Vacation Guide

Ireland golf vacation guide : To do and see

ARMAGH

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium – offering a riveting experience, this 200-year-old observatory has the largest public telescope in Ireland. The Planetarium offers star theatre, while the "Eartharium" Gallery is designed to give visitors a global view of our planet.

Bessbrook Town – a small town founded by a Quaker industrialist in 1845 to house workers from the nearby flax mill. This model village of local granite buildings was laid out in two squares and became the inspiration for the Cadbury village of Bourneville in England.

Lough Neagh – the largest lake in Ireland, Lough Neagh is immortalised in Thomas Moore’s ballad "Let Erin Remember". Covering 150 square miles, it is bordered by five different counties. According to legend, the great Irish giant, Fionn mac Cumhaill, tore a piece of earth from the ground and flung it into the Irish Sea, thus creating Lough Neagh and the Isle of Man. Today, the Lough offers some fine freshwater fishing.

Slieve Gullion Forest Park – situated southwest of Newry Town, this forest park covers practically the entire lower slopes of Slieve Gullion. An eight-mile drive through the coniferous forest, leads to a lake and superb views of the Ring of Gullion, a circle of small hills around the peak.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral – located in the centre of Armagh City, the twin spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built between 1840 and 1873 and is visible across the valley. The cathedral offers some exuberant colouring, "Armagh marble", stained glass and mosaics.

St. Patrick’s Trian Visitor Centre – the story of Armagh is recounted at this centre, which chronicles the development of the town throughout the ages. It tells of historic Armagh, the life and work of St. Patrick and the Land of Lilliput from "Gulliver’s Travels", relating to the time that Jonathan Swift spent in this region.