Vacation Guide

Ireland golf vacation guide : To do and see

LONGFORD

Abbeyleix – two and half miles southwest of Granard, Abbeyleix contains a semicircular earthwork believed to be the site of the original church founded by St. Patrick. Parts of the mysterious prehistoric earthwork known as Black Pig’s Dyke are also visible in the area.

Ardagh – visit the Heritage Centre and learn how St Patrick is believed to have brought Christianity to Ardagh and appointed his nephew as the first Bishop of Armagh. The heritage provides insight into local feuds, pre-Christian folk tales and details of the 1619 Plantation.

Carrigglass Manor – Ireland’s first 19th century county house, located three miles outside Longford town. Originally the Jacobean seat of the Bishop of Armagh, the building was acquired by the Huguenot Lefroy family in 1837 and completely transformed to its current glory with its Tudor Gothic turrets and splendid landscaped gardens.

Corlea Trackway and Exhibition Centre – located near Kenagh and opened in 1994, the centre displays an Iron Age timber trackway, which was discovered in a nearby bog and dates back to circa 147 BC. An audiovisual display explains the background to the primitive thoroughfare and details of its discovery.

Granard – is a thriving market town dating back to prehistoric times and was associated with sun worship. It was the centre of Norman control in the midlands and many artifacts are still in evidence today. Granard is an excellent centre for angling with five lakes in close proximity.

Newtown Cashel Folk Museum – the museum provides an important insight into life in the 17th Century, while the exhibits include a collection of domestic and agricultural artifacts from the period.

St. Mel’s Cathedral – located in the town of Longford, this is one of Ireland’s most famous cathedrals, the building of which commenced in 1840 but was not completed until 1893. This elegant building features a stained-glass window by Harry Clarke presenting Christ in his glory.