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Ireland,
The Lakelands
The Lakelands: -
The Lakelands (Monaghan, Cavan, Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon, Offaly and Laois) are to be found in central Ireland, and the landscape ranges from fertile limestone plains and brown peat bogs to gently rolling hills and towering mountains which slope down to winding wooded valleys, moorlands and glens. Many of the counties can point to a turbulent past, owing to their geographical situation on the frontiers of the Pale (the area around Dublin) which made them a battleground for the recurring conflicts between the Irish clans and their English rulers. Nowadays, this mainly agricultural part of the country is considerably more peaceful, although Ireland's colourful, tempestuous and often tragic past is recalled here as elsewhere in the country in song, poetry, myths, legends and history. There are also several more concrete reminders, in the buildings and ruins which are dotted across the landscape, ranging from prehistoric burial mounds to 19th-century manor houses.
Excursions: Dun a Ri Forest Park, Kingscourt; Killykeen Forest Park and Cuilcagh Mountain (Cavan), source of the Shannon; The Rock of Dunamase and Emo Court Gardens near Portlaoise; old monastic settlement at Fore, and Athlone Castle, Co Westmeath; Goldsmith Country, Co Longford; Patrick Kavanagh Country, Co Monaghan; Birr Castle and old monastery at Clonmacnois, Co Offaly; Lough Key Forest Park and Boyle Abbey (both near Boyle), and Roscommon Castle, Co Roscommon; the 19th-century Cathedral at Longford; the city of Kilkenny, with its castle, museums, cathedral, a perfect Tudor merchant's house, and many other survivals from the city's influential past; the ruins of Jerpoint Abbey near Thomastown; Dunmore Cave; Carton House at Maynooth (Kildare), and the obelisk Connolly's Folly nearby; White's Castle at Athy, overlooking the River Barrow; the many lakes and rivers, offering possibilities for boating, fishing or merely a beautiful setting for a relaxing holiday.
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