Lough Derg Way - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

This castle began as a 13th-century hall house and was later converted into a tower house in the 15th/16th century. It was built by the followers of Thomas Butler Esq. in the 13th century. The hall house was originally only two storeys high, but two additional storeys were later added, and vaults added to the ground floor. A base batter is present and can be attributed to the earlier structure.

The Nenagh River rises in the Silvermine Mountains in County Tipperary, Ireland. It flows east of Nenagh and into Lough Derg just north of Dromineer. The river, and its tributary the Ollatrim river, is popular for angling, it holds a stock of wild salmon and trout. There are also coarse fish particularly near the mouth of the river during spawning times.

Tullaun Castle is a Gaelic four-storey tower house that is believed to have been built in the mid 1500s.The Castle dates back to 1570 when Dermot Kennedy was the first recorded owner. According to current owner Sonja Bergin – “it is a Kennedy Castle in Kennedy Country“! John, William & Rory Kennedy were the last Kennedy owners in the 1640’s. Tullaun apparently means grassy knoll but enough of that sort of talk.

Inis Cealtra is a 50-acre island on River Shannon and is located near Mountshannon in Co Clare. It’s unique, even in Ireland, in that there are monuments and artifacts here, dating back over 1000 years, that have survived in a wonderful state of preservation because of their secluded island location. Boat trips can be taken from the harbour at Mountshannon. It is conserved by the East Clare Heritage Centre.

The Graves of the Leinstermen has arguably the most evocative name of all the sites in the Adopt a Monument Scheme. Mystery surrounds this megalithic monument on the slopes of the Arra Mountains overlooking Lough Derg in Co. Tipperary. The monument, however, is thought to date back to prehistory, with the general consensus being that it is some form of megalithic tomb.

Tountinna is the highest point on the Arra Mountains and forms part of the Lough Derg Way. A trip to the summit by foot offers panoramic views of Lough Derg and it’s also possible to drive to the summit taking a righthand turn just outside the historic town of Baliina on the Portroe road. There’s a picnic area at the top to take a seat and see how many counties you can see.