Lough Key Forest Park: bring your camera
Towering oak, beech and red cedars; wood anemone and yellow iris scattering the forest floor; fallow deer stepping carefully through the branches – this is a cornucopia of Ireland’s most breathtaking wildlife. Once you’ve had your fill of the local flora and fauna, try out the park’s manmade treats: a 47-room puzzle trail, over 100km of walking and cycling trails, a woodland Segway tour – and the only Tree Canopy Walk in Ireland. Keep an eye out for the souterrain and fairy bridge, too! To warm up? Have a hearty lunch at the Lakeside Café.
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Check out Boyle Abbey: the silent, almost ghostly ruin would be unrecognisable to the flourishing monastic orders that dwelt here in the 12th century.
Lough Ree
Twinned towns, pristine castles and a positively ancient watering hole lie ahead on your trip around Lough Ree!
Joined at the hip: Ballyleague-Lanesborough
Straddling the Shannon River, the towns of Ballyleague and Lanesborough are separated by a bridge and two counties, the former in Roscommon, the latter in Longford. Like twins with separate identities, there’s a charm to how these towns have grown together while carving out their own specialities: Ballyleague is the perfect stop for a spot of angling, while Lanesborough is home to the beautiful 19th-century St John’s Church and was the first ever crossing point on the River Shannon north of Athlone.
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Rathcline Castle has certainly seen better days, but is worth a quick stop to wonder how such a colossal structure was constructed back in the 800s!
Stretch your legs at Culnagore
On the shores of Lough Ree's 90 acres of ancient woodland, an excitable chirping echoes all around: the cheery welcome of Culnagore’s resident colony of garden warblers, a small, secretive bird rarely found in Ireland. You get the sense that time has forgotten this place… making it the perfect spot for a picnic! Take the time to plan ahead, fill a basket with fine, local produce from the Longford Farmers’ Market (open Fridays 9.30am-2pm) and feast to your heart’s content.
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Head to nearby Casey’s Bogwood Sculptures, where father-and-son duo, Michael and Kevin Casey, create sculptures from the dark peat of the Longford boglands.
Say a little prayer on Saint's Island
It takes a little exploring down the winding roads on Lough Ree’s western side to find Saint’s Island monastery, founded by St Ciarán in the 6th century. Although Ciarán soon moved on to greater things – founding Clonmacnoise some years later – Saint’s Island evolved over time to become a hub of scholarship, thanks to the foundation of an Augustinian priory on the same site in the 1200s. Though mostly in ruins, the unspoiled triple-light window in the east gable is still enough to transport you back to medieval times. (Image ©SE Neenan)
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The Corlea Trackway, Europe’s largest Iron Age oak road, has existed since 148 BC – and 18 perfectly preserved metres of it are on display in the Longford Visitor Centre.
Art and artefacts at Athlone Castle
Built in 1210 to defend the crossing point on the River Shannon, Athlone Castle still gives the impression that it could withstand a siege or two! This fortified stone giant has remained at the heart of the town’s history for almost a millennium, today housing a Visitor Centre that explores the Siege of Athlone, the town’s military past and countless ancient artefacts.
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Savour a pint at Athlone’s Seán's Bar: tracing its roots to the year 900! Or reserve a spot at The Fatted Calf for its seasonal Beef Club night and see why it’s the pride of Westmeath.
Lough Derg
Saints, scholars and High Kings: they may conjure up ethereal images of a distant past, but this rich history is alive and well on the shores of Lough Derg.
History and heartbreak at the Irish Workhouse Centre
During the dark and dreary trials of the 19th century, the workhouse was an unfortunate fixture on Ireland’s landscape, the last resort for thousands of people whose lives and livelihoods had been ravaged by the Great Famine. Stop a while in the Galway town of Portumna, walk through the same doors as the “inmates” did in the 1800s and explore this sad part of history through the Centre’s seven preserved buildings.
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Not far from airy Portumna Forest, magnificent Portumna Castle sits in stately elegance on the shores of Lough Derg. At almost 400 years old, it’s looking pretty good!
Where the saints sleep: Holy Island
The name says it all: transformed into a monastery by St Caimin in the 6th century, Holy Island in Clare remains a site of religious significance today. Couples come from around the world to renew marriage vows at the Bargaining Stone, or simply to explore the round tower, holy well and ancient churches – one built by legendary Irish king, Brian Boru, whose brother was once the monastery’s abbot. The island’s name in Irish, “Inis Cealtra” means “island of the burials”; step inside the Saints’ Graveyard and you’ll soon see why.
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Leave the car behind in favour of Killaloe River Cruises and cruise down the Shannon, taking in the sights of County Tipperary on one side and County Clare on the other.
Killaloe: birthplace of Brian Boru
Linked to nearby Ballina by a splendid 13-arch bridge, Killaloe is a traditional Irish Heritage Town: friendly, proud and historically rich. Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, was born here in the 11th century and his many descendants – he had at least three wives, six sons and three daughters – built many of the town’s churches, including St Flannan’s Cathedral. Boru’s ferocious legacy includes fighting the infamous Battle of Clontarf at age 88, so it’s no wonder he has gone down in history as one of Ireland’s most iconic figures.
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Try out the Cherry Tree restaurant, beloved of Georgina Campbell Guides for its beautiful "waterside location and consistently excellent contemporary cooking".
The heart of the town: Nenagh Castle
The crenellated tip of Nenagh Castle towers above the town, a limestone giant that seems utterly at odds with the modest, modern bungalows that sit at its feet. Visitors can scurry up the 101 steps of the castle’s spiral staircase and enjoy unobstructed views of Nenagh and County Tipperary. Built in 1200, the castle was once partially blown up by a disgruntled local, Soloman Newsome, who became irritated by the birds nesting in the tower’s ivy. Thankfully, it has been carefully restored in recent years!
COME AT FESTIVAL TIME
Visit in August to enjoy the food, crafts, art and drama of the Terryglass Arts Festival, the pride of this 1,500-year-old town.