Oldcastle is a nice small town in County Meath, Ireland.

It has a population of 2,209. Over 14% of its residents are from eastern Europe, according to CSO Census 2006 figures.

Get in

There are many ways to get to Oldcastle and lots to do during your visit.

Get around

On foot or taxi is the only option. The place is very small so taxi is unnecessary.

By bus

The following bus route provides service beyond the town, and may be useful to those who wish to explore the surrounding vicinity:

• Bus Éireann 187 operates northeast to Mount Nugent, Ballyjamesduff, Virginia and Kells, 4 times per day Monday to Saturday.

Route maps, including stop locations, are available by entering the route number into the TFI route mapper.

See

• 1 Loughcrew Cairns (Slieve na Calliagh, "the witches hills"). Daily 07:00-19:00. The largest collection of megalithic graves in Ireland, with 30 passsage tombs built around 3300 BC. (updated Jul 2019)
• Loughcrew Historic House and Gardens. 
• St. Oliver Plunkett’s Family Church. 
• Moylagh Castle. 
• St Brigid's Church. Where you can view a shrine of St Oliver Plunkett. 

Do

• Oldcastle is a centre for anglers and is about 6 km from Lough Ramor (County Cavan) and 10 km from Lough Sheelin. Sheelin is a good lake for trout and Ramor is famous for its coarse fishing.
• Loughcrew Demesne, an extensive park, covers a considerable part of the local countryside.
• Remains of Moylagh church and castle. The ruins of the church are very fragmentary and once belonged to the abbey of Fore in County Westmeath also only a few miles away.
• Le Cheile - Annual three day festival in the summer featuring music, art, workshops, comedy and street theatre.
• Saint Oliver Plunkett's mass is on the first Sunday in July every year and pilgrims from all over attend.
• Oldcastle’s Tidy Town Committee have been very busy working on a local project on the outskirts of the town and are hoping to complete the harvest walk later on in the year (2008?). The harvest walk is at "the long stoney" as it is called locally, and is a wonderful walkway.
• Oldcastle Pitch and Putt course is open seven days a week. Clubs can be hired from Farrelly's Pub which is on Church Street.

Buy

Lots of independent butchers, green grocers and a branch of Londis and a large SuperValu.

Kraft Kaffe is also worth a visit and hosts a large stock of local and national art work, and serves up some of the finest coffee you will find.

• Paterson's, Cavan St. M-Th 07:30-18:00, F-Sa 08:00-20:00, Su 08:00-13:30. Internet Access and DVD rental. 

Eat

A lot of take-aways with pizza, Chinese, Indian, fish & chips, etc.

• The Square, on the square. There was great excitement with the opening of Oldcastle's newest restaurant.

Drink

Plenty of pubs to choose from. Whether it's Irish music or a friendly chat with friends, the pub scene in Oldcastle has a lot to offer and the award winning black and white pub of the year, The Dublin Bar, with its old style decor and cosy atmosphere, is certainly worth a visit and is located in the centre of the town.

The Naper Arms Hotel has the Naper Tandy restaurant, and its Tunnel nightclub has DJs and a variety of local and national musicians playing every weekend.

Sleep

Some pubs will have rooms or there are a number of B&Bs to choose from. There are also two hotels in the town and Boolies Country Hotel just outside the town.Currans B&B is also located on the Millbrook Road in Oldcastle and is the ideal location for your stay in Oldcastle.

Go next

Loughcrew Cairns is worth a visit, but be sure to wear proper footwear as this site is the highest point in County Meath and can be dangerous after rainfall.