9 Best Sights in The Midlands, Ireland

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.

A stately mid-18th-century hunting lodge with extensive gardens, Belvedere House occupies a beautiful spot on the northeast shore of Lough Ennell. Access to the mansion is through the servants' entrance—so you can see what life behind the scenes was like back then. The interiors are a quirky mix of Georgian stateliness and Victorian charm. The noted bow and Palladian windows have great parkland views sloping down to the lake and its islands.

It was built in 1740 by architect Richard Cassels for Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere, and his wife, Mary. She was accused of having an affair with Robert's brother Arthur, which was denied, but she was locked away in the Rochfort's ancestral home at Gaulstown House for 31 years on a charge of adultery. During this time, Robert had considerable work carried out on Belvedere House to make it more homey; one of the most impressive features he commissioned was the rococo plasterwork ceiling by the renowned stucco artist Bartholomew Cramillion. He spent much of his family fortune dotting the gardens of the estate with "follies," including the Jealous Wall, a gigantic mock-castle ruin that served to cover up a view of the adjoining estate, owned by another brother, also hated. It now stands as Ireland's largest folly and is loved by Instagrammers.

You can walk around the 160 acres of the estate and 10 km (6 miles) of woodland trails; some walks take you past the Gothic arch folly. Belvedere rebranded its historical interpretation in autumn 2019 to add interactive panels, audio guides covering both the house and grounds bringing history to life in a new way through illustrated characters, and even talking portraits. In the dining room, for example, you can listen to the commentary of the Wicked Earl, known for his extreme jealousy, hosting a lavish dinner party for his friends. Also on the grounds are a café and four children's play areas, which include a zipline and a fairy garden. At the back of the house, look out for the sculpture of King Malachy, the last High King of Ireland, made from the stump of an old oak tree whose story is recounted in the audio tour.

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.

Thanks to its location, this legendary monastery survived almost everything thrown at it, including raids by feuding Irish tribes, Vikings, and Normans. But when a savage English garrison arrived from Athlone in 1552, they ruthlessly ransacked and reduced the site to ruin---one account that "not a bell, large or small, an image or an altar, a book or a gem, or even a glass in a window, was left which was not carried away." A hundred years later more English tribes arrived under Cromwell to cannon-ball the infrastructure. Still, with a little imagination, you can picture life here in medieval times, when the nobles of Europe sent their sons to be educated by the local monks. The monastery was founded on an esker (natural gravel ridge) overlooking the Shannon and a marshy area known as the Callows, a distinctive landscape of shallow waters and grassy meadow land on the river's floodplains, which overflows heavily during wet winters. It was, geographically, the crossroads of Ireland in the very center of the country and The Shannon River---so logistically and strategically, very important.  

Numerous buildings and ruins remain. The small cathedral dates as far back as the 10th century but has additions from the 15th century. It was the burial place of kings of Connaught and of Tara, and of Rory O'Conor, the last High King of Ireland, who was buried here in 1198. The two Round Towers include O'Rourke's Tower, which was struck by lightning and subsequently rebuilt in the 12th century. There are eight smaller churches, the littlest of which is thought to be the burial place of St. Ciaran.

The Nun's Church's chancel arch and doorway is a fine example of Romanesque architecture.

Set in a field on its own, a 10-minute walk from the main site, this serene church is the quietest place to experience some peace. The High Crosses have been moved into the visitor center to protect them from the elements (copies stand in their original places); the best preserved of these is the Cross of the Scriptures, also known as Flann's Cross. Some of the treasures and manuscripts originating from Clonmacnoise are now housed in Dublin, most at the National Museum. A 20-minute audiovisual presentation tells the history of the settlement in English, German, Italian, and French.

Clonmacnoise has always been a prestigious burial place. Among the ancient stones are many other graves dating from the 17th to the mid-20th century. The whole place is time-burnished, though in midsummer it can be difficult to avoid the throngs of tourists. To help control the visitor flow the center requests tourists to book their time slot online and if possible choose a quieter period such as early morning or late afternoon for their visit. There are 30-minute tours every hour during the summer season. The Shop at Clonmacnoise sells books, pottery, crafts, tweeds, and perfumes, and stocks tourist information.

Close to the shores of Lough Lene is the spectacular remains of Fore Abbey—its structure is massive, and its imposing square towers and loophole windows make it resemble a castle rather than an abbey. Cast an eye over Greek masonry at the entrance to discover a 3-ton limestone lintel carved with cross—believed to have floated into place by the power of prayer. There are Seven Wonders of Fore, which include water flowing uphill, a tree that will not burn, and a mill without a millrace. Number six is an "anchorite in a stone"—a tiny hermitage connected to the abbey by a pathway. It is worth taking time to explore the 3-km (2-mile) looped walk, St. Feichin's Way---which includes his namesake's well. The views across the valley are sublime.

It's the whiskey (the Irish spell their traditional tipple with an "e") that brings most people to the unassuming little town of Kilbeggan, home of the Kilbeggan Distillery Experience, the oldest pot-still distillery in the world and the last of its type in Ireland. Established in 1757, it closed as a functioning distillery in 1954, but has since found new life as a museum of industrial archaeology, illustrating the process of Irish pot-whiskey distillation and the social history of the workers. The distillery's original old stone and whitewashed buildings have been carefully tended, and the glorious timber waterwheel has been restored and repainted and is now creaking again. Multiple different types of tours are available. The one-hour Apprentice tour (€15) includes tasting three whiskeys; on the 90-minute Distillers tour (€30), you get to taste all four Kilbeggan core brands: Kilbeggan single grain, Kilbeggan Irish whiskey, Tyrconnell single malt, and Connemara peated single malt. 

If you're looking for a present, the new Kilbeggan single pot-still whiskey—launched in December 2019 at €60—is soft and mellow with citrusy summer fruits, or you could opt for handmade dark chocolate whiskey truffles or fudge in the shop.

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.

A shuttle bus operates from King House in Boyle for the 4-km (2-mile) trip to 350-hectare Lough Key Estate. It’s a natural, nautical wonderland with a scattering of small islands, some with fabulously picturesque ruins, like Castle Island with its 19th-century McDermott’s Castle. It's especially popular with families due to its fairy bridge, ziplines, boat trips, a wishing chair, bog gardens, and a panoramic, 300-meter-long treetop canopy walk. Marked walking and electric-bike trails cut through the park, which was once part of the King family’s estate from the 17th century until 1957, when their Rockingham House was destroyed by a fire. There still remains the shell of stables, and sinister, dark tunnels that lead to Key Lake---designed to obscure the servants from their affluent, fainthearted guests.

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.