The Midlands
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Midlands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Athlone Castle
Bold and imposing, Athlone Castle stands beside the River Shannon. A raft of dazzling exhibitions are housed inside this 13th-century Norman stronghold. After their defeat at the Battle of the Boyne in 1691, the Irish retreated to Athlone and made the river their first line of defense. The castle, which is now more than 800 years old, has played a strategic role in Irish history. Eight exhibition spaces—in the main building as well as the keep and the armory—detail this enthralling chronological story and that of the town from the earliest settlement up to modern trading times. Sculptural forms convey human figures that bring the characters of Athlone to life in an engaging way. They sit cheek by jowl with 3D maps, audiovisuals, and weapons, like a bow and arrow, that allow hands-on experiences for both children and adults. You will feel right at the center of things with the 360-degree view of events of the Siege of Athlone in 1690. It's not your typical Irish fairy-tale castle, but it is fun, and kids especially love the interactive game "How to Capture a Castle." It's hard to beat on a wet day in the Midlands. A fascinating permanent exhibition focuses on the life of the singer John Count McCormack, who was born in Athlone in 1884. Programs from the Dublin Amateur Operatic Society, his papal chain presented to him in 1928, a montage of photographs, and HMV records with his signature song, "I Hear You Calling Me," are on show. Cabinets contain a silver cup from his admirers in Philadelphia and a cup presented by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, New York. McCormack sang in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York opposite Dame Nellie Melba in 1910 and continued to sing at the Met until 1918. During 2019, the first phase of a major €500,000 project to restore the castle walls took place and continuing maintenance work is needed, but this will not affect the opening of the attraction. The castle gatehouse serves as the town's tourist office. If you are here in summer the castle hosts a two-day medieval fair in the courtyard and upper battlements held in conjunction with the Athlone River Festival. Dates vary (it has been held in June and in August) so it is best to check the website for exact details.
St. Peter's Square, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland090-644–2130Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, Closed Mon. and Tues. Nov.--Feb.; closed Mon. Mar.--May, Sept., and Oct. -
2. Birr Castle Gardens and Science Centre
Summer visitors can join a guided tour of one of Ireland's most elegant stately homes and peer behind the scenes of a previously closed-off world. Although relatively recently constructed, during the great famine in the mid-19th century, this Gothic Revival castle (built around a series of castles since the 12th century---including one that was damaged by fire in 1823) has been the home of the earls of Rosse or Parson family, since the turbulent 17th century. Castle tours, usually given by family members, bring you through the spectacular Gothic music saloon, the library, the yellow drawing room, and reception rooms. Held from May to August, Monday--Saturday, the tours run at 10, 11:30, and 1, and last around 60 minutes. Note that the castle has more than 100 rooms and the tour takes in just a small number of them. The Parson family continue the tradition of making botanical expeditions for specimens of rare trees, plants, and shrubs to fill the demesne's 150 acres. The formal gardens contain the tallest box hedges in the world (at 32 feet) and vine-sheltered hornbeam allées. In spring, check out the wonderful display of flowering magnolias, cherries, crab apples, and naturalized narcissi; in autumn, the maples, chestnuts, and weeping beeches blaze red and gold. The demesne consists of 4,000 varieties of tree and nearly 40 percent of the plants are of Chinese origin. If you are joining a house tour, book in advance; allow at least three hours to see everything in the demesne—there are 3,400 plants and 3,860 varieties of trees from 40 countries. The grounds also contain Ireland's Historic Science Centre, an exhibition on astronomy, photography, and engineering housed in the stable block with the oldest surviving darkroom in the world. The giant (72-inch-long) reflecting telescope, built in 1845, was the largest in the world for 75 years. In 2019, three science galleries were renovated and include a hologram of the third countess of Ross inside the darkroom from the 1800s. There is no public access to the I-Lofar (Low Frequency Array Radio) telescope---a gateway to solar physics beyond our galaxy. Although if you can, request a view reception. On the grounds. there's also a tree house designed in the shape of a fairy-tale castle with round turrets and Gothic-style windows. It features a huge slide, tree decks lined by a rope bridge, and secret tunnels. Along with the adventure playground, with its giant bouncing pillow and a myriad of child-friendly activities, there is a crafts shop and Courtyard Café.
Rosse Row, Birr, Co. Offaly, Ireland057-912–0336Sight Details
Rate Includes: Castle tour, gardens, and science center €20, gardens €12.50, Castle closed Sept.–May and Sun. -
3. Charleville Castle
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.
Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland057-932–3040Sight Details
Rate Includes: Tour from €20 -
4. Roscrea Castle and Damer House
In the very center of town is Roscrea Castle, a Norman fortress dating from 1314, given by King Richard II to the Duke of Ormonde. Inside are vaulted rooms graced with tapestries and 16th-century furniture. A ticket to the castle gains entry to the adjacent Damer House, a superb example of an early-18th-century town house on the grand scale. The house has a plain, symmetrical facade and a magnificent carved-pine staircase inside; on display are exhibits about local history. The Damer Art Gallery is on the second floor, while on the third the Kelly Exhibition showcases furniture and farm implements donated from a local farmhouse. Guided 45-minute tours are held in spring and summer. Your ticket also includes entry to the restored Black Mills in Church Street, a small museum with local artifacts, of which the star attraction is St. Cronan's High Cross.
Castle St., Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Ireland050-52--1850Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5, Closed Oct.--Easter -
5. Tullynally Castle and Gardens
It's hard to figure out which is more famous: Tullynally's storybook castle or the magical parklands that surround it. Tullynally—the name, literally translated, means "Hill of the Swans"—has been the home of 10 generations of the Pakenham family which has produced Elizabeth Longford (the well-known biographer of England's Queen Victoria) and Antonia Fraser---the best-selling biographer of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her brother Thomas, a historian, is the current earl but does not use the title. He inherited Tullynally from his uncle and has planted 90,000 trees. As a result of an 18th-century "Gothicization," the former Georgian house was transformed into a faux castle by architect Francis Johnston. The resulting 600 feet of battlements were not just for show, as the earls vehemently opposed civil rights and the freedom for Catholics to vote and hold land in Ireland. The total circumference of the building's masonry adds up to nearly ½ km (¼ mile) and includes a motley agglomeration of towers, turrets, and crenellations that date from the first early fortified building (circa 1655) up through the mid-19th century, when additions in the Gothic Revival style went up one after another. Today, more attention is given to the beautiful parkland, in part due to the passion of Thomas Pakenham, a tree-hugger extraordinaire who founded the Irish Tree Society in 1992 and authored several books. The estate's rolling parkland was laid out in 1760, much along the lines you see today, with fine rhododendrons, numerous trees (oak, ash, sycamore, Scots pine, beech, silver fir, larch, and spruce, among others), and two ornamental lakes. A walk through the grounds in front of the castle leads to a spacious flower garden, a pond, a grotto, and walled gardens. You'll also find a Tibetan garden, a Chinese garden, and a kitchen garden, one of the largest in Ireland, with a row of old Irish yew trees. Don't miss the forest path, which takes you around the perimeter of the parkland and affords excellent views of the romantic castle. After your walk, enjoy a visit to the Tullynally Tea Rooms in a renovated Georgian stable block, which serves lunches such as lasagna, quiche, and preconcert supper roasts.
Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath, Ireland044-966–1856Sight Details
Rate Includes: Garden only €8. House tour cost €16 with limited access, includes entry to garden. Prebooking advisable, Closed Oct.–Mar., and Mon.–Wed., Not wheelchair friendly or suitable for children under the age of 10 -
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