Irelands midlands magic

You could stop for a lakeside picnic at Liliput on Lough Ennell site of Dean Jonathan Swifts tale of the little people in ‘Gullivers Travels’ on your way to visiting Belvedere House with it’s bizarre history and Jealous wall. There's also Tullynally Castle a gothic pile with fairytale turrets and romantic gardens or Birr Castle where the 3rd Earl of Rosse built the largest telescope in the world in 1840. Going back further in time we have the fabled Loughcrew burial mounds and passage graves which predate the monastic settlements of Clonmacnoise on the river Shannon, with its round towers and high crosses, the Rock of Cashel, and Holy Cross Abbey.

The Hill of Uiscneach the other ‘Tara’ was an ancient celtic site in the centre of Irelands midlands dedicated to Lugh a pagan God, and father of Cuchulainn a huge character with mystical powers in Irish folklore. Another ‘revered’ spot is Lockes Distillery in Kilbeggan which is reputed to be the oldest in the world? where you can enjoy free tastings, thankfully there's no shortage of either whiskey or heritage centres! as there is another one in Tullamore which tell the history of Tullamore Dew and Irish Mist.

The Corlea Trackway, near Longford has excavated a piece of an ancient bogroad or which predates the pyramids and provided safe passage for the high kings of Ireland over the many bogs of the midlands to great festivals such as Lughnasa and Imbolg, later an escape route for the Monks fleeing Viking raids, they occasionally dropped treasures such as the Derynaflan chalice en route to be discovered centuries later. Irelands midlands are steeped in legends and fairytales like the Children of Lir, a high king of Ireland condemned to by their wicked stepmother to spend 300 years as swans on Lough Derravarragh pictured, not the worst of places to be banished to ?

And Michael O'Leary lives up the road and if its good enough for him, isnt it good enough for the rest of us?

10 Other things to do and see in Irelands Midlands....

1 Clonmacnoise ancient monastic settlement on the banks of the river Shannon, ruined churches, high crosses and round towers.

2 Lockes Distillery reputedly the oldest in the world. The real deal, it even smells right, free tastings. Killbeggan, County Westmeath.

3 Belvedere House & Gardens peculiar history, beautiful grounds and lakeside walks, walled garden, restaurant and exhibition centre.

4 Tullynally Castle & Gardens gothic splendour, fairytale turrets and romantic gardens.

5 Loughcrew complex of burial mounds, passage graves, solar and lunar allignement. Great legend of Hag witch....and Fore Abbey medieval monastry also famous for motorbike races?

6 The Lakes or Loughs, Derrevaragh, Ennell, Coole fabled home of many Irish fairytales, children of Lir.

7 Mullaghmeen Forest largest beech forest in Europe, delight in spring carpeted in bluebells.

8 Johnathan Swift Park at Lilliput, yes you read that correctly there is such a place on the shores of Lough Ennell. The dean of St Patricks is believed to have gotten his inspiration for the tale of the little people, Gullivers Travels 1726 from watching people at a distance across the lake in Belvedere.

9 The Hill of Uisneach believed to be the ‘other’ centre of Celtic Ireland. This year 2010 sees the 'rekindling' of a centuries old tradition of celebrating the Bealtaine festival May 1st with bonfires throughout Ireland, which will start on Uisneach.

10 Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre another opportunity to taste Irish Whiskey or Ireland's orignial and best loved Irish Mist, great heritage centre really friendly and knowledgeable staff.

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