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Itinerary: Head to Heel
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TWO WEEKS / DERRY TO WEXFORD
Begin by walking the city walls of Derry city and exploring its fascinating history.
Walk around one of Ireland’s best museums, the Ulster American Folk Park, which reproduces a typical 19th-century Ulster village at the time of mass emigration to America. Just south of here the town of Omagh, site of one of the worst single atrocities in the North’s history (a car bomb), acts as a stark reminder of the region’s tragic political history.
From here, head south to Castle Coole, a National Trust–restored 18th-century mansion, before spending an afternoon boating or fishing on Lough Erne. For more watery pastimes you can’t beat County Cavan, which has a lake for every day of the year. Hire a boat in Mountnugent and fish on Lough Sheelin before moving on down to Tullynally Castle’s Chinese and Tibetan garden in Westmeath. The Seven Wonders of Fore, Westmeath’s answer to the Seven Wonders of the World, while less awe-inspiring, will keep you entertained for an hour or two before a wander around the splendid Belvedere House, overlooking Lough Ennell, with its multimedia exhibition.
Place a bet at Kilbeggan Races emboldened by a tipple of fine whiskey at Locke’s Distillery. Take a hike up the beautiful Slieve Bloom Mountains for the best view of the Midlands, before moving south to the delightful village of Inistioge in County Kilkenny, with its quaint village square and rambling estate, Woodstock Park. In County Wexford have a picnic in the John F Kennedy Park & Arboretum before a visit to the tranquil Cistercian Tintern Abbey.
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