Shannon and the Midlands:Layout 1 02/05/2007 16:26 Page 166
Prince of Wales Hotel, Church Street, Athlone, Co Westmeath. of the Marine. It is based in Athlone and cruises to Lough Ree and the
Tel: (090) 647 6666; Fax: (090) 649 1750; Email: Monastic Site of Clonmacnoise. Bar facilities, refreshments and
info@theprinceofwales.ie; Web:
www.theprinceofwales.ie Positioned in entertainment are available on request, as are evening cruises. Ideal for
the very centre of Athlone, the new Prince of Wales offers the very schools, coach tours or an interesting break from conferences or seminars.
highest standards of comfort and service. The hotel features 46
bedrooms comprised of classic, executive and six luxury suites. Each CROOKEDWOOD, CASTLEPOLLARD, COOLE AND
room is soothingly simple, finished in black marble, chocolate and MULTIFARNHAM
cream, equipped with television, D.V.D, multi-post modem connection, Just 10km north of Mullingar you will find the enchanting village of
voicemail facilities, high speed internet access. With a fun & cosy bar Crookedwood. It lies on the shores of Lough Derravarragh where the
spread out over 2 floors & a newly opened Corvus Restaurant offer legend of the Children of Lir evolved. As the story goes, the children
contemporary & traditional Irish Cuisine, all topped off with an eager were exiled by their stepmother to live as swans in the Lough for
& friendly staff, the Prince of Wales offers it all under one roof. hundreds of years. North of Crookedwood you will find Castlepollard, a
district of low hills that provides the perfect centre for discovering the
dining dining & entertainment Westmeath Lakelands. The 17th century gothic revival Tullynally
Glasson Village Restaurant, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Tel: (090) 648 Castle is just outside the village; the gardens are open to visitors in
5001. For the past 20 years Glasson Village Restaurant has been offering the summer. Just a few more kilometres down the road is the quaint
their menu of fresh seafood, local produce and game in season. Situated village of Coole, home to an excellent amenity area on the shores of
in the beautiful village of Glasson, they are just five miles from Athlone the Lough and Turbotstown House, a Georgian mansion designed by
town on the N55; the Longford to Cavan road. Not only do they offer the the celebrated architect Francis Johnston. While in the area do not
best food in the midlands, but when you visit you will experience the miss the charming Multifarnham, built around a Franciscan friary in
historical and architectural merit that lies in their listed building. the 13th century. In the grounds of the friary you will find life-sized
Stations of the Cross, one of the finest outdoor shrines in Ireland.
publicbuilding places of interest
Athlone Castle Visitor Centre, St. Peter’s Square, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. publicbuilding places of interest
Tel: (090) 644 2100/(090) 649 2912; Fax: (090) 647 9020; Email: Tullynally Castle, Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath. Tel: (044) 966 1159;
jwalsh@athloneudc.ie. This Norman Castle dominates the town centre Fax: (044) 966 1856; Web:
www.tullynallycastle.com. Just 2km west
and commands the traditional gateway to the West of Ireland. It of Castlepollard (R345) are the gates of Tullynally, a huge rambling
features exhibitions and audiovisual presentations on the siege of castle built by successive Earls of Longford and still the family home.
Athlone, Count John McCormack, River Shannon wildlife and history Its splendid gardens are open to visitors on May and June weekends
with folk and military museums. Tourist Information Office on location. and then daily in July and August, 12pm-6pm. Wide terraced lawns
Clonmancnoise & West Offaly Railway, Blackwater Works, around the castle lead to winding paths, lakes and walled gardens,
Shannonbridge, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Tel: (090) 967 4450; Fax: and assorted summer houses and follies. The adventurous should not
(090) 967 4210; Web:
www.bnm.ie. Opening hours: April, May and miss the forest walk to the Chinese garden, complete with pagoda,
September, Monday to Friday; June, July and August, 7 days a week, and then on to the lower lake, past plantings of rhododendrons and
10am-5pm. Tours depart on the hour. Please phone ahead to check giant lilies. For children, there are llamas, ducks and a special
departures as trains can be booked out. Enjoy a guided rail tour treasure trail. There is a delightful sunny tearoom in the castle
through the Blackwater Bog and see how we produce milled peat that courtyard, which also serves light lunches.
is later used to generate electricity. Learn about the flora and fauna of
the area, the archaeology and the future uses of the bog. Stop off FORE VALLEY
along the route and see a demonstration of turf cutting. In the northeast of Co. Westmeath near the shores of Lough Lene lies
the scenic Fore Valley. Here you will find the ancient Christian ruins
pointofinterest activities & pastimes dating back to 630 AD when St. Fechin founded a monastery in the
Viking Tours, 7 St. Mary’s Place, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Tel: (086) area. Many legends have grown up in the area, including the Seven
262 1136; Email:
vikingtours@ireland.com. Viking Tours operates a Wonders of Fore, which include water that flows uphill; a tree that
loose replica of a Viking Longship which is licensed by the Deptartment won’t burn and a monastery built in a bog. The region is also home to
166 shannon and the midlands
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