20 Attractions to Explore Near Durrow Abbey

Ballycowan Castle is a castle located 4 km west of Tullamore, Co. Offaly. It was built in 1589 as a fortified house by Thomas Morres.The castle was built on the previous site of the O’Molloy castle or tower house called Baile-mhic-Abhainn which was destroyed by a fire in 1557.

The town park is located in an important strategic position within the town with entrances from Main Street and Cormac Street. There are so many things to see and do here and also it offers a beautiful nature walk also.

A Gothic-style castle located in County Offaly, Ireland, bordering the town of Tullamore, near the River Clodiagh. It is considered one of the finest of its type in the country. The castle itself is believed to be the most haunted building and grounds in Europe, with it appearing on Living TV's Most Haunted and Fox's Scariest Places on Earth.

Clara Bog is the finest remaining example of a raised bog in Ireland today. Raised bogs once covered 310,000 hectares in Ireland but today just 7% remains intact. This forms over 50% of the remaining area of uncut raised bog in North West Europe. The nature reserve is home to many protected wildlife species. The installation of a 1km-looped timber boardwalk with interpretive panels at Clara Bog has provided for local recreation and tourism.

This is a dedicated cycle path that follows the old rail track under arched bridges, through a tunnel and past beautiful countryside all the way to Athlone. The Old Rail Trail begins in the bustling town of Athlone and ends in the elegant old market town of Mullingar, County Westmeath. Between these two cultural hotspots, you will hear nothing but birdsong and the whirr of the spokes on your bike as you lose yourself along the spectacular 42km cycle path.

The Offaly Way is a linear route of 38km linking the Slieve bloom Way (at Cadamstown) to the Sli Mor and crossing en-route the Grand Canal Way. It includes sections of riverbank, stretches of bogland, green mass paths and quiet country roadways. The trail provides a link between the Slieve Bloom Way and the Grand Canal Way.

This is the remains of an extinct volcano and rises from the Bog of Allen in County Offaly. The mound at the summit Croghan Hill is thought to be a bronze age burial place. It is believed that a Bishop MacCaille had his church there and lived around the time of St Patrick in the fifth century. Though only 232 m high it commands extensive views of the surrounding midland counties.

The Hill of Uisneach is an ancient ceremonial site containing a series of monuments in Rathconrath, County Westmeath. It consists of numerous monuments and earthworks—prehistoric and medieval—including a probable megalithic tomb, burial mounds, enclosures, standing stones, holy wells and a medieval road. Uisneach is near the geographical centre of Ireland, and in Irish mythology it is deemed to be the symbolic and sacred centre of the island.

A beautiful lake near the town of Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. The lake is part of the Lough Ennell Special Protection Area. It is 6.5 km long by 2 km wide, with an area of about 12 km2. Lough Ennell has a large area of shallow water with nearly two-thirds of its area being less than 25 feet (8 m) and almost half of it being under 10 ft deep. The lake produced Ireland's largest ever lake brown trout at 26 lbs.

Clara Bog is the finest remaining example of a raised bog in Ireland today. The nature reserve is home to many protected wildlife species. The site is protected under a number of national and international designations including National Nature Reserve, a Special Area of Conservation, Ramsar Wetland Site, Natura 2000 site, and Natural Heritage Area.

The Jealous Wall was built c. 1760 as a result of a quarrel between Robert Rochfort and another brother George, the owner of nearby Rochfort House , now, alas a melancholy ruin. The Wall was built between the two houses as an artificial ruin of an abbey so as to exclude from Robert’s view the sight of his brother’s residence of which he was jealous.

Brittas Lake, is located in a Coillte forest setting in the grounds of the Old Dunne Estate at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. This beautiful 5 acre lake is now fully restored and access to the lake is gained from the Brittas Road via the Coillte forest road.

A majestic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Mullingar.The cathedral, which boasts a beautiful modernised Renaissance style, opened in 1936 and is the seat of the Bishop of Meath.The cathedral is both the cathedral church of the diocese of Meath and the principal centre of worship in the catholic parish of Mullingar, including parts of counties Meath and Westmeath.

A beautiful public park situated in the centre of Mullingar, a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. The park includes a wide variety of playgrounds, a swimming pool and a large pond near the centre. On 22 July 2016, the park became one of 22 public spaces in Ireland to be awarded a Green Flag.

This is a ruined castle located near the village of Moydrum not far from the town of Athlone in County Westmeath. Built around the 1810s by architect Richard Morrisson, the building is a fine example of Gothic and Renaissance style. An iconic location for a short visit and there are so many things to see and do in and around this castle.

The Slieve Bloom Mountains is a mountain range in Ireland. They rise from the central plain of Ireland to a height of 527 metres. While not very high, they are extensive by local standards. The terrain is too steep for farming so the slopes are forested with commercial conifers, with lanes for truck access that are firm going but with views closed in by the trees. The tops are open heath and bog.

Lough Owel is a mesotrophic lough in the Midlands of Ireland, situated north of Mullingar, the county town of Westmeath. It has a maximum depth of 21 metres. Water from Lough Owel feeds the Royal Canal, a canal crossing Ireland from Dublin to the River Shannon. The lake is close to the N4 primary road.

The Barrow Way is a 114km long distance walking trail along the River Barrow in the South East of Ireland. It rises in the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the southern midlands, and flows to join its two ‘sisters’, the Nore and the Suir, before flowing into the Celtic Sea at Waterford Harbour. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Waterways Ireland.

The Slieve Bloom Way is a long-distance trail around the Slieve Bloom Mountains in Ireland. It is an 70-kilometre long circular route that can be accessed from any of the trailheads at Glenbarrow near the village of Rosenallis, County Laois.Cadamstown, County Offaly Kinnitty, County Offaly.It is typically completed in three days. The route was developed as part of the designation of the Slieve Bloom area as a European Environment Park in the European Year of the Environment.

Mongan Bog is an excellent example of a midland raised bog. It is a valuable addition to the growing network of peatland reserves. The bog is believed to be 9,000 years old and has formed in a basin between two east-west trending eskers. A larger area is protected for its birdlife as a Special Protection Area: Mongan Bog SPA covers 1,843 ha and is also an Important Bird Area.