Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [464]
For a little bit of old-world luxury, you could stay at the tranquil Mornington House ( 044-937 2191; www.mornington.ie; Multyfarnham; s/d from €95/150; closed Nov-Mar; ), a lovely Victorian home set in mature gardens near the shore of Lough Derravaragh. The whole house is furnished with period charm. Antique furniture, log fires, brass beds and subtle florals give it a pleasingly lived-in atmosphere.
Tullynally Castle Gardens
The imposing Gothic revival Tullynally Castle ( 044-966 1159; www.tullynallycastle.com; Castlepollard; gardens adult/child/family €6/3/16; 2-6pm daily Jul–mid-Aug, Sat & Sun May & Jun) is the seat of the Pakenham family. The castle itself is closed to visitors, but you can roam its 12 hectares of gardens and parkland containing ornamental lakes, a Chinese and a Tibetan garden, and a wonderful stretch of 200-year-old yews.
To get here, take the N4 from Mullingar, then the R394 to Castlepollard, from where the castle and gardens are signposted 2km to the northwest.
Fore Valley
Near the shores of Lough Lene, the emerald-green Fore Valley is a superb place to explore by bicycle or on foot. In AD 630, St Fechin founded a monastery just outside the village of Fore. There’s nothing left of this early settlement, but three later buildings in the valley are closely associated with ‘seven wonders’ said to have occurred here. It’s a highly atmospheric place, even in the dead of winter, with sweeping views across a gentle valley.
The Fore Abbey Coffee Shop ( 044-966 1780; foreabbeycoffeeshop@oceanfree.net; 11am-6pm daily Jun-Sep, 11am-5pm Sun Oct-May), on the edge of Fore village, acts as a tourist information office and screens a 20-minute video about the wonders. Guided tours of Fore can be arranged by contacting the coffee shop in advance.
From Mullingar, take the N4 then the R394 northeast to Castlepollard. The road to Fore is signposted from there.
THE SEVEN WONDERS OF FORE
The oldest of the three buildings is St Fechin’s Church, containing an early-13th-century chancel and baptismal font. Over the Cyclopean entrance is a huge lintel stone carved with a Greek cross and thought to weigh about 2.5 tonnes. It’s said to have been put into place by St Fechin’s devotions – the wonder of the stone raised by prayer.
A path runs from the church to the attractive little anchorite cell – the anchorite in a stone – which dates back to the 15th century and was lived in by a succession of hermits. The Seven Wonders pub in the village holds the key.
On the other side of the road near the car park is St Fechin’s Well, filled with water that will not boil. Cynics should beware of testing this claim, as it’s said that if you try it, doom will come to your family. Nearby is a branch from the tree that will not burn; the coins pressed into it are a more contemporary superstition.
Further over the plain are the extensive remains of a 13th-century Benedictine priory, the Monastery of the Quaking Scraw, miraculous because it was built on what once was a bog. In the following century it was turned into a fortification, hence the loophole windows and castlelike square towers. The western tower is in a dangerous state – keep clear.
The last two wonders are the mill without a race and the water that flows uphill. The mill site is marked, and legend has it that St Fechin caused water to flow uphill, towards the mill, by throwing his crosier against a rock near Lough Lene, about 1.5km away
Return to beginning of chapter
Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan
* * *
COUNTY MEATH
BRÚ NA BÓINNE
BATTLE OF BOYNE SITE
LAYTOWN
SLANE
NAVAN
AROUND NAVAN
TARA
DUNSANY CASTLE
TRIM
AROUND TRIM
KELLS
AROUND KELLS
LOUGHCREW CAIRNS
COUNTY LOUTH
DROGHEDA
AROUND DROGHEDA
DUNDALK
COOLEY PENINSULA
COUNTY CAVAN
CAVAN TOWN
AROUND CAVAN TOWN
SOUTHERN CAVAN
EASTERN CAVAN
NORTHWESTERN CAVAN
COUNTY MONAGHAN
MONAGHAN TOWN
ROSSMORE FOREST PARK
CLONES &