Days Out NI
Ancient Site · Living History Armagh, Co. Armagh

Navan Fort (Emain Macha)

A vast, free-to-walk hilltop earthwork — the legendary royal capital of ancient Ulster, with a Celtic living-history centre alongside.

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Fort: open year-roundCentre: Tue–Sun 10am–4pm
Fort free · Centre ticketedCentre from £12.50 adult
Killylea Road2 miles west of Armagh
Get directions
Half a dayHow long
All agesBest for
Outdoor + centreFort & museum
FreeParking
Fort freeCentre ticketed

A huge ring of bank and ditch crowning a green hill, with an ancient mound at its heart — this is Emain Macha, and legend crowns it the royal seat of the Kings of Ulster. Walking the earthwork is completely free.

  • What it is — one of Ireland's great ancient ceremonial sites: a 250-metre circular earthwork with a central grassy mound, on a low hill about 2 miles west of Armagh. You can walk right up over it and take in the huge sweep of the enclosure and the country beyond.
  • The myth — the sagas tell that this was Emain Macha, capital of the Kings of Ulster and home of Conchobar mac Nessa and his Red Branch Knights. It's the setting of the Ulster Cycle — the great cycle of tales starring the hero Cú Chulainn.
  • The Navan Centre — living history — beside the fort, an award-winning visitor centre where you meet a resident Celtic clan: costumed interpreters in a recreated Iron-Age roundhouse, ancient crafts to try, dressing-up for the kids and a mythology film.
  • Free vs paid — the fort/earthwork itself is free to walk, open year-round. The Navan Centre is ticketed: around £12.50 adult, £8.50 child (5–17), £10.50 concession, family £37 — confirm current rates on the day.
  • Getting there & parking — 81 Killylea Road, Armagh BT60 4LD, with free on-site parking. There's a coffee shop, toilets and a woodland walk at the centre.
  • The mound is open grass with no shelter — it's a real hill to climb, atmospheric in any light but exposed to the wind, so bring a coat and decent shoes. The Centre's guided Celtic experiences run to set times, so check the day's schedule when you book.
Plan your visit

Two days in one — a free hill to walk, and a paid centre to meet the Celts

There are two ways to enjoy Navan, and you can do either or both. The ancient fort itself is a free, open-access historic monument — walk out to the hill, climb the great earthwork bank and stand on the central mound with the whole enclosure spread around you, any day of the year. Right beside it, the Navan Centre is the ticketed living-history experience: costumed interpreters welcome you into a recreated Iron-Age roundhouse as the "resident Celtic clan", there's a mythology film on the Ulster Cycle, hands-on ancient crafts, dressing-up and a discovery room for children, plus a coffee shop and woodland walk. The Centre runs Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10am–4pm (coffee shop a little later) — the guided Celtic sessions run to set times through the day, so pick your slot when you book. Tickets are around £12.50 adult, £8.50 child (5–17), £10.50 concession and £37 family — confirm the current prices when you book.

Half a day Celtic living history Free parking Coffee shop & woodland walk Grassy hill · exposed mound
Good to know before you set off:

The fort is free and open all year, but the mound is a grassy hill with no shelter — grand in any weather, just come with a coat and shoes that cope with grass. The Navan Centre is closed on Mondays and its Celtic living-history sessions run to a daily timetable, so book ahead and check the times. Prices and hours can change seasonally — confirm on the day.

Before you set off

What to wear and bring

  • 🧥A coat and layersThe mound is an exposed hilltop with no shelter — the fresh, breezy air is part of its atmosphere, and a good coat keeps everyone happy up top.
  • 👟Sturdy shoes or welliesYou're climbing a real grassy hill that can be soft or muddy after rain — proper shoes make the walk up the earthwork easy.
  • 📷Your camera or phoneThe view from the top over the great ring of the enclosure and the Armagh countryside is the shot of the day.
  • 🧺A picnic (if it's a fair day)There's a coffee shop and picnic area at the centre — pack a flask and something to eat and make a leisurely morning of it.
Good to know

Everything before you go

The fort
The ancient earthwork of Navan Fort is a free, open-access State Care historic monument — open year-round, no ticket needed. Walk out to the hill and up over the great circular bank and ditch to the central mound.
The Navan Centre
The living-history visitor centre beside the fort — ticketed. Costumed Celtic interpreters, a recreated Iron-Age roundhouse, an Ulster Cycle mythology film, hands-on crafts, dressing-up and a children's discovery room.
Cost
Fort free. Navan Centre around £12.50 adult, £8.50 child (5–17), £10.50 student/senior and £37 family (2 adults + up to 3 children). Confirm current prices when you book.
Opening
Fort: open all year. Navan Centre: Tuesday–Sunday, roughly 10am–4pm (last entry earlier; coffee shop open a little later). Closed Mondays. Booking ahead is advised — confirm hours on the day.
Living history
The guided Celtic experiences and roundhouse sessions run to set times through the day — pick a slot when you book so you catch the interpreters, not just the exhibition.
How long
Allow around half a day to walk the fort and take in the centre with a coffee. Just walking the earthwork is an easy hour if you're passing.
Best for
All ages — families with the dressing-up and discovery room, and anyone who loves ancient history and myth. School groups are well catered for.
Food
The Ancient Grounds coffee shop at the centre does scones, homemade baking and light lunches, and there's a picnic area. Free to visit without a centre ticket.
Accessibility
The visitor centre and the woodland walk at the base of the hill are accessible. The fort itself is a grassy hill with slopes — not suitable for wheelchairs or those who struggle on uneven ground.
Toilets
Toilets at the visitor centre.
Parking
Free on-site parking at the centre.
Weather
The mound is open and exposed, so it's atmospheric in any light — mist, low sun or a bright blue day all suit it — just bring a coat, and the centre gives you a warm, dry base whatever the sky does.
Questions

Before you go

Is Navan Fort free to visit?
Yes — the ancient earthwork itself is a free, open-access historic monument you can walk any day of the year. The separate Navan Centre next door, with the Celtic living-history experience, is ticketed (around £12.50 adult) — so you can do the hill for free and add the centre if you like.
What's the difference between the fort and the centre?
The fort is the ancient hilltop earthwork — free to walk. The Navan Centre is the modern visitor centre beside it: costumed Celtic interpreters, a recreated Iron-Age roundhouse, a mythology film, crafts and a children's discovery room, plus a coffee shop. Together they make a rich half-day.
What are the opening hours?
The fort is open year-round. The Navan Centre runs Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10am to 4pm (closed Mondays), with the coffee shop open a little later. The Celtic experiences run to set times, so book ahead and confirm hours on the day.
Is it good for children?
Yes — kids love dressing up as Celts, meeting the resident clan in the roundhouse and the discovery room at the centre, and there's plenty of space to run on the open hill. Bring shoes for the grass and a coat for the top.
Can I climb the mound, and is it exposed?
Yes, you can walk right up over the earthwork and onto the central mound. It's a grassy hill with no shelter, so it's breezy up top and can be soft underfoot after rain — sturdy shoes and a coat make it easy, and the view is worth every step.
Is there parking and food?
Yes — free on-site parking at the centre, plus the Ancient Grounds coffee shop for scones, baking and light lunches, toilets and a picnic area. You don't need a centre ticket to use the coffee shop.
Getting there

Navan Centre & Fort, 81 Killylea Road, Armagh BT60 4LD — about 2 miles west of Armagh city, with free parking on site.

Directions on Google Maps See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

Armagh Observatory & PlanetariumArmagh · a short drive St Patrick's CathedralsArmagh city · nearby Palace DemesneArmagh · parkland & grounds Armagh cityCathedrals, history & cafés
The story

Emain Macha — the royal seat of the sagas

Stand on the mound at Navan and you're standing on one of the most storied places in Ireland. In the old tales this is Emain Macha, said to be the capital of the Ulaid — the ancient kingdom of Ulster — and the royal seat of King Conchobar mac Nessa. Legend has it the place took its name from the goddess Macha, who, the story goes, was forced to race the king's horses while heavily pregnant and marked out the boundary of the fort with the pin of her brooch before collapsing.

Above all, Navan is the great stage of the Ulster Cycle — the body of medieval Irish literature that follows the heroes of Ulster and their most famous champion, Cú Chulainn. The sagas tell of Conchobar's warriors, the Red Branch Knights, gathered in his hall here; of the boy-hero Cú Chulainn taking up arms; and of the cattle-raid of Cooley, the Táin Bó Cúailnge, in which he holds the border of Ulster alone. To generations of storytellers, this hill was the beating heart of a heroic age.

The archaeology is just as remarkable. Beneath the grassy mound, excavations found the remains of a colossal timber structure — a roundhouse-like building around 40 metres across, with a great central oak post that has been dated by its tree-rings to about 95 BC. Archaeologists believe it was raised not to live in but as a kind of temple. In an extraordinary ritual act, the building was packed with stones, deliberately set alight and burned, and then sealed beneath a cairn and a layer of earth — the very mound that crowns the hill today. Whatever it meant to the people who did it, it was clearly an offering of huge significance.

Add in the wider landscape — the nearby ritual pool and the great earthworks of the Navan complex — and you have a place that mattered to people here for thousands of years. Walk the ring of the enclosure, feel the wind off the hill, and let the sagas fill it back in. Then wander next door to the centre, meet the Celts and hear the stories told. Get out and live a bit of the ancient world.