Knights & Conquests Heritage Centre

Journey through Norman Ireland

At theKnights & Conquests Heritage Centre in Granard, County Longford, you will experience what it was like to be alive during Norman Ireland, journeying back to a time of knights and conquest!

Expert tour guides will introduce you to the very start of your journey back through history. Kids will have a chance to dress up in Norman clothing and receive their Noman name and duties for their visit and details of their interactive quiz to help them have fun while learning. 

You will then go at your own pace with a self-guided tour, free to ask questions to our tour guides who will never be too far away!

Along your journey, you will come face-to-face with famous characters from the time including Henry II, King Rory O’Connor and Pope Adrian IV. These help to bring history to life! For instance, hear what Rory O’Connor did to poor Diarmuid’s son! It is not pretty. You’ll also be able to visit a recreated Norman home and learn how they lived. Meet our Norman Knight to find out all about the weapons the Normans used. Find out if you have a Norman name or dig for artefacts in our Norman CSI room.

Your journey ends with a 500-year leap in history to Kitty Kiernan’s drawing room dedicated to one of Granards most famous residents and learn of Granard's history during the 1798 Rebellion and Kitty’s place in the War of Independence through her relationship with her fiance Michael Collins. Your visit will end with a beautiful and poignant audio-visual illustration from Kitty herself of life in Granard in the 1920s, the Civil War and her love for Michael.

Granard Motte

During your visit, you can see Ireland’s tallest Norman Motte, Granard Motte, standing an impressive 534 feet above sea level. When built in 1199, it was one of the largest Motte and Baily settlements in Ireland. It was built by Risteárd de Tiúit (anglicised as Richard Tuite), an Anglo-Irish nobleman who was the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Standing on the top of the motte is a statue of St Patrick, which was erected in 1932 to mark the coming of the Saint to Ireland in 432AD.

Before or after your visit, eat at The Bailey Café, with teas, coffees and baked treats to enjoy!

Book your visit

Find out more, including how to book your visit, on KnightsAndConquest.ie. 

Ahead of your visit, listen to the Longford Tourism podcast episode all about the Knights & Conquest Centre in Granard