Page 6 of Touring Ireland by Car by Car Rental Council of Ireland

cluster of old houses and is also home to the irish fly fishing museum the only one of its kind in ireland picking up the heritage trail signs again in durrow continue on to ballinakill an example of a 7th century market town ballinakill is home to the beautiful heywood garden completed in 1912 by sir edward lutyens the delightful walled enclosure consists of lawns lakes trees hedges pools and much more to surprise and enchant the visitor from ballinakill the heritage trail will take you to the heritage town of abbeyleix regarded as a fine example of a planned estate town abbeyleix was established under the viscounts de vesci for a detailed and interesting history of the town and its surrounding area visit the heritage house in the old patrician national school a number of walks are signposted around the town and there are many fine buildings to enjoy from abbeyleix the heritage trail takes you through ballyroan to the hidden beauty of timahoe village here you will find a remarkable 12th century round tower with an impressive romanesque doorway beside the tower is the church of ireland which is now used as a library from timahoe travel to stradbally and its steam museum this refurbished museum contains interesting traction engines and related furnishings on the portlaosie road from stradbally is the rock of dunamaise one of the great monuments and fortresses of ireland return to stradbally and take the road to the canal village of vicarstown the heritage trail then takes you along to emo court house and gardens designed by james gandon in 1790 next on the trail is the huguenot town of portarlington with its exceptional architecture the trail continues on the r423 towards mountmellick in the 19th century its industry earned the town the title of manchester of ireland this town has its own heritage trail a trail which won a regional heritage award in the 2001 tidy towns competition follow the heritage trail signs out of mountmellick to camross in the slieve bloom mountains the pets cottage in the middle of the village is a delightfully restored thatched house the braveheart drive 1 day tour hollywood hollywood 86 kms 53 mls the route n81 from dublin starts in a little village called hollywood and sets off in the direction of the wicklow gap r756 which is a scenic drive in itself after 5 miles the drive veers off to the left r758 to ballyknocken and lacken these towns border the beautiful blessington lakes blessington is a small peaceful town and is the gateway to the poulaphuca lakes also known as the blessington lakes in 1940 the liffey valley was flooded to create these lakes which has since changed the landscape in the area today many different water sports are available on the blessington lakes this town is also home to russborough house which dates from 1741 the house is built from granite from a nearby quarry and is in the palladian style with a central block with colonnades and two wings this house is the home of the beit collection of paintings it is beautifully maintained with fine displays of silver bronze and porcelain from blessington drive towards manor kilbride r759 the drive brings you right through the west wicklow mountains past the peat bogs of the sally gap the sally gap is another scenic drive through the wicklow mountains with breathtaking views from all sides at the end of the sally gap you will arrive in a little village called laragh laragh has many tearooms where you can stop for refreshments or a bite to eat then drive r756 from laragh to glendalough where you will find the 6th century st kevin s monastic city with one of the best-preserved and highest round towers in europe glendalough means the valley of two lakes it is steeped in spiritual and archaeological history in recent times glendalough is best known for the many various walks and treks around the lakes and mountains and attracts vast numbers of visitors each year at glendalough the drive reverts to the wicklow gap and returns to the village of hollywood boyne valley touring route in county meath 1 day tour donore navan 33 kms 21 mls after visiting kells drive continuing on the r163 to oldcastle here you will find many burial mounds with many myths and legends attached as to how they were created after leaving oldcastle drive to slane r163 before reaching slane you will reach a small cottage where francis ledwidge the world war 1 poet was born it is now a small museum dedicated to him passing through slane which is an example of an estate village you will see a fine selection of georgian houses from slane drive south westerly along the n51 towards navan you will pass slane castle on your left the great mote just outside the town is the best place to view the surrounding countryside here you will also find proudstown park racecourse for horse racing and the boyne valley greyhound stadium 8 county meath is known as the royal county and derives its name from the 2nd century ad as a territory for the high kings the abundance of historic monuments within this area testifies to the ancient importance of this region and some of the most important historic sites and monuments in ireland dot the landscape here the boyne valley route covers an area steeped in irish history and offers an insight to the ancient past of county meath the tour begins at the brú na bóinne visitor centre located in the village of donore m1 from dublin then take the n51 coming out of drogheda you can visit the spectacular burial mound at newgrange knowth and dowth also in the area you will find the battle of the boyne site which is also really worth a visit on leaving newgrange drive towards slane r163 and onwards to kells an area steeped in history with a very impressive high cross this is the area where the book of kells originated that is now housed in trinity college dublin there are also wonderful coffee shops and restaurants in kells so it is an ideal spot to stop for a break explore 10,000 years of irish history in a day begin with the irish national heritage park in wexford n11 from dublin and discover how the irish lived worked and worshipped from the stone age to the 12th century then travel to waterford n25 and visit the museum of treasures tracing the history of ireland s most ancient city also visit the waterford crystal visitors centre to see how the world famous waterford crystal is made then journey along the n24 to the marvellous castles of lismore and cahir and then take the n8 the magical rock of cashel in tipperary a nice way to finish the tour is to end your day at kilkenny castle n8 r693 dining at one of medieval kilkenny s superb restaurants the south east coastal drive 1 day tour wexford waterford 104 kms 65 mls south east region the south east region of ireland has beautiful forests farmland hills and rivers and a wonderful coastline 9 10,000 years of irish heritage in a day 1 day tour wexford kilkenny 262 kms 163 mls dunmore east renowned for its scenery co wicklow on the east coast is a beautiful mix of golden sandy beaches rolling mountains wooded glens cascading waterfalls and lakes wicklow s landscape provides a perfect backdrop for scenic drives over the last 85 years hundreds of films have been made in co wicklow the versatility of the scenery is one of the main reasons for this one of the most popular drives to take is the braveheart drive which is centred on the west of the wicklow mountains and takes in various locations where the famous hollywood film was shot youghal the south east coastal drive follows the south east coastline along the r736/r733 from wexford town in the east to ardmore co waterford in the west crossing the waterford estuary between passage east and the pretty waterside village of ballyhack this coastal area is known throughout the world for its rich vein of heritage sites tranquil villages breathtaking scenery and warm hospitality the route which is clearly signposted by the colourful south east coastal

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