 700 metres in width in the heart of the village. This site may have had connections to St Finian, known as the “Tutor of the Saints of Ireland,” as his name remains closely associated with the village to this day. Tantalising glimpses of this early church site can still be seen, in the form of the granite cross and pillar stone in the Church of Ireland grounds.

The village also has connections to the Normans who arrived in the 12th century. They established a Royal Manor with a motte, which gave the place its name: Newcastle. To this day, the village retains some of the best-preserved traces of medieval settlement to be found anywhere in Ireland.

Besides ancient inauguration sites and great religious enclosures, Newcastle offers visitors much more to explore. Our guide will take you on a journey through the village’s fascinating history. We will hear stories of mythological murder, international sporting glory, and everything in between. We will also learn about the Bronze Age people who lived here and the lives and experiences of countless generations of Newcastle residents.

This audio guide is designed to accompany the Newcastle Lyons Heritage Trail. This trail is 5km in length and takes visitors to a number of interpretation panels in the village of Newcastle and the surrounding countryside. However, you can also enjoy the audio guide from the comfort of your own home, so join us as we explore millennia of stories in one of Dublin’s most historic villages!

The Newcastle Lyons Audio Guide

This audio guide was written and produced by Abarta Heritage on behalf of the Newcastle Lyons Heritage Trail Committee. It was funded by Fingal Leader Partnership and South Dublin County Council. The audioguide was written by Damian Shiels and edited by Róisín Burke. Narration was by Paula Rouse and the guide was recorded in Bluebird Studios, County Dublin, with sound engineer Declan Lonergan and producer Tara Clarke.