THE GREAT LOCKDOWN ESCAPE
■ What we’re doing ■ Where we’re going ■ And the risks ahead
This is likely to be the Great Summer of Staycations and day trips. Right now, many of our natural wonders are looking their very best, after fallow time to recover. Grass is greener, air purer, and absence has made all our hearts fonder. These coming months are a chance to appreciate the many wonders of our island, without the usual number of holiday-makers. Emily Hourican highlights some ideas from all 32 counties to get you back out and exploring ANTRIM
÷ Try a guided tour of Crumlin Road Gaol, open from July 1. One of Belfast’s most historic buildings, it tells the story of the daily lives and routines of prisoners and prison officers. Afterwards, why not pop into Smithfield Market, now open, with the award-winning St
George’s Market to follow on July
3. visitbelfast. com
ARMAGH
÷ Slieve Gullion, in south Armagh, is the highest mountain in the county, with an elevation of 573m. It is the heart of the Ring of Gullion, one of the most scenic routes anywhere on the island. There are walks and hikes aplenty, or why not drive, download an audio guide, and learn the remarkable heritage of the region as you experience the beauty of the landscape?
ringofgullion.org CARLOW
÷ Now that we’re out, let’s really be all-out: Head for the Nine Stones, from where, on a clear day, you can see across eight different counties all at the same time. The Nine Stones themselves are said to commemorate nine shepherds lost during a winter storm.
carlowtourism.com CAVAN
÷ Cavan County Museum reopens on Tuesday, so now is the time to visit and explore the WWI trench experience and the Easter 1916 experience, which includes a series of tunneledthrough contemporary building interiors that allow visitors to experience the claustrophobic fighting conditions endured by the rebels.
cavanmuseum.ie CLARE
÷The extraordinary landscape of the Burren, along with the family-friendly coastal walk that is The Flaggy Shore are both ideal ways to spend leisurely outdoor time. Start from New Quay, just off the Kinvara/Ballyvaughan Road. Look for fossils and check out the Martello Tower at Finavarra Point.
burrennationalpark.ie CORK
÷ Mead, also known as “honey wine”, is believed to be the world’s oldest alcoholic drink, dating back to 6,500BC. Kinsale Mead’s family-run meadery offer friendly, knowledgeable tours exploring the making and tasting of mead, along with insights into the life of a honey bee, a tasting of three different raw honey types, and a chance to sample three different award-winning varieties of the ancient drink.
kinsalemeadco.ie DERRY
÷ Try a walking tour of Derry City, a place crammed full of history, heritage and a vibrant cultural scene. Take in the historic 400-year-old walls, followed by the Guildhall; an integral part of the city’s history since 1887, this beautifully ornate building is also the anchor for the buzzing Guildhall Square. Then stroll across the Peace Bridge to Ebrington Square. You can go it alone or join a guided walking tour with McCrossan’s City Tours.
derrycitytours.com DONEGAL
÷ Hardy nature walks with very small children can be difficult, so hurray for the 480-hectare Ards Forest Park in Sheephaven Bay, between Creeslough and Dunfanaghy, which has a specially designed boardwalk built with buggies in mind, as well as the remains of four ring forts, a number of megalithic tombs and a play area. coillte.ie/site/ards-forestpark
DOWN
÷ Tollymore Forest Park will be familiar to fans of
Game of Thrones, while Silent Valley, Castlewellan Country Park and Murlough Bay Nature Reserve are ideal locations for walking and exploring.
The Mourne Mountain peaks offer opportunities for hill walkers and hikers. discovernorthernireland.com
DUBLIN
÷ The National Gallery is back welcoming visitors as part of a phased reopening. From tomorrow, you can access the Millennium Wing, Rooms 1–5, which houses European art 1850–1950, including Titian, Monet and Picasso. The Chester Beatty Library is also open, so reacquaint yourself with the glories of this collection, from Egyptian Books of the Dead to contemporary Chinese woodblock prints, while the Hugh Lane, too, is back on track from Tuesday, so drop by Monet’s Waterloo Bridge or Manet’s Music in the Tuileries Gardens, and be amazed at the chaos of Francis Bacon’s studio. nationalgallery.ie; chesterbeatty.ie; hughlane.ie
FERMANAGH
÷ Get busy at the Corralea Activity Centre, currently offering canoe and bike hire, day trips in small groups of two to four people for their Slow Adventure and Electric Escape, and for private parties of up to six people canoeing, biking, archery, climbing, orienteering, instructor lead. They also have self-catering cottages in 16 acres of natural forest on the edge of Lough Macnean. corralea.com GALWAY ÷ Omey Island, once home to some 100 inhabitants, is now largely abandoned, and a place of remarkable beauty. To visit, walk or drive across the sand at low tide — just follow the direction poles that mark the way, and be sure to check the tide timetable beforehand as you will be stranded if the tide comes in. Omey has plenty to see, including the ruins of Teampaill Feichin, a medieval church built on a 7th-century Christian settlement.
The church was covered in sand until 1981 and is surrounded by the remains of a semi-sunken village that was wiped out during The Famine. connemara.net
KERRY
÷ Kerry means beaches, from the white-sand wonder that is Derrynane — the car park is open, as are the gardens of Derrynane House, with the tearooms to follow shortly — to the more remote and windswept Ballinskelligs, and the surfer’s paradise of Inch. derrynanehouse.ie
KILDARE
÷ The Kildare Maze was grown to mark the millennium and inspired by the St Brigid’s Cross. It extends to 1.4 acres with over 1.5km of paths in which to get thoroughly lost. If you make it to the centre, you will be rewarded by panoramic views from the viewing tower. thekildaremaze.com
KILKENNY
÷ Kilkenny Castle may not be back to full capacity — some rooms remain closed and visitor numbers are restricted — but there is still plenty to see and do. First founded after the Norman Conquest, the castle has been rebuilt, extended and adapted to suit changing needs over about 800 years. There are 50 acres of rolling parkland with mature trees and an abundance of wildlife, as well as a formal terraced rose garden, woodlands and a pretty man-made lake. kilkennycastle.ie
LAOIS
÷ The Clear Lake in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, is not a trek for the faint-hearted — off the Gortnameale Eco Trail walk, on top of one of the highest peaks of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, this is over 500m, in the middle of a bog and hard to find. But with the right map and footwear, it is eminently achievable, and rewarding. The depth of this almost perfectly-circular lake is still unknown, giving it a fine air of mystery.
Slievebloom.ie LEITRIM
÷ Yeats name-checked the Glencar Waterfall in The Stolen Child, and small wonder. This 50fthigh waterfall is a marvel, and a good fall of rain only makes it more so. Can be viewed from a delightful wooded walk.
Leitrimtourism. com
LIMERICK
÷ Lough Gur is one of the country’s finest archaeological sites, containing the largest stone circle, dolmen and prehistoric ruins in the country. Physical evidence of occupation from the Neolithic, Bronze Age,
Iron Age, Early Christian, Medieval, Early and Modern eras is abundant — over 6,000 years of visible history in one spot. The heritage centre and park has also reopened, meaning you can put everything you see into context. loughgur.com
LONGFORD
÷ The Corlea trackway, the longest stretch of bog road anywhere, is only partially open, but enough to give a sense of the beauty of this
oak walkway that was built in the year 148BC. There are more than 10 different walkways branching out across the spectacular Corlea bog. The visitors’ centre will reopen later in the year. heritageireland. ie/en/midlandseastcoast/ corleatrackway visitorcentre LOUTH ÷ About 2km from Dundalk town centre is Dun Dealgan Motte, a pre-Christian fort on a ridge overlooking Castletown River, said to be the birthplace of Cu Chulainn. On the site is the ruin of a late 18th-century castellated house, known as Byrne’s Folly for the pirate,
Patrick Byrne, who built it. There is a standing stone that supposedly marks Cuchulainn’s burial in the field to the right of the entrance lane. visitlouth. ie
MAYO
÷ Even the name is beautiful. The Lost Valley. This is a part of Mayo — just beyond the village of Louisburg — that has remained untouched since the people who lived there were evicted during the Great Famine. There’s a ruined Famine village and — most poignant of all — potato ridges that have lain undisturbed for nearly two centuries. The valley is now privately owned, by the Bourke family — once upon a time, one of the families evicted from the land — and therefore tours must be arranged. These are taking place in ready-made groups, minimum 10 adults, from tomorrow. thelostvalley.ie
MEATH
÷ The cairns, or burial chambers, at Loughcrew are far older even than the better-known Newgrange, dainge back to around 4000 BC. This is the highest hill in the county, but still just 276m, which means you should make it to the top in about 15 minutes. Once there, views are fantastic. Close by, the Loughcrew Estate garden and grounds — 200 acres of picturesque rolling parkland, along with a fairy trail for children — are now open. Although the tearooms are closed, takeaway tea and coffee can be had. loughcrew.com
MONAGHAN
÷ Lough Muckno Leisure Park in Castleblaney, originally part of the estate of the Blayney family from whom the town takes its name, is built around the largest and most beautiful of Monaghan’s many lakes, Muckno. There are two wooded islands and plenty of hiking and strolling. monaghantourism.com
OFFALY
÷ Summer on the bog is a kind of natural wonder all of its own — an experience entirely rooted in the country and its natural heritage. The Clara Bog Nature Reserve is free to visit, with a 1km looped boardwalk that allows great views of the wonderful plants, birds and animals the bog is home to. The Visitor Centre won’t open for a while yet,
but the boardwalk has a variety of information panels. clarabognaturereserve.ie ROSCOMMON
÷ The 350-hectare Lough Key estate, full of beautiful parks and trails, is open, although the attractions and visitor centre remain closed for now. Lough Key itself is roughly 10km across and forms a rough circular shape, with over 30 islands scattered throughout.
loughkey.ie SLIGO
÷ The remarkable Keash limestone caves form an ancient passage tomb cluster believed to pre-date the Pyramids of Egypt by an astounding 500-800 years. They were once inhabited by early humans, as well as — though not at the same time — bears, wolves and Arctic lemmings. Park beside the church in the village of Keash and follow the route from the car park. sligowalks.ie
TIPPERARY
÷ Michelstown Cave is a large and complex cave system, filled with fantastical dripstone formations, stalactites, stalagmites and huge calcite pillars. The cave was discovered in 1833 by a local man and these days is sometimes used as a film location — for Vikings, among others — as well as a cinema, and concert venue. mitchelstowncave.com
TYRONE
÷ Barnes Gap, Gortin Glen, Owenkillew and Glenelly are just some of the landmark hills and valleys here. There are marked trails for walkers and cyclists of all abilities, and the drive around the Sperrins has been dubbed one of the Top 101 Scenic Drives in the World, by National Geographic. discovertyroneandsperrins. com
WATERFORD
÷ Now that we are a nation of cyclists, the Waterford Greenway is the place to make that official. A delightful 46km off-road trail that runs along an old railway line between Waterford and Dungarvan, this is perfect for cycling, walking or running, for people of all ages and abilities. deisegreenway.com
WESTMEATH
÷ Athlone Castle was first built out of wood in the
12th Century, to defend the vulnerable crossing point on the River Shannon.
The castle experience is an evocative discovery of bitter battles, territories won and lost, and moments of bravery, told through a series of modern exhibitions, museum artefacts, interactive games and an intense 360-degree cinematic experience of the Great Siege of Athlone. athlonecastle.ie
WEXFORD
÷ Take a walk through five millennia of history at the National Heritage Park, from pre-historic to early Christian Ireland and the Age of Invasion. Wander the 40 acres of magical woodland and explore historic buildings and settlements that show how Ireland’s earliest settlers lived, worked and fought. Try foraging like a prehistoric farmer, meet birds of prey, and complete the Trials of Tuan. Make time for the two playgrounds. irishheritage.ie
WICKLOW
÷ Magheramore beach, past Wicklow town, is a white-sand gem with clear sparkling water, enclosed by dunes for a secret, secluded feel. It’s a bit of a walk from car park to beach, and parking might cost a couple of quid, but for a proper seaside day out it is perfect.
We’ve done our best to make sure the information here is accurate, but please check websites before you visit. Unless otherwise stated, all places are open already or reopen tomorrow. Where booking is required, this should be done online in advance