The Midlands – lakes, bogs and old kingdoms

Overview

The Midlands is the part of Ireland with no coastline – Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath, the four counties most Wild Atlantic Way traffic drives straight past. That is much of the appeal: a slower pace, thinner crowds, and a landscape of bog, lake and canal rather than cliff and strand. If you have only a day, spend it at Clonmacnoise on the Shannon, the most complete early monastic site in the country. If you have a stranger hour to fill, the Hill of Uisneach or the Iron Age road at Corlea will repay it more than any of the region’s castles.

History

The Midlands maps roughly onto the early-medieval kingdom of Mide, later anglicised as Meath, and sat for centuries at the crossing point of Gaelic, Viking and Norman power. The Hill of Uisneach in Westmeath is remembered in tradition as the symbolic centre of Ireland, a gathering place of the High Kings and the site of the Bealtaine fire. Athlone grew up around the Norman castle built in the 12th century to hold the Shannon crossing.

Older than any of it is the Corlea Trackway: a road of oak planks laid across the bog around 148 BC, an 18-metre stretch of which is now preserved indoors at the visitor centre near Kenagh. Later centuries added Birr Castle’s Great Telescope, the largest in the world for much of the 19th century, and the Georgian Belvedere House above Lough Ennell – built for Robert Rochfort, the ‘Wicked Earl’ who walled his own brother out of sight behind the folly still called the Jealous Wall. Portarlington in Laois keeps a French-speaking Huguenot chapter of its own.

What to see and do

Highlights by county

• Laois – Emo Court’s Palladian house and lakeside walk, the Huguenot town of Portarlington, the hilltop Rock of Dunamase, and the monastic ruins at Clonenagh. The Cullenagh Hills offer gentle walking, and the Slieve Bloom Mountains, shared with Offaly, have looped trails from the Glenbarrow car park – the 4 km Waterfall Loop is the easy, scenic one.
• Longford – Lough Ree for kayaking and angling, the Corlea Trackway, and the flat, scenic Royal Canal Greenway.
• Offaly – Birr Castle’s science and gardens, the monastic ruins of Clonmacnoise, and the reclaimed bogland of Lough Boora with its sculpture trail. The Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre, in an old bonded warehouse on the Grand Canal, runs tours and tastings (€10 adults, €5 children).
• Westmeath – Athlone’s riverside quarter, the Old Rail Trail, Belvedere’s follies above Lough Ennell, and Mullingar’s lakes.

Laois highlights

County Laois is the smallest of the four but folds neatly into a Midlands trip:

• Emo Court – a grand Palladian house in 55 acres of parkland; the house is currently closed, but the gardens and lake walk are free.
• Aghaboe Abbey – ruins of a 6th-century monastic settlement, a short walk from Aghaboe village.
• Clonaslee – a gateway to the Slieve Bloom Mountains and its trailheads.
• Mountmellick – known for its Quaker heritage and its distinctive white embroidery.
• Rock of Dunamase – a ruined hilltop fortress with long views over the plain.

Where to stay and eat

The Midlands runs from lakeside hotels on Lough Ennell and country houses to B&Bs in Portarlington and glamping near Lough Boora. A reliable mid-range base in the heart of Laois is the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise.

Food leans on local produce and pub kitchens: farm-shop cheeses and breads, locally reared beef, and the whiskey at Tullamore D.E.W. Many of the greenway stops have café-pubs geared to walkers and cyclists.

Practical information

Getting there

The region is well served by road and rail. The M6 links Dublin to Athlone, the M4 reaches Mullingar, and regular Irish Rail services run from Dublin through Portlaoise, Tullamore, Athlone, Mullingar and on to Longford – so you can reach the main towns without a car. Bus Éireann connects Athlone, Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise. For the rural sites, though – Uisneach, Corlea, the Slieve Bloom trailheads – a car saves a lot of waiting.

Parking

In Portlaoise, on-street parking is pay-and-display, 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, with the first 30 minutes free and then €0.60 an hour; the County Hall car park is €2.40 a day for longer stops. Most major attractions – Athlone Castle, Belvedere House, the Old Rail Trail – have accessible parking and step-free routes. Rural sites such as the Hill of Uisneach have rough, uneven ground, so wear sturdy shoes.

Opening hours and admission (selected sites)

Hours and prices change, so check each site before travelling.

Seasonal events

• Bealtaine Fire Festival, Hill of Uisneach (early May) – bonfires and performances on the mythic hill.
• Athlone River Festival (June) – music, food and river-front events.
• Electric Picnic, Stradbally, Co. Laois (late summer) – one of Ireland’s biggest music festivals.
• National Ploughing Championships – the country’s biggest agricultural gathering, often held in the region.
• Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann – the national traditional-music festival, hosted in Mullingar in recent years.

Visitor tips

• When to come – late spring to early autumn gives the longest days, the Bealtaine fire and most of the outdoor events; late summer brings Electric Picnic and the busiest greenways.
• Without a car – train to Athlone, Tullamore or Portlaoise, then use local buses or the greenway network to move between towns.
• What to pack – walking shoes for uneven historic ground, a rain jacket, and a refillable bottle for the trails.

Book guided tours for the Hill of Uisneach and Belvedere House at least a week ahead; local heritage guides work a limited schedule and fill up on summer weekends.