Glasson Golf Club
5 Minute drive from Benown House.
This majestic golf setting is snuggled down in the heart of Ireland. A Christy O'Connor Jnr. masterpiece, it has earned itself an International reputation as one of the most challenging and scenic golf courses in Ireland. Every hole is breathtaking and measuring over 7000 yds from the championship tees it is a true test for all golfing standards. Glasson Golf and Country Club must be seen to be believed.
One of the many features at Glasson includes the 15th, a par 3, which will undoubtedly become one of the most photographed holes in Irish golf. With both tee and green situated in the lake, the natural beauty of the reed beds has known to make the mind swim and the ball sink into the crystal clear waters of Lough Ree.
Ph: 090-6485120
Athlone Golf Club
15 Minute drive from Benown House.
Athlone Golf Club was founded in 1892 making it one of the longest established clubs in the country. It is a superb 18-hole parkland course situated on the shores of Lough Ree in the centre of the country having magnificent views of the lake.
Beautifully designed, the course exploits the natural splendour of its surroundings, affording from its vantage points and from the modern strategically appointed clubhouse panoramic views of the lake and its wooded islands. Its tree-lined fairways and undulating terrain make it a true test of golf. The course is partially built on the ancient esker Riada that helps drain the course making it one of the best winter courses in the midlands.
Ph: 090-6492073
Mount Temple Golf Club
10 Minute drive from Benown House.
"Made by God and polished by man"
Mount Temple is a traditional Irish Championship golf course. It lies in the heart of Ireland and is renowned for its large links type greens and undulating fairways.The landscape of this golf course is esker based which allows it to remain playable throughout the year. This golf course is famous for its generously large links type greens and rolling fairways. Natural water hazards and mature trees abound at this fabulous golf course.
Golfers can enjoy great views from all around the course here. Mount Temple, where this course is located, is renowned for its many historical ring forts and abbey dating back to the 13th century. These sites are preserved and scattered throughout the course. The 16th hole is quite famous as the hole where every golfer dreams of achieving par.
Ph: 090-6481841
Lough Ree Cruisers
15 Minute drive from Benown House.
Lough Ree Cruisers offer you the opportunity to experience the wonderfully unique Inland Waterways of Ireland. As their location is in the very heart of Ireland and in the centre of the waterway on the river Shannon, they are perfectly positioned for a cruise.
A Cruise South takes you through the leisurely River Shannon to the wider expanses of Lough Derg which is wonderfully scenic, or a Cruise North takes you to the newly restored Shannon Erne Waterway through old world canals and the gently winding Woodford River to Lough Erne.
Ph: 090-6485256
Viking Tours
15 Minute drive from Benown House.
Relax and cruise the River Shannon on a replica Viking boat. Experience some of the 300 years of Viking history on a voyage into Lough Ree or down river to the monastic settlement and round tower of Clonmacnoise.
A Cruise South takes you through the leisurely River Shannon to the wider expanses of Lough Derg which is wonderfully scenic, or a Cruise North takes you to the newly restored Shannon Erne Waterway through old world canals and the gently winding Woodford River to Lough Erne.
Ph: 090-6473383
Glendeer Open Farm
20 Minute drive from Benown House.
Glendeer Pet Farm is an Irish tourist board approved pet farm located in Athlone the heart of Ireland. Just 4 km off the main Dublin to Galway route, West of Athlone. Take a break at Glendeer 6-acre Open Farm with over 50 species of animals & birds, play area & picnic area. Watch the beautiful deer, let the kids get a real hands-on experience with a wide variety of animals, donkeys, goats, lIamas, geese, duck and other rare birds and lots more, as you make your way around the farm. Relax in the coffee shop, with some tea or coffee and home made refreshments; while the children enjoy the playground.
During the Easter holidays, the whole family can take part in the Easter Egg hunt. At Christmas, Glendeer is transformed into Irelands Lapland for the month of December with Santa and his reindeer, a crib with a live cow and donkey, a snow scene and much more.
Ph: 090-6437147
Kilbeggan Races
30 Minute drive from Benown House.
Kilbeggan Races a truly Irish occasion
An evening of fun at Kilbeggan Races is one of the most enjoyable experiences. It mingles the heart stopping spectacle of racing over jumps with the laid back charm of a genuine rural meeting. The Kilbeggan formula is made for fun, friendship and atmosphere for the thousands who return meeting after meeting giving Kilbeggan the edge over other events.
Athlone Castle
10 Minute drive from Benown House.
Athlone (Ath Luain - the Ford of Luan) is situated on the principal fording point of the middle Shannon. In 1129 King Turlough O'Connor recognised it's strategic importance and built a wooden castle here. In 1210 King John of England ordered the building of a stone castle and bridge. The Castle was built by John de Gray, Bishop of Norwich and it's strategic location made it central to the Siege of Athlone in 1691. Now a focal point for visitors and tourism it features exhibitions and audio visual presentations on: The siege of Athlone. River Shannon Flora and Fauna. Folk and Military Museum. Life of John Count McCormack.
Ph: 090-6472107
Clonmacnoise
30 Minute drive from Benown House.
Clonmacnoise was founded by St Ciaran in about AD 545. He is reputed to have come down the Shannon from his hermit's cell on Hare Island to establish this monastic settlement where the east-west route along the esker ridges of central Ireland, met the north-south route of the Shannon. Although St Ciaran died seven months later Clonmacnoise grew into a great monastic city famed throughout Europe.
The site includes the ruins of a cathedral, seven churches (10th -13th century), two round towers, three high crosses and the largest collection of Early Christian graveslabs in Western Europe. The original high crosses and a selection of graveslabs are on display in the visitor centre.
Ph: 090-9674195
Locke's Distillery
20 Minute drive from Benown House.
"Believed to be the oldest Licensed Pot Still Distillery in the world"
Locke's Distillery established in 1757 is believed to be the oldest licenced pot still whiskey distillery in the world. For almost 200 years, until it closed in 1954, the distillery produced a traditional pot still Irish malt whiskey. In 1982 the local community began restoring the distillery and have re-opened it as a museum.
The museum is open seven days a week and there is a choice of a guided or self-guided tour. The guided tour takes about 40 minutes and shows the ancient process of whiskey making, from the mill stones, to the mash tuns, underbacks, fermentation vats, can pit stills to the casking of the final product. In July 1997, the machinery turned again for the first time since closure. The drive shaft, pulleys and pumps are all working on a daily basis.
Ph: 090-9674195
Newgrange
90 Minute drive from Benown House.
Built some 5,300 years ago, this holy place is one of the oldest built structures in the world. Known in Gaelic as Uaimh na Gréine, 'the cave of the sun', Newgrange is a pagan monument, with a vaulted roof and a cruciform design. Its history is interwoven with intriguing myths and the mysteries of its construction. The lore of its past calls ever-growing numbers of visitors to this chamber of light. Newgrange is at the centre of an entire Boyne valley megalithic culture and religious ritual.
Winter Solstice: Newgrange is best known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the winter solstice sun. Above the entrance to the passage at Newgrange there is a opening called a roof-box. This baffling orifice held a great surprise for those who unearthed it. Its purpose is to allow sunlight to penetrate the chamber on the shortest days of the year, around December 21, the winter solstice.
At dawn, from December 19th to 23rd, a narrow beam of light penetrates the roof-box and reaches the floor of the chamber, gradually extending to the rear of the chamber. As the sun rises higher, the beam widens within the chamber so that the whole room becomes dramatically illuminated. This event lasts for 17 minutes, beginning around 9am.
Ph: 090-9674195
Dun Na Si
10 Minute drive from Benown House.
Step Back into the bygone age of Irish life. See what life was like in the Ireland of over 100 years ago. Old farm machinery, thatched home, hedge schools and more.
Trace your family root with the help of expert assistance. Music, Song, dance, and story telling evenings and weekend.
Ph: 090-96481183
Birr Castle
40 Minute drive from Benown House.
Ireland’s award winning gardens, set in one of Ireland’s beautiful Georgian heritage towns, Birr Castle Demesne offers a combination of fun, relaxation and discovery to all who visit. Best known for the unparalleled beauty of the gardens, the grounds are home to an impressive plant collection with rare species from around the world, including over forty champion trees of the British Isles. The millennium gardens reflect a French style formal garden and include plants exclusive to the demesne. It also proudly houses the world’s tallest box hedges and beautiful pathways of hornbeam cloister.
Ireland historic science centre and great telescope: Travel back to the time of the earlier Earls and Countesses of Rosse, when Birr Castle was a hub of scientific discovery and innovation. The interactive museum reveals the wonders of early photography, engineering and astronomy, with a special emphasis on the third Earl’s great telescope, a leviathan creation that remained the largest in the world for over seventy years.
Ph: 057-9120336
The Villager (formally The Village Inn)
5 Minute walk from Benown House.
Taking over from the renowned 'The Fatted Calf', in January 2015 The Villager is open Wednesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner. The Villager is run by husband and wife team Cathal and Maeve Moran. Cathal, former head chef at the nearby Wineport Lodge and restaurant.
Ph: 090-6485208
Wineport Restaurant
5 Minute drive from Benown House.
>Current head chef Cathal Moran offers well-balanced and strongly seasonal menus which are quite international in tone but based on quality local ingrediants; Lively first courses might include a tasting plate of McGeough's turf smoked ham while his signature main courses include slow roast confit of pork belly and seared King scallops with buttered spring onions, smoked paprika and apple cream.Ph: 090-6439010
Nannie Murphs (Grogans)
5 Minute walk from Benown House.
Nannie Murph's Seafood & Steak Bar, provides a good choice of bar food that encompasses seafood chowder, traditional Irish strew fresh fish and chips, toasted sandwiches and a hot chicken baguette with chilli and basil mayonnaise.
More substantial meals range from bacon-wrapped chicken breast with a honey mustard and orange sauce to a seafood symphony with mussels, oysters, tiger prawns, crab claws, salmon, sole and scallops cooked in white wine, cream and dill. Leave room for meringues and cream with Baileys Irish cream sauce or a strawberry coulis, or chocolate truffle cake.
Grogans
5 Minute walk from Benown House.
It’s hard to cross the Midlands without being drawn into at least a short visit to this characterful pub in Goldsmith’s "village of the roses". It is a proudly-run, traditional pub with two little bars at the front (one with a welcome open fire in winter) and everything gleaming; it was established in 1750 and feels as if the fundamentals haven’t changed too much since then.
Ph: 090-6485158