Sights in Ireland
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RSPB West Light Viewpoint
RSPB West Light Viewpoint provides stunning views of the neighbouring sea stacks, thick with guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills and puffins from mid-April to August.
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Arthur Cottage
The ancestors of Chester Alan Arthur (1830–86), 21st president of the USA, lived in an 18th-century thatched cottage in Cullybackey, about 6km northwest of Ballymena.
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Graiguecullen Bridge
The five-arched Graiguecullen Bridge is thought to be the oldest and lowest bridge over the River Barrow. Cross the bridge and continue east to the ruins of 13th-century Carlow Castle.
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Pearl Assurance Building
The architectural partnership of Young and MacKenzie counterbalanced the ornate Scottish Provident Building in 1902 with the red sandstone Pearl Assurance Building on Donegall Sq East.
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Irish Writers Centre
Next door to the Dublin Writers Museum, which focuses on the dearly departed, the Irish Writers Centre provides a meeting and working place for their living successors.
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Cathedral of Christ the King
Mullingar's most obvious landmark is this immense church, built just before WWII. It has large mosaics of St Anne and St Patrick by Russian artist Boris Anrep, as well as a small ecclesiastical museum.
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St Malachy's Parish Church
St Malachy's is one of Ireland's most splendid 18th- century churches, with twin towers at the ends of the transepts and a graceful spire at the western end. A tree-lined avenue leads to the church from a statue of Arthur Hill, fourth Marquess of Downshire, at the bottom of Main St.
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Studio Donegal
Beside Kilcar's community centre tweeds are spun and loomed by hand at Studio Donegal. Visitors are often invited upstairs to see spinners and weavers in action.
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windmill
Blennerville used to be the chief port of Tralee, though it has long since silted up. A 19th-century flour windmill has been restored and is the largest working mill in Ireland and Britain.
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Solidarity Wall
The Solidarity Wall is a collection of murals expressing republican sympathies with, among others, the Palestinians, the Kurds and the Basques, along with several anti-George W Bush murals.
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Roscrea Heritage Centre
The Roscrea Heritage Centre contains some interesting exhibitions, including one on the medieval monasteries of the midlands and another on early-20th-century farming life.
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Crom Estate
Home to the largest area of natural woodland in Northern Ireland, the National Trust's beautiful Crom Estate is a haven for pine martens, rare bats and many species of bird.
You can walk from the visitor centre to the ruins of old Crom Castle, with its ancient walled garden, abandoned bowling green and gnarled yew trees, and views over the reed-fringed lough to an island folly. There are rowing boats for hire (€6 per hour).
Check the National Trust website for details on bat-watching and other wildlife events.
The estate is on the eastern shore of the Upper Lough, 5km west of Newtownbutler.
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Cill Ghobnait
The tiny 8th- or 9th-century Church of St Gobnait is named after Gobnait, who fled here from Clare while trying to escape an enemy who was pursuing her.
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Bamboo Park
Glengarriff's mild, frost-free climate allows this small 12-hectare park to flourish. It has a variety of exotic plants, including palm trees and tree ferns, as well as coastal woodland walks.
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St Mary's Church
The 10th-century St Mary's Church , 140m southwest of the round tower, probably originally stood outside the walls of the monastery and belonged to local nuns. It has a lovely western doorway.
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Dun na Sead
The pretty harbour is dominated by the remains of the Dun na Sead. Inside are seasonal art displays, but the best way to appreciate this 13th-century survivor is from a distance.
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Castle Gardens
The Castle Gardens are worth visiting, however, as they’re noted for their rhododendrons (which bloom in May and June), for their azaleas and for the long, 10m-high beech.
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Díseart
In the former convent, next to St Mary's Church, is the Celtic culture centre Díseart, which has stained-glass windows by Harry Clarke depicting 12 scenes from the life of Christ.
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Boyne Viaduct
You can't help but admire the 1855 Boyne Viaduct carrying trains over the river east of the centre. Each of the 18 beautiful stone arches has a 20m span; erecting the piers bankrupted one company.
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Inisheer Heritage House
West of the small, sandy beach next to the pier, Inisheer Heritage House is a traditional stone-built thatched cottage with some interesting old photographs. It also has a craft shop and café.
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Doneraile Park
Red deer scamper around the 400 acres of landscaped gardens at Doneraile Park, 13km northeast of Mallow. There are woodland walkways, cascades and playgrounds to keep the kids happy.
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Clonakilty Museum
The Clonakilty Museum has some memorabilia, including Michael Collins’ weapons and uniform. The museum is run on a voluntary basis; contact the tourist office for exact opening hours.
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Waterford County Museum
Small but nicely presented, this museum covers maritime history (with relics from shipwrecks), Famine history, local personalities and various other titbits, all displayed in a former wine store.
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Ballycopeland Windmill
Approximately 1.5km northwest of Millisle is Ballycopeland Windmill, a late-18th-century corn mill that remained in commercial use until 1915 and has been restored to full working order.
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St Kevin's Cell
Climb the steps at the back of the Reefert Churchyard and follow the path to the west and you'll find, at the top of a rise overlooking the lake, the scant remains of St Kevin's Cell, a small beehive hut.
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