Attractions nearby include:
Lough
Gur
Lough Gur has been a place of continuous habitation for at least 5000 years
since the arrival of the Neolithic people, the first farmers. They, and the
passing generations, have marked the locality to speak to us, and to its many
visitors. They have left their messages in stone.
The megalithic tombs, stone circles, standing stones, bullauns, ring forts, ring
barrows, cist graves, crannogs, church sites are ancient records. The story
continues in stone, fort and castle, in medieval church and holy well, in
wishing-seat and lime-kiln, in great house to thatched farmhouse, in cottage to
modern bungalow, church, school and theatre. The story of the Pre-Celtic
settlers stretches back over 5,000 years and continues to the present day in the
people who still farm and dwell in the valley.
Lough
Gur Heritage Centre
The Heritage Centre tells the story of Pre-Celtic Ireland dating back to
3000 BC through interpretive panels, imaginative exhibition models and audio
visual means, serving as a reminder of the ingenuity of 'primitive' man. The
visitor centre sets the scene for the adventure which awaits the visitor around
the lake shore and surrounding area. The pre-Celtic settlers of Ireland farmed
and lived in this peaceful valley, protected from aggression and the elements
from the surrounding hills. The archaeology of the area provides evidence for
the activities of the first farmers in the region, their dwellings, rituals and
burial sites as well as their tools and implements.
The visitor centre was built using two of the excavated Stone Age houses as its
floor plan: House sites A, rectangular, and house site C, circular. Its roofs
are thatched and wattle hurdle fences surround the building. The centre houses a
number of display cases telling the story of the manufacture and use of flint
and bronze material and their eventual deposition in the area as well as their
recovery - whether as a result of scientific excavation or random finds.
Ballyhoura
Come to Ballyhoura and let your imagination escape from the humdrum to one
or more of the area's unique attractions. Whether you're travelling by coach,
car or bike, out for the afternoon, a day or a week you are always within easy
reach of an experience that will take you to another world!
Situated in the southwest region of Ireland, on the borders of counties
Limerick, Tipperary and Cork, Ballyhoura Country is an area of undulating green
pastures, woodlands, hills and mountains.
The area is free from the crowds so often find elsewhere, of course it has
vibrant towns and villages, but Ballyhoura Country is the perfect place to get
off the beaten track, take a magical mystery tour and discover rural Ireland.
And this is truly another world! A world where you can travel through centuries
in a day, taking in striking Stone Age monuments, a variety of museums as well
as some tranquil parks and gardens; a world where hospitality is very real
indeed. A world where the little pleasures of sharing everyday things with the
locals in Ballyhoura - talking with them, walking with them and sharing a joke -
is possibly the greatest attraction of them all!!!
