Westmeath & Longford
LONGFORD Center Parcs
Center Parcs first resort in Ireland offers everything you would expect from a quality, family break. Surrounded by up to 400 acres of trees, wildlife and natural landscapes, there’s plenty of space to be explored.
Corlea Trackway
Don’t miss the magnificent Corlea Trackway, an Iron Age bog road built in 148 BC. An 18m stretch of the historic oak track, like a pavement, has been preserved in a humidified hall at the site’s visitor centre. Tours detail the bog’s unique flora and fauna, and explain how the track was discovered and methods used to preserve it.
Aughnacliffe Dolmen
This dolmen is one of the three biggest portal dolmens in Ireland, with an improbably balanced top stone. Thought to be around 5,000 years old, Aughnacliffe Dolmen is 18km north of Longford town.
St Mel’s Cathedral
Builders have completed a beautiful restoration of a great Cathedral after a fire gutted this building in 2009. It includes a new pipe organ, beautiful baptismal font and epic audio-visual system. The station of the cross are artworks in themselves. The stained-glass windows, some of which were designed in South America, replaced many that were cracked in the fire. Named after the local Saint St. Mel, it’s a great way to take a time out and contemplate the meaning of life.
WESTMEATH
Fore Abbey
Set in Westmeath’s rolling hills, Fore Abbey was built in 630AD by St. Fechin and is now home to the remains of a 13th century Benedictine Priory, an anchorite cell and St. Fechin’s Church in this gorgeous valley. Here you can also discover the Seven wonders of Fore including The Water that Flows Uphill and The Tree that Won’t Burn. Let the mythology works its magic when you visit.
Athlone Castle
Now home to a museum, coffee shop and tourist centre, Athlone Castle was originally built the 13th century. Take a tour to find out more about the local flora and fauna, world famous tenor John McCormack and the siege of 1691.
Tullynally Castle and Gardens
Westmeath’s Tullynally Castle and Gardens are located on hills overlooking Lough Derravaragh, the legendary lake of the Children of Lir who were turned into swans. The estate has a long history calling out to be explored. The present owner Thomas Pakenham inherited the estate in 1961 and is a passionate gardener bringing back seeds for the Forest Walk from plant hunting trips to China, Tibet and Northern India.