Overview
Leebeen Park is a short lakeside stroll on the shore of Lough Leebeen, just outside the village of Aughnacliffe in County Longford. It pairs an easy boardwalk with a playground, an outdoor gym and picnic spots, and in the fields around it stand some of Ireland’s oldest monuments. If you’ve brought children, the zip wire and fairy garden are the draw; if you haven’t, come for the dolmen.
The lakeside walk and facilities
The heart of the park is a 1.5km looped boardwalk that hugs the shoreline of Lough Leebeen. The timber path stays close to the water, with clear views of the resident swans, ducks and other wetland birds, and it’s flat and firm enough for an easy walk or a gentle jog.
Near the car park you’ll find:
- Timber-frame playground – climbing structures and a zip wire over the lake.
- Fairy garden – a small, imaginative corner for younger children.
- Outdoor gym – free-standing exercise machines by the water’s edge.
- Picnic areas – benches and grassy spots dotted around the park.
Near the entrance, a 1916 Centenary Memorial Garden holds a copy of the Proclamation inscribed in granite.
The Aughnacliffe waterfall trail
Right beside the park, the Aughnacliffe Waterfall Trail leads to Pulliness Waterfall, with a choice of a 1.40km loop or a shorter 430m there-and-back. The path follows the riverbank through mature trees and open fields to a viewing deck above the cascade. There’s a neat piece of engineering on the river too: a modern water turbine that generates power, an unexpected thing to come across on a small country trail.
The dolmen nearby
The Aughnacliffe area has a deep prehistoric record. Within a short walk of the park stands the Aughnacliffe dolmen, a fully intact portal tomb with two capstones – the upper one almost three metres long – reckoned the third-largest of its kind in Ireland. Neolithic communities raised it four to five thousand years ago, and it sits in an open field with easy access, a stark jump from the modern park back to the area’s earliest settlers.
Accessibility and dogs
The boardwalk surface is firm and generally fine for prams and pushchairs, though the odd slight rise in the decking means it isn’t fully wheelchair-accessible. The playground, picnic areas and gym are all on level ground. Dogs are welcome throughout the park and on the waterfall trail, kept under control around the wildlife.
Getting there and practical information
Address: 12 Líss Na Críose, Dunbeggan, Aughnacliffe, N39 WK74 Opening hours: open 24 hours daily Admission: free
By car: from Longford town, take the N4 south for about 20km, then the R198 towards Aughnacliffe; after roughly 5km turn onto Líss Na Críose. There’s free parking at the entrance, though the car park has a height restriction, so it’s no good for tall campervans. By bus: services run from Longford town to Aughnacliffe; from the village it’s about a 10-minute walk to the park. By taxi: a taxi from Longford town takes around 20–25 minutes and usually costs €25–€35.
One thing to plan around: there are no public toilets on site, so sort that in Aughnacliffe before you arrive.
Nearby
- Aughnacliffe village – local shops, the community centre and the parish church.
- Lough Gowna and Upper Erne – a few minutes’ drive, with fishing, kayaking and more walking routes.
- Deserted village and heritage trail – interpretive signage around Aughnacliffe guides walkers through the old deserted village and the megalithic tombs.
It works best as a flexible half-day: pair the boardwalk with the waterfall trail and the dolmen, and come on a weekday morning if you want the lakeshore to yourself.