Mullaghmore is a small fishing village in Co.Sligo. Nearby the village is an amazing blue flag beach. The waters are always calm at the beach due to it's sheltered nature. But make your way around the headland and witness the power of the Atlantic Ocean. And in the last few years, Mullaghmore has established itself as one of the best big wave locations in the world. When the weather conditions are right, a lot of the best big wave surfers head over to Mullaghmore to enjoy some Tow-in surfing. But Mullaghmore has more than just surfing. Any water based sport can be done around the headland, from sailing to coasteering to fishing.
Feeling hungry afterwards,head to Mullaghmore village and enjoy a mouthwatering meal at Eithnas seafood restaurant. Try the oven baked fillet of hake or the Mullaghmore wild Atlantic lobster, some of the daily specials which can be found on the menu. Afterwards, walk around the headland admiring the amazing sunsets and views as far as Slieve League in Donegal.
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Parke's castle is situated in an idyllic location on the shores of Lough Gill in County Leitrim. Originally, it all started with a tower house. It's foundation can still be seen in the courtyard. When the Spanish Armada was shipwrecked at grange, captain Francisco de Cuellar was given refuge at O'Rourke's castle. Eventually, he returned back to Spain and wrote about O'Rourke's hospitality. When the English found out, they sent forces to destroy the tower , captured O'Rourke and executed him. Afterwards, the tower was demolished by captain Robert Parke who used the stone to built a 3 storey fortified manor house. The castle is lovingly restored by the OPW and showcases an amazing Irish Oak roof using techniques of the 17th Century. There is also a family room showcasing on how Robert Parke would have lived. There is a museum showcasing vernacular buildings of the North West and the displays give a great insight on how the people used to live in rural Ireland. In the yard, you can find stone buildings, one of them being transformed into a blacksmith, one turned into toilets,... There is also a waterwell and within the gardens close to the shore of Lough Gill, there is a small sweathouse.
The Castle is worth a visit and will keep the kids occupied. The views across Lough Gill are amazing, that is when it is a clear day. After having competed in Gaelforce West, we were tired and hungry. And we hadn't booked a dinner table either, so it would be difficult enough to find a table on a Saturday evening during the summer holiday period. We had ones eaten before in La Bella Vita on High Street, so we decided to try our luck and see if they had a table available. We were in luck, we entered the restaurant and we were told there was a table for 2, only condition was that we would give the table back for 9pm. After browsing through the menu, we decided to go with the fresh fish which was on the daily menu, monkfish for me and Dolores would take Hake. When we ordered, we were asked if we wanted a starter as well, but as we had to give the table back at 9pm, we told our waitress we would stick with the main course. But we were told that there was plenty of time to try one of the starters, so we decided we would share an antipasto Italiano. The restaurant itself is cosy and inviting. We were placed upstairs in a small room which had books on a shelf and a fireplace. The restaurant was full, and that is always a good sign. And to celebrate us finishing Gaelforce West, we picked a great bottle of Italian wine as well. And then the antipasto Italiano arrived, fresh lettuce, dressing, salami, ham freshly baked bread, olives... we enjoyed it thoroughly. And then came our mains, fish as fresh as can be. The monkfish and hake were both cooked to perfection, both came with a salad and roasted potatoes with rosemary. We enjoyed the food and would love to recommend La Bella Vita. If you are after fresh fish and fresh ingredients, this is the place to be.
And although we were told to leave the table by 9 pm, we never felt rushed by our waitress. The staff are very professional and very friendly and we are grateful they managed to give us a table. We ended a great day and night at Matt Molloy's where we met loads of the other competitors. A nice pint was taken while discussing the days events while listening to some traditional Irish music. Link: La Bella Vita Website As part of our Wild Atlantic Way pages we wanted to create on www.outdoorfitnesssligo.com , we decided to take a day trip to county Mayo, targeting the north coast from Ballina to Belmullet. And we decided to stop at all the Wild Atlantic Way Discovery points . First stop, Killala Quays. it was still early in the morning, so it was quiet in killala. From Killala, we followed the coastal road towards Lackan Strand. Lackan Strand is another Discovery Point along the Wild Atlantic Way. Lackan strand looks out onto the Atlantic offering breathtaking views as far as Sligo and Donegal. Next on route was Downpatrick Head. Downpatrick Head used and still is an important pilgrim destination. St Patrick founded a church here, ruins can still be seen within the landscape. The very spectacular sea-stack is called Dún Briste. Many birds can be seen breeding along the rocks of this stack. There are also multiple blowholes, the largest one being Poll Na Seantainne which on a stormy day is spectacular. Afterwards, we headed towards the Ceide Fields in Ballycastle. Here, you can enjoy the views towards dramatic cliffs along the Co.Mayo coast. The Ceide Fields visitor centre (https://www.outdoorfitnesssligo.com/blog/ceide-fields-neolithic-site) is worthwhile a visit. They are the oldest known field systems in the world. The remains of the stone walls, houses,.. are buried under the huge layer of peat. After the Ceide Fields, we headed towards our next discovery point, Benwee Head. Benwee Head is the ideal location for walking as you have waymarked walks along the cliff edges with spectacular views of the Wild Atlantic ocean. After having stretched our legs, we headed towards Belmullet where we had to cover our next 5 Discovery points. After a stop in Belmullet's Post office, where we got our Wild Atlantic Way passport stamped, we headed towards blacksod. On the way to Blacksod, you pass another discovery point called Elly Beach , a fine beach with the clearest waters suitable for swimming and watersports. From here, it is a short drive to Blacksod lighthouse which was built in 1862. In June 1944, a decision was made to go ahead with the D-Day landings based on a detailed weather report from Blacksod Bay. The lighthouse itself is spectacular as it is built from massive granite blocks. Afterwards, it was back direction Belmullet in order to visit Falmore. Here , you find a granite boulder sculpture that was created as part of the sculpture trail in County Mayo. The views toward Achill Island are impressive. Heading back towards Belmullet, we visited Annagh Head. Here, we found ourselves surrounded by sheep, which in our view must be the happiest sheep on the planet due to the fact that they have some of the most amazing views towards the Atlantic Ocean with not a soul in the vicinity. Annagh Head is home to some of the oldest rocks on Ireland. The ancient rock called Gneiss is millions of years old and is similar to the ones found in Greenland. Afterwards, we headed towards Doonamoe Blowhole, another discovery point. Here you will find another sculpture which is called 'Thin Places' and is build around the blowhole.. It is two shrines dedicated to those Lost at Sea. Our last stop of the day was Ceann iorrais, an amazing location for walks and watching sealife. And right in front of us was a tiny seal who just came to say goodbye when we said goodbye to county Mayo after enjoying an amazing daytrip along the Wild Atlantic Way
While in Dublin , we decided to pop into the National Museum of Ireland - Natural history. Currently only the groundfloor and first floor of the museum are open to the public, the two upper floors are closed for safety reasons. But don't worry, you can visit the floors through a 3D virtual visit on the website. So what is the museum about? The museum showcases a comprehensive zoological collection . The museum is a thing of a fargone era, one where television didn't exist and people didn't go on farflung holidays where they would get to see exotic animals. So how spectacular must it have been when the museum opened it's doors to the public in 1857, and people could see actual elephants, giraffes,seals,...eventhough they are displayed in glass cabinets and were dead. For me, it is the building which makes this museum. I rather see animals alive than displayed in glass cabinets, but the collection on display is huge and is interesting nonetheless. When you walk into the groundfloor hall, you are straightaway greeted by 2 huge Irish Elk skeletons. In the museum, there is something new to see around each corner. From the basking shark suspended from the ceiling to the butterflies to the cute seals, you find them all. And like I said before, for me it is the building which really sets this museum apart. From the old wooden/glass display cabinets to the solid wooden creaking floorboards, this museum is old. On the first floor, it is even more spectacular (in a creepy way). The beautiful crafted balconies and glass roof can't hide the 100's of animal heads on display on the walls. The large whale bones suspended from the ceiling are huge, nonetheless the moose, giraffe and elephant stand out due to their imposing height. The museum of Ireland - natural history is worth a visit, one which will appeal to children. The building itself is fabulous , and we forgot to mention that this museum is free as well.
I found myself with my dad in Dublin for the Holiday Show at the RDS, so we decided to spoil ourselves with a Saturday lunch at Asador located at Haddington Road, Dublin 4. Asador is a BBQ restaurant which is located in a modern brick building on a corner not to far from the Grand canal. From the moment you walk in and you are shown to your table, you are immersed in a professional service. The interior is pleasant, one where White and brown colours dominate the stylish interior and leather seats and benches provide a comfortable seating arrangement. While seated, you can admire the chefs being busy in the open kitchen BBQing above the open flames. A sign above the kitchen displays the different sizes and types of beef available, and we can't but admire the chart with the different steaks available, some ranging up to 31oz if you are feeling hungry enough to finish one of these monsters. The weekend lunch menu which is available from 12pm to 3pm, is a 2 course menu at a cost of €22.95. As I starter, i selected the beetroot and tart tatin, bluebell falls goat cheese with walnuts and aged balsamic where my dad selected the halibut ceviche with avocado mousse and ginger bread toast. While we were waiting for our starters to arrive, we got a plate with different types of bread accompanied by a dip. When both starters came out from the kitchen, we were happy to find 2 colourful plates with fabulous tasting food. For the main course, I decided to go for the baby back ribs with Jack Daniel's sticky sauce, chargrilled corn on the cob and chips where my dad selected the 8 Oz dry aged Picanha seved with onion in the peel and chips. Both were fabulous, I especially loved the ribs which turned out to be a very generous portion with extra sauce if needed. The fabulous food with the professional service makes Asador the perfect location to eat beautiful BBQ'd meat (or fish if you prefer).
The weekend menu at €22.95 is great value for the quality of the food served. Highly recommended. Old Head is located close to the town of Louisburgh in Co.Mayo. Old Head Beach is fabulous during any season. The beach has views towards Croagh Patrick and is sheltered by cliffs and native woodland. Here you find one of Ireland's few coastal Atlantic Oak woods which runs as far as the beach where it provides a dramatic backdrop for this co. Mayo beach. But Old Head is more than just a beach, it is also home to the Old Head Blueway, an area suitable for a range of watersports. The pristine Atlantic Waters are the perfect location for snorkeling allowing you to admire the underwater world of the Atlantic - discovering different types of seaweed, fish, crabs and sea urchins ,... As part of the Blueway, you have Kayak and snorkel trails. As part of the kayak trail, you have 3 options:
a) a 5.5km trail which runs from Old Head and Lecanvy pier which passes a few beaches and rocky outcrops. This trail is great for beginners. b) A more exposed trail runs from Old Head to the beach at Calla, along the 5km route you will pass fabulous caves. This trail is for the more experienced kayaker. c) A 3km western trail extends beyond the headland, so still some experience will be required. The snorkel trail runs along the beach and traverses North from the pier towards the western headland. From here, you can decide to walk back along the beach or snorkel back. Under the watchful eye of Queen Maeve's grave on top of Knocknarea, we arrived at Carrowmore Megalithic Tombs in Co.Sligo. What is special about Carrowmore is that it is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland. The site is managed by the Office of public works, and a small visitor center is located at the site. Nowadays, approx. 30 monuments survive although it is thought that approx. 60 existed, but some got lost during the 18th & 19th century due to quarrying and field clearing. The visitor center opens it's doors from March to October and provides guided tours and self guided mult- lingual tours. Most of the tombs are satellite tombs which circle the main cairn called Listoghil (cairn 51). The small satellite tombs existed out of a central megalith burial chamber which is surrounded by a stone circle. Cairn 51 or Listoghil has been restored and is an impressive sight with Benbulben in the background. It was erected around 3500BC and is 34 meters in diameter. It has a box shaped chamber with the only megalithic art found at Carrowmore. We met the lovely Marian, Ellen and Joanna who were visiting the tombs as well. Marian used to run the Red Cottage B&B in Sligo town where now it is her daughter Karen who runs this busy B&B (https://www.redcottagesligo.com/). Her friend Ellen was over for a visit from Tipperary where Joanna was over from Poland to visit some friends.
Sligo is worth a visit, and if you are interested in megalithic history, you won't be disappointed with all the avaliable tourist attractions... ( www.choosesligo.com) On a Baltic morning, we decided to visit south Co.Sligo . Probably the lesser visited part of Co.Sligo, we wanted to sample what it has to offer. And we can start by saying that it has a lot to offer, and should be on every bucketlist. Starting off in Sligo town, our route took us as far as Beltra where we turned right after the village onto the Wild Atlantic Way coastal road. After approx. 3 km, we turned right towards Portavade. It is a cul the sac road, but at the end of it, you are greeted by fabulous views across Ballysadare beach and Strandhill. Our next stop along the coastal route was Aughris Head. At Aughris pier, you will find the start of the fabulous Aughris Head walk which follows the rocky shoreline ending at a small but impressive beach which at the best of times is very quiet. The walk gives you views across Sligo Bay towards Knocknarea and the Dartry mountains and on a clear day as far as Donegal (Slieve League) After having crossed the beach, we found some small sea caves which are great for taking some dramatic pictures towards the Dartry mountains. After having returned to the car, we headed back to the coastal route to stop at our next scenic location - Trawee Beach. Next destination was Easkey, but the beauty of the landscape made us stop another few times along the route to take further pictures. The roads are quiet, the views are fabulous, what more could you wish for during a relaxing coastal drive. We decided on this particular day that we would go as far as Easkey and have lunch at Pudding Row, but unfortunately there was some event on and it was closed for business. Easkey is an interesting town in South Sligo, it is home to one of the best surfing spots in Co.Sligo , but it is also home to Easkey tower and the famous split rock. The huge boulder, which is split in 2 is approx 6.5 meters by 2.5 meters, and it is believed that the rock was carried down from the Ox Mountains by the retreating glaciers at the end of the ice age. But local folklore tells the story of Fionn Mac Cumhaill who arrived on top of the Ox Mountains where he was challenged by another strong man called Cicsatoin to compete in a rock throwing competition. The challenge was to reach the sea, but Fionn's rock fell short which made him angry. In anger, he pulled his sword and split the rock in two. From Easkey, we headed towards Dromore West where we took a quick stop to check out the Dunneill river which cascades down some beautiful waterfalls. A stairwell brings you towards the waterfalls, for the more adventurous you can follow a scenic riverside walk. Heading back towards Sligo town, we passed a sign guiding us to the Beach Bar. Being hungry, we decided to chance our luck and have a quick lunch. Arriving at the beach bar (www.thebeachbarsligo.com/ ) , you can't but notice the beauty of this old charm thatched pub which sits literally on the beach. We were in luck, just when we arrived, the door was opened. Inside, a warm open fire welcomed us on this particular cold day. We went for the seafood chowder which was served piping hot and was accompanied by 2 homemade slices of bread. The chowder was one of the best I had ever sampled, the amount of fish in the bowl was unbelievable and the chowder turned out to be a meal in itself. After having warmed ourselves by the fire, we hit the road again and turned away from the sea towards the Ox Mountains, more specific a road which is known as Ladies Brae (Follow the signposts from Skreen). Ladies Brae is a fabulous route which takes you through the heart of the Ox Mountains. The only living souls you meet are the many sheep which just look up and slowly move toward the side of the road.
The Ox Mountains and it's surroundings are fabulous for adventure sports, so if you are adventurous, give wildwetadventures.ie/ or www.oxmountainadventurecamp.ie/ a shout and they will get you to discover the wild unspoiled beauty of South Sligo. So, as you can see, it is amazing what you can do in South Sligo in a couple of hours. One moment, you can be on a beach , then walk along some waterfalls followed by a drive through the mountains. South Sligo is diverse, the landscapes are ever changing and the scenery is to die for. When you arrive at the Beach Bar in Aughris, you can't but notice the fabulous views across Sligo Bay towards the Dartry mountains. But another thing which really stands out is the Beach Bar itself and it's location. The Beach Bar is a traditional thatched pub and restaurant ( www.thebeachbarsligo.com/ ) located on one of Sligo's finest beaches called Dunmoran Strand. We arrived at the beach bar on a bitterly cold morning. It had not even turned 12 o'clock, but we were hungry. Lucky for us, we were invited in by Ciara who was just finishing up cleaning the bar. Inside, an open fire welcomed us. Being the first in, we had a great look around the bar, which hasn't changed much as can be seen from the old pictures on the walls. Where a lot of Irish pubs worldwide are specifically build using old materials to make them seem authentic, the Beach Bar is Authentic. The Beach Bar is a truly old style establishment, one where the thick walls and small windows together with the cladded wooden ceilings make it a cosy place to be. The Beach Bar has a great menu every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during winter time, where it is served 7 days a week during the summer. That being said, they always have bar food available, even during the winter. We opted for the seafood chowder which was hopefully going to warm us up a bit. And out came the chowder 10 minutes later, a generous bowl of soup full to the rim with fish accompanied with 2 slices of homemade bread. And here we go, I have eaten a lot of seafood chowder over the years, to me this was one of the best chowders I have ever eaten. It was served piping hot, there was an amazing amount of fish in it, that much actually that it turned out to be a meal in itself. We would recommend the Beach Bar highly for their fabulous seafood chowder and it's authentic style which transports you back in time.
As a youngster back in the 80's, I visited Lissadell House (http://lissadellhouse.com/) in Co.Sligo with my parents. If my memory doesn't let me down, I remember Lissadell house in the 80's as being a house with dark and damp rooms which had seen better days. Roll the clock 30 years forward, and the house which is now owned by Constance Cassidy, Edward Walsh and their kids has been lovingly restored. Arriving around 2pm, I parked the car in the car park and walked the short distance to the restored coach house where you will find the ticket office, exhibitions and tea rooms. As I was an hour early for the guided tour of the house, I decided to visit first the exhibitions on Countess Markievicz, the Voice of women and the 1916 rising. The many pictures, letters and books are a rare collection which is nicely displayed within the fabulous restored first floor of the coach house. The 1916 rising exhibition has fabulous ceiling paintings by the talented Gareth Boyle. The many historical memorabilia nicely display information around the Easter Rising, from Countess Markievicz's military plans for the Easter rising to an early replica of the Irish flag, it is an educational exhibition in Irish history. As I still had some time before the tour of the house commenced, I decided to have a coffee and slice of carrot cake in the Marine tea room. The name is aptly chosen, many paintings of boats and boat models are on display. An interesting aspect of this room is the horse bath at the back of the tea room. The bath was used for washing the horses after a day in the saddle. It was time to head to the house, walking along the path , the display of the many daffodils and the views towards the bay where just fantastic. And there it was in all it's glory, Lissadell house, a dark grey block of a building in the middle of beautiful landscaped gardens. The exterior of the house is very simple and grey, but the simplicity and greyness are in stark contrast with the colourful background of green grass, yellow daffodils, azure blue water of the Atlantic and majestic Knocknarea looming in the background. At the door of the house, we were welcomed by our guide for the day . Walking into the entrance hall, it becomes apparent that this house has been lovingly restored by it's current owners. Walking from the hall into the billiard room, we were introduced to the Gore-Booth family. From here, it was onwards to the gallery, an oval room which was used for parties and events. Within the room is a fabulous marble fire place and 2 huge gasoliers, 2 gas fired chandeliers which are suspended from the 65 foot high ceiling. From this room, we entered the drawing room and the bow room, two beautiful restored rooms which have fabulous views towards Benbulben and Knocknarea.. A marvelous selection of paintings and books can be found in these rooms. It is interesting to know that these 2 rooms were the rooms where the Gore-Booth siblings lived in near poverty during the 1960's and 70's, trying to keep these 2 rooms heated where the remainder of the house was un-lived in. The grandeur of this stately home can be found back in the dining room, a room which has a huge dining table as it's center piece. Nearby the lift, which was used to bring the food from the basement kitchen to the dining room, is a stuffed bear brought back by the Gore-Booth family after one of their many trips . After the dining room, it was down to the basement where the kitchen and servant rooms were located. Interesting about Lissadell house is that it's servants quarters were large and bright. The kitchen, which was also large and bright, was used to prepare the family it's meals. Within the basement is an old communications system which was used through the house to indicate if anybody in the living quarters above required food, a drink or anything else. At the end of the tour, we were shown the exit from the servant's quarters, a long sparingly lit tunnel which was used in the days by the household staff. The tunnel brought me towards Lissadell's gardens. From here, I walked towards the lovingly restored Alpine gardens. The gardens are fully walled offering protection from the strong Atlantic breeze. The garden is fabulous, and although it was early in the growing season, some colourful flowers had appeared already between the many rocks. Walking back towards the coach house, I passed the walled victorian kitchen garden which had young lettuce plants already planted for the season ahead. Huge fruit trees lined the center path through the garden.
This is Sligo's number one tourist attraction, one which has been kept quiet for a long time, and it must be said that the current owners have made Lissadell house the way it is, a premier tourist attraction. But there is even more to Lissadell House than I have seen today, self-catering accommodation, clam and oyster farm,..... but more about those at a later stage. We found ourselves in Donegal town around lunchtime, and as we were hungry we decided to have lunch at the Blueberry Tea room & restaurant. And going by the amount of customers who were on that particular mid-week day in the Blueberry, it looks like it is the place to be in Donegal town. The interior is quirky and colourful. From the teacup wallpaper to the clock wall, there is loads to look at. But my eyes were glancing on the daily specials, and the chicken and bacon sandwich with BBQ sauce sounded delicious. Dolores opted for the chicken pasta. The friendly waitress looked after us, and before we knew it we were served are large plates. The pasta was huge, came with garlic bread, broccoli and a separate pot with Parmigiano Reggiano slices. And it was great, the chicken was hidden underneath the pasta and was plentiful. My chicken and bacon sandwich was devine, and where I always have a great appetite, I was struggling to finish the huge sandwich which was stuffed with a huge amount of chicken and bacon. And that is not all, it came with a fresh salad and chips. And if that wasn't enough, the chef came around asking if I wanted more chips, now that is what I call customer service. And I declined nicely, just as I was struggling through my fabulous huge portion. In our opinion, the Blueberry tea room and restaurant is a brilliant spot to talk to the locals, eat a great lunch and just enjoy the Donegal hospitality.
Every Year in May, the forest floor of Bluebell Wood turns into a blue carpet. Thousands of Bluebells open up when the spring sun reaches the bottom of the forest creating a colourful display. Bluebell forest is reached when you leave the N4 towards Knockvicar (Follow the signs towards Ardcarne Garden centre and carry on for approx. 1km) Walking in between this fabulous display of spring colours is just mesmerizing. A few paths allow you to walk around the forest without having to walk on the Bluebells. Walking around this forest, we can only imagine how happy the local bees and butterflies must be taking the nectar of the bluebells which are here in abundance.
Fanad Lighthouse in County Donegal is one of those locations where you would like to stay for a couple of days, and nowadays you can in one of the lighthouse it's unique self catering accommodation. But on this occasion , we were just here to visit one of Donegal's three signature points, Fanad lighthouse. We will return and try one of the accommodations at a later stage. After having parked the car in the carpark, we walked towards the new ticket office where we bought our tickets for the lighthouse tour. Walking towards the lighthouse, it is not hard to see why Fanad Lighthouse is just stunning , from the Inishowen and Fanad coastline to the crystal clear waters beneath the rocks, we fell in love with this fabulous gem along the Wild Atlantic Way At the green door we waited patiently until our tour departed, and while admiring the waters beneath our feet, we were welcomed by one of the local guides. After being shown the living quarters, we watched some introduction videos about the Irish lighthouses. After the videos, we moved towards the actual lighthouse tower where we learned about the lights, the tower's stairwell and the different types of flags used for signalling the boats. And it also became apparent why kids have to be taller than 1.20 meter , this as the stairwell is steep and the last part to reach the lighthouse top floor is a ladder. The stairwell is a floating stairwell where the stone is built into the actual lighthouse wall, it is strong and steep. Nowadays, the light is automated, but in the early days, the lighthouse keeper had to go to the top of the lighthouse and pull up some chains and weights every couple of hours which kept the light turning. We can only imagine how many times he had to run up and down the stairwell. When the lighthouses were manned, lighthouse keepers were moved around Ireland's lighthouses every three years. This was done to stop them from being totally isolated, especially when they were stationed off the coast. Having reached the top of the lighthouse, we admired the fabulous views along the Donegal coastline. Another thing we learned about the lighthouse is that it can be a dangerous location in bad weather. One of the lighthouse keepers disappeared on a rough evening never to be seen again. Fanad lighthouse is a must visit location, one where you can discover life as a lighthouse keeper, the history of Ireland's lighthouses and learn about the modern technology which nowadays goes into these lighthouses.
In a remote part of Donegal is Glenveagh National Park, Ireland's second largest national park. The park covers 170sq kilometers and is located around beautiful Lough Veagh. On an overcast day in July, we rolled into the car park to find it busy with tourists, still there is ample parking space available. Walking towards the visitor center, we noticed that the roof of the building is a living heather roof which blends in nicely with the surrounding area. In the visitor center, we enjoyed the displays which gave us a first introduction to the park, it's flora and fauna. The first surprise we got on the day was that the park and gardens of the castle are free entrance. You can decide to walk towards the castle and gardens along a beautiful path along the shore of Lough Veagh, or take the bus for which you have to buy a ticket. Second surprise was that the tour of the castle is very reasonable priced. At €15 for a family, we believe this is fantastic value for the extensive tour of the castle which is definitely worthwhile taking. Keep in mind that tours only run during the months of July and August. This time round, we took the bus which gets you at the castle in 10 minutes. We decided to see the gardens first, but before we started our garden tour we purchased our castle tour tickets. We advise you to do the same as in summer, it is busy and you can't be guaranteed a spot on the next tour. The castle, which was built in the 19th Century by John George Adair, was to represent a highland hunting retreat. In order to achieve this dream, John purchased vast amounts of land and started construction of the castle using granite. But in order to achieve his dream, he evicted 244 tenants from the land he had purchased making him unpopular with the locals. He never got to enjoy his dream though as he died suddenly after one of his many trips to the US. His late wife Cornelia carried on the built of the castle, which in those early days sat there in the Donegal landscape in stark contrast with the barren landscape. It was also Cornelia who introduced deer into the estate and started the layout and planting of the fabulous gardens. Cornelia was well loved in the area in contrast to her late husband, she provided plenty of work for the locals and she became known as a brilliant society hostess. And it is the gardens which nowadays attract the many visitors, from the Italian to Belgian garden, from the view point walk to the many tropical plants, around every corner is something new to discover. Walking through the walled garden, you can admire the many apple trees and vegetables being grown, the flowers and shrubs giving the gardens it's amazing color palette. After our walk through the gardens, we headed to the castle to start our tour. The castle is opulent in it's decoration, each room nicely presented with the original furniture. During the tour, we learned that the castle exchanged hands twice after the death of Cornelia. The last owner of the house, Henry Mcllhenny devoted a lot of his time restoring the castle and purchasing the furniture which is still on display. He was also renowned for his hospitality, and many Hollywood stars and other influential people came to Glenveagh to be entertained. Henry had a scale installed in the reception hall, and guest were weighted when they arrived at Glenveagh castle. Upon leaving the castle, they were weighted again and rule of thumb was that if you had gained weight, you had been entertained the right way. The castle even had an open air swimming pool which could be heated when required. Glenveagh National park is a must visit location, and it is easy to spend a day in the park hiking the many trails, enjoying the views are just relaxing by the lake.
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About the AuthorWe are Peter & Dolores De Bie. We love the great outdoors, discovering new parts of the world and writing about our adventures along the Wild Atlantic Way and further afield Categories
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