Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [444]
Charlotte’s Way ( 057-915 3864; www.charlottesway.com; The Hill; s/d €45/80; ) This tastefully restored former rectory offers four comfy good-value rooms. Breakfasts star eggs fresh from the hens outside. A honeymooning Charlotte Brontë was a frequent visitor and, after her death, her husband Arthur lived here as the rector.
Brosna Lodge Hotel ( 057-915 1350; www.brosnalodge.com; Main St; s/d from €50/100; ) This family-run hotel in the centre of town has 14 spacious but rather soulless rooms. The restaurant (mains €9 to €16) serves pretty good food considering the lack of competition and you can get bar snacks in the pub.
Flynns Bar & Restaurant ( 057-915 1312; Main St; mains €9-20) Popular with locals for its grills, steak and pasta, this local bar also has a restaurant at the back serving a decent selection of reliable, if predictable, dishes. It’s a good place to sip a pint if Houghs gets full of carousing boaters.
Drinking
JJ Houghs ( 057-915 1893; Main St) Rivalling the river as Banagher’s most appealing feature, Hough’s is a 250-year-old pub with vines of that vintage covering the front. Renowned for its music, there are traditional sessions most nights in summer and at weekends in winter. If there’s no live music, you can entertain yourself by poring over the artefact-covered walls or counting stars in the pleasant beer garden.
Getting There & Away
Kearns Transport ( 057-912 0124; www.kearnstransport.com) links Banagher to Birr (€2, 15 mins), Tullamore (€3, 45 mins) and Dublin (€10, 2¾ hours) once daily at 8.35am Monday to Saturday and at 6.35pm on Sunday. The Friday and Saturday service allows you to transfer in Birr for a bus to Galway.
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TOP 10 TRADITIONAL MIDLANDS PUBS
These charming old-world pubs range from popular tourist haunts to undiscovered gems in little-visited backwaters where nothing has changed in decades.
Coffeey’s (Lecarrow, County Roscommon) The centre of the village community and renowned for its craic, Coffeey’s, on the N61 between Roscommon and Athlone, is all about the people.
Gunnings (Rathconrath, County Westmeath) Utterly unchanged and unadorned, Gunnings, on the R392 between Ballymahon and Mullingar, is kitted out with ancient stools, cracked lino and yellowing cereal packets; it doesn’t get much more authentic than this.
JJ Houghs (opposite; Banagher, County Offaly) A 250-year-old pub hung with vines and plastered with knick-knacks, this is another place famed for its traditional music.
Killeens Village Tavern (below; Shannonbridge, County Offaly) Run by a family of music lovers, this bustling place is well known for its lively traditional sessions and warm welcome.
Magans (Killashee, County Longford) Delightful old bar, grocery and hardware store in a tiny village well off the beaten track, on the N63 between Lanesborough and Longford.
Mary Lynch’s (Coralstown, County Westmeath) An unassuming old-fashioned pub off the N4 between Mullingar and Kinnegad, Lynch’s is a perfect place for a pint overlooking the Grand Canal.
MJ Henry (Cootehall, County Roscommon) An unadulterated grocery store-cum-pub, Henry’s, off the N4 between Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon, is full of character and little changed since the ’70s.
Morrissey’s (Abbeyleix, County Laois) Half-pub, half-shop, Morrissey’s is a local institution, complete with a pot-belly stove, sloping counter and shelves decked out with a clutter of curios.
Sean’s Bar (Athlone, County Westmeath) Ancient pub with log fires, sawdust-strewn floors, a rickety piano and a riverside beer garden.
Village Inn (Coolrain, County Laois) This thatched old-style pub at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, off the N7 between Mountrath and Borris-in-Ossory, is renowned for its traditional music and set dancing.
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SHANNONBRIDGE
pop 221
Perfectly picturesque, Shannonbridge gets its name from a narrow 16-span, 18th-century bridge that crosses the river into County Roscommon. It’s a small, sleepy village with just one main street and two