Scattered throughout County Westmeath are a number of interesting historic sites including abbeys, churches, castles and stately homes. As the name suggests it was once part of now neighbouring County Meath.
Visit the Cat Stone, (so named because it resembles a cat watching a mouse!) situated on the Hill of Uisneach and which was once the ancient seat of the Kings of Meath. It is said to mark the centre of Ireland and to have been linked to Tara by chariot road.
Let your imagination take flight on the shores of Lough Derravaragh which features in the legend of the Children of Lir.

Wander around ancient Fore Abbey – the largest group of Benedictine remains in Ireland. Marvel at the Seven Wonders of Fore which include the Water That Flows Uphill, the Tree that won't burn and the Monastery Built in a Bog!
In Mullingar admire the beautiful Renaissance style Cathedral and in Athlone see the Cathedral of St. Peter & Paul in the town centre.
Visit the gardens surrounding the Gothic splendour that is Tullynally Castle - home of the Pakenhams since the 17th Century and one of the largest castles in Ireland still lived in as a family home. Feast in the fortress building of Tyrrellspass Castle now a restaurant which also hosts Medieval Banquets. Call to Athlone Castle Visitors Centre - a Norman castle with a magnificent view of the River Shannon.
Westmeath has fine literary connections which you can discover more about while travelling around Goldsmith Country, where the picturesque village of Glasson is situated and where Oliver Goldsmith (renowned 18th Century writer) lived. Another famous Irish writer – James Joyce took inspiration from the county and characters and scenes from the epic "Ulysses" are based in the town of Mullingar.
Another well known literary figure with connections to Westmeath is Jonathan Swift. It is said that while taking a stroll by Lough Ennell and on seeing how small the people on the far side of the lake at Lilliput looked, he was inspired to write Gulliver’s Travels. J.P. Donleavy, author of “The Ginger Man” and “A Fairytale of New York” has been a resident of the county for many years.
Visit the museums with memorabilia of yesteryear and watch age old craft skills being carried out in many visitor centres. Enjoy a whole show of traditional music song, dance and storytelling at Dún na Sí Cultural and Heritage Centre.

The Children of Lir

Westmeath is a county rich in mythology and folklore and has been aptly called a land of lake and legend. Each lake has its own legend attached, the most famous and well known being that surrounding Lough Derravaragh and the Children of Lir. Lir, a chieftain of the Tuatha de Danann tribe married Eva the beautiful daughter of Bov the Red a noble king. They had four children, Conn, Fionnuala, Fiachra and Aodh. Lir’s happiness knew no bounds. Then tragedy struck, Eva died. Lir was heartbroken, and he too would have died but for the great love
he had for his children. Some time later, Lir married again. At the beginning their new step-mother Aoife looked after the children with a mother’s love. But evil touched her heart and she became insanely jealous of Lir’s love for his children. Early one summer’s morning when Lir was away hunting Aoife took the children out in her chariot to visit their grandfather. Stopping at Lough Derravaragh, she led the children to the water to bathe where she cast a spell on them turning them into swans and condemned them to spend 300 years on Lough Derravaragh, where many visitors including their father Lir came to see them. After the 300 years had expired the swans left and spent a further 300 years on the stormy Sea of Moyle and another 300 years on Inis Glora on the wild Atlantic Ocean. During their final days on Inis Glora word spread to the Children of a holy man named Patrick who had come to Ireland to tell the people about the Christian faith. As one of Patrick’s disciples, Kemoc, prayed with them, their white feathers fell away and instead of four graceful white birds, Kemoc saw before him a very old woman and three feeble old men.

Hill of Uisneach

The Hill of Uisneach, near Ballymore, was the ancient seat of the Kings of Meath. Its roots stretch back into ancient mythology with its history rooted in the La Tene period of the Iron Age and it has been placed in the same league as the Hill of Tara in neighbouring County Meath.
Uisneach has also been famous as a meeting place; in pre-history as a place of cattle rituals and other‘May Day’ assemblies, and in more recent times as the meeting place for an important twelfth century synod. St. Patrick and St. Brigid have important connections with the hill, it being claimed that it was here St. Brigid received the veil from St. Patrick. The importance of Uisneach in early times is reflected in the large number of monuments – almost twenty – mostly ring-forts and tumuli which are scattered around and upon it. It was said to be linked to Tara by a chariot road and many of the townlands which impinge on the hill are named from the remaining features such as Maewira meaning “the bald fort” or more likely “the dismantled fort”, Rathnew or “the new fort” and Togherstown meaning “the town of the causeway”. The most famous feature on Uisneach is the Cat Stone, (“Ail Na Mireann”) named so because it resembles a cat watching a mouse. It is a huge limestone boulder almost six metres high which is estimated to weigh over 30 tons and is said to mark the centre of Ireland or the coming together of the provinces.

*Note: The Hill of Uisneach is located on private lands.