4 Best Sights in Tullamore, The Midlands

This open expanse of once commercial, now exhausted, bog has been restored for a variety of leisure activities, from hiking and cycling to coarse angling and bird-watching (more than 150 species make their home here). When it was first established as a sanctuary in 2001, there were just 11 breeding pairs of gray partridge in the parkland—now there are several hundred of these ground-nesting birds, the last remaining population of them in Ireland. You're unlikely to see them, however, as they spend only one minute of each day in the air. Best of all, Lough Boora is home to one of Ireland's most unique sculpture parks. Along the Sculpture Walk, where golden plovers, lapwings, and starlings may accompany you, 24 large-scale sculptures made from local materials (including glacial stone, water, and willow) have been created by artists influenced by the legacy of the bogs. The result is some of the most creative environmental outdoor artwork anywhere in Ireland. To cite one example, the installation artist Mike Bulfin has turned a rusty old bog train into a cartoonish curve whose image will remain imprinted in your mind long after your visit to this magical place. The most recent sculpture, the Gathering of Stones, features a different type of stone from each of the four provinces in Ireland, creating a ring fort and circular wall. It reflects the Irish diaspora through "emigrant stones" laid out in a cruciform shape embracing people from all corners of the world. A café serves snacks from 10 am to 6 pm. An off-road bike trail runs for 22 km (13 miles). You can choose from five different looped color-coded walks, while guided walking tours run April–September.

Bring your binoculars: bird hides are located throughout the park to provide the opportunities to spy on birds such as golden plover and lapwing.

Recently moved from its town center location in a bonded warehouse, the visitor center is now located at its modern plant at Clonminch outside Tullamore. Highlights include whiskey tours, tasting sessions, and a whiskey master class. In 2014, a €35 million distillery opened at Clonminch on the outskirts of town, bringing whiskey production back to the area after a gap of 60 years. The company embarked on a €10 million global marketing campaign, and today it's the world's second-largest and fastest-growing Irish whiskey brand—just behind Jameson. It's all a far cry from humble beginnings in 1829 when Tullamore Distillery was founded. It was greatly expanded under the aegis of Daniel E. Williams, whose family became joint shareholders, and his own initials (D. E. W.) were added to the whiskey's name, inspiring the slogan "Give every man his Dew" (which appeared on the bottles for many years). Triple distilled, and made from a unique blend of single malt, pot still, and grain whiskey, it is regarded by connoisseurs as exceptionally smooth. The visitor center shows several short videos on the history of the company and guided tours reflect the aroma aspects of the whiskey alongside infographics panels. The tour includes a 105-minute “behind-the-scenes” visit of the working distillery, an Irish coffee, still house visit, and experiment in the blending lab---where you can “dip the dog” and taste whiskey straight from the cask in the so-called secret warehouse snug. 

One relic of Tullamore's pre-famine era is found on the southwestern edge of town, where you'll find a storybook neo-Gothic 19th-century castle. Its Flag Tower and turrets rise above its domain of 30 acres of woodland walks and gardens. The Georgian–Gothic Revival house was built as a symbol of English oppression over French and Irish (the French revolutionary forces had become a little too cozy with the Irish locals). In fact, the floor plan is even modeled on the Union Jack. Commissioned by Baron Tullamore and dating from 1812, the castle is a rural example of the work of architect Francis Johnston, who was responsible for many of Dublin's stately Georgian buildings. The interiors are somewhat the worse for wear and parts of the castle, such as the Stairwell Restoration Project (also known as Harriet's Staircase), are works in progress, but the William Morris–designed dining room ceiling has its original stenciled wallpaper with gold leaf. And the building still holds wide appeal: paranormal groups hold investigations in it, filmmakers are attracted to it (castle scenes were used in 2019 for the Netflix comedy The Knight Before Christmas, and for the biographical romantic drama Becoming Jane about the life of Jane Austen), and tourists love to hear the stories of previous owners and its secret passage.

Descended through the Bury family, who eventually lost their fortune and left no heirs, the castle became an orphan in the 1960s and is being slowly restored. The surrounding forest is said to be haunted by the spirits of the ancient Druids. The castle is open all year. In the summer, guided tours leave every 40 minutes between 11 am and 5 pm, and in the winter at noon, 2, and 4 pm, when it is best to call ahead to book.

To reach the castle by car it is a 2-km (1-mile) drive on a rough narrow lane off the main road, so be aware of ramps and potholes along part of it. Look out also for the King Oak in the grounds—estimated to be between 400 and 800 years old—which stands just inside the main entrance.

As one of the best remaining examples of an intact raised bog in western Europe, Clara Bog is home to protected wildlife species, including the rare dark tussock moth, the keeled skimmer, a powder-blue dragonfly, as well as two rare midges and a click beetle. Unique bog plants, such as sphagnum mosses and the pink rosemary (Offaly's county flower), can be seen. Clara Bog's visitor center---based in Clara library---provides unique insights into bog ecology and 10,000 years of natural and social history through touch-screen, text, and audiovisuals. The center is staffed seasonally by education guides (call in advance to check on opening hours). A five-minute walk from Clara railway station, Clara Bog is a wet environment (deep pools and quaking surfaces), so dress appropriately and stay on the boardwalk.