20 Attractions to Explore Near Lackeen Castle

Redwood Castle is a Norman castle near Lorrha in County Tipperary, Ireland. The castle was built by the Normans around 1200 AD, and was occupied by them until c. 1350, when the Mac Aodhagáin were installed on the lands. As hereditary Brehons or lawyers, the Mac Aodhagáin clan established a school of learning here, which was patronised by the family for several hundred years.

The Little Brosna River rises near Dunkerrin, County Offaly, Ireland. It flows for 36 miles before joining the River Shannon. Little Brosna River has an elevation of 30 metres. Little Brosna River is situated southeast of Meelick, close to Friars Island.

Portumna Castle is a semi-fortified house in Portumna, County Galway, Ireland. It was built in the early 17th century by the 4th Earl of Clanricarde, Richard Burke. The castle is a unique example of the transitional Irish architecture of the early 1600s. Its bold design combines elements of medieval and Renaissance style that complement each other perfectly.

Leviathan of Parsonstown, or Rosse six-foot telescope, is a historic reflecting telescope of 72 inches aperture, which was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100-inch Hooker Telescope in California in 1917. The Rosse six-foot telescope was built by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse on his estate, Birr Castle, at Parsonstown.

This is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of the 7th Earl of Rosse and his family, and as such the residential areas of the castle are not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the demesne are publicly accessible, and include a science museum and a café, a reflecting telescope which was the largest in the world for decades and a modern radio telescope.

A majestic forest park which covers almost 600 hectares. It is mainly coniferous but also contains a wide variety of broadleaved trees, both native and exotic. There is an old abbey, now under the care of the Office of Public Works, within the Park which dates back to the 15th century. The castle nearby, on which considerable restoration work has been carried out by the OPW, dates back to the 17th century and was the seat of the Earl of Clanrickarde.

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.

Clonfert Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Clonfert. It stands on the grounds where St Brendan founded a monastery in the 6th century. The monastery was a thriving centre of learning for centuries and at one time it is estimated there were 3,000 monks based at Clonfert. The current building was erected in the 12th century at the site of an earlier 6th century church founded by Saint Brendan, which was associated with a monastery he founded and at which he was buried.

Leap Castle is a castle in Coolderry, County Offaly, Ireland, about 6 km north of the town of Roscrea and 10 km south of Kinnitty on the R421. In 1974 the now ruined castle was bought by Australian historian Peter Bartlett, whose mother had been a Banon. Bartlett, together with builder Joe Sullivan, carried out extensive restoration work on the castle up to the time of his death in 1989.

This is an abbey of the Trappist branch of the Cistercians located in County Offaly, near Roscrea, County Tipperary in Ireland. The abbey was founded in 1878 by a group of 32 monks from Mount Melleray Abbey, County Waterford. The church was opened for worship in 1883, on 600 acres in Mount Heaton, Roscrea, and a Boarding school - Cistercian College, Roscrea - was founded in 1905. The first superior was Dom Athanasius O'Donovan.

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.

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 Kinnitty Pyramid was built in the 1830’s as a tomb for the Bernard family who lived in Kinnitty Castle at that time. The Castle was then known as Castle Bernard. The pyramid which you can see form the front of Ardmore Country House is located at the rear of St Finian’s church.

Roscrea Castle is a 13th-century motte castle in the town of Roscrea, Ireland. The Castle consists of a walled courtyard, gate block, and angled towers. Along with 18th century Damer House and gardens, the Castle forms part of Roscrea Heritage Centre. It was used as a barracks from 1798, housing 350 soldiers, and later served as a school, a library and even a sanatorium.

Roscrea Castle is a motte castle in the town of Roscrea, Ireland. Built in the early 18th century in the Queen Anne style, Damer House is an example of pre-Palladian architecture. The stone castle consists of a gate tower, curtain walls and two corner towers dating from the 1280s. The castle rooms are furnished and some house exhibitions.

The Lough Derg Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It follows a mix of riverbank, canal bank, forest track, old roadway and minor roads. Along the way the route passes through the hamlet of Clonlara, the village of O’Briensbridge and the ancient town of Killaloe, which was once home of the famous 11th century High King of Ireland, Brian Boru. Killaloe is a heritage town, and interested walkers will want to linger at St Flannan’s Cathedral with its early Christian oratory.

The Nenagh Heritage Centre is located in two stone Georgian buildings, built in 1840-1842 as the Governor's House and Gatehouse of an extensive Gaol complex for North Tipperary, which held thousands of prisoner's until its closure in 1887. It historically housed those sentenced to death by public hanging. Between 1842 and 1858, 17 Tipperary men were executed here. After its closure, the property was taken over by the Sisters of Mercy for educational purposes.

Nenagh Castle was built by Theobald Walter and is the oldest building, and its construction in the 13th century laid the foundation for the development of the town. Built from limestone Nenagh Castle measures fifty-five feet in external diameter at the base and rises to a height of one hundred feet. The Castle features four storeys and thanks to a recent renovation this wonderful landmark now represents the town’s premier tourist attraction.

Clonmacnoise is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. The wooden castle that stood on the top of the motte at Clonmacnoise was destroyed by fire and later in 1214 the Justiciar of Ireland, Henry of London, built a stone castle on the motte.

Monaincha Church is a 12th-century church in Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland. Founded in the eighth century, it soon became the most famous pilgrimage site in Munster. In fact, it was described in the 10th century as the 31st wonder of the world. Highlights include a fine Romanesque doorway and a unique high cross, made from fragments of other crosses, with carved horsemen, the crucifiction and Celtic designs forming a decorative collage.