Mullingar – things to see and do

If you drive across the island on the motorway from Dublin to Galway on your tour of Ireland, you will pass close to Mullingar. But there are probably very few travellers who leave the motorway here to make a stop in Mullingar. A pity really…

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Intro

Mullingar is located in the Midlands, west of Dublin and east of Athlone, which marks the geographical centre of Ireland. The town has a population of around 25,000, making it a notable town for Ireland and an important centre for the rural region.

We drove past Mullingar several times without taking any particular notice of the town or visiting it. But then we got hungry while driving past – and that was a good thing!

We really liked the townscape: Beautiful colourful houses and hustle and bustle, plus inviting pubs and cafés. A lively and colourful city.

We then visited the lovely Belvedere House with the fake castle ruins and walked through the huge park to the shores of beautiful Lough Ennell. What a relaxing and beautiful afternoon that was!

And the region around Mullinagar also has some other beautiful places to visit – more on that soon….

Sightseeing

Belvedere House Gardens & Park: Explore this beautiful manor house with its impressive gardens and the Folly – the fake castle ruins – see: https://www.belvedere-house.ie/.

Cathedral of Christ the King: Very beautiful cathedral – see: https://www.mullingarparish.ie.

Mullingar Arts Centre: Theatre and music – mixed programme, just have a look. See: https://www.mullingarartscentre.ie/.

Inside Mullingar Cathedral (photo: Jeffrey Mayes on Google Maps)

Fore Abbey: Beautiful ruins of an abbey dating back to the 7th century. Near Mullingar in the countryside. See: https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/fore-abbey/.

The Hill of Uisneach: This inconspicuous hill was once the spiritual centre of Celtic Ireland. See: https://uisneach.ie/tours/.

Tullynally Castle & Gardens: Beautiful manor house / castle from the 17th century. Castle and gardens can be visited. See: https://www.tullynallycastle.ie.

Tullynally Castle near Mullingar (photo: Tullynally Castle&Gardens on Google Maps)

Music and Culture

Chimera-Gallery: Art gallery with exhibitions in the centre of Mullingar. See: https://chimera-gallery.com/about-us/

Mullingar Arts Centre: music, dance and theatre. See: https://www.mullingarartscentre.ie.

Live music in the pub: See for example: https://dannybyrnes.com, https://www.thechambersbar.ie, https://clarkesbar.ie.

Food and Drink

Oscars Restaurant: Good, modern Irish cuisine. See: https://oscarsrestaurant.ie.

James Joyce Restaurant: Sophisticated atmosphere, good food. See: https://www.jamesjoycerestaurant.ie.

The Old House Restaurant: Classic ambience in the cellar of a historic mansion. See: https://www.annebrook.ie/old-house-restaurant.html.

Wholesome Kitchen: Healthy, delicious food in the restaurant or as a takeaway. See: https://wholesomekitchen.ie/restaurants/.

Esquires Mullingar: Cool, larger café with organic coffee. See: https://www.esquirescoffee.ie/our-locations/esquires-mullingar/.

Lila Café: Nice little café in the city centre. See: https://www.facebook.com/iliacafemullingar/photos.

Fore Abbey near Mullingar (photo: MrStrinki Ireland on Google Maps)

Tours and Outdoor Activities

Royal Canal Greenway Cycle Tour: Explore the canal and the surrounding area by bike. Beautiful cycle path along the canal, not at all mountainous :-). See: https://mullingar.ie/royal-canal-greenway-westmeath/. The Old Rail Trail also joins the canal. See: https://mullingar.ie/old-rail-trail-castletown-geoghegan/.

Mullingar Bike Hire: Bike hire for the Greenways. See: http://www.mullingarbikehire.com/book-now-2/.

Midlands Angling: If you want to go fishing on one of the lakes in the area, you’ve come to the right place. See: https://www.midlandangling.com.

Mullingar Heritage Trail: You can download an app to your smartphone and walk around 17 points of interest in Mullingar on your own – with information on your phone. See: https://mullingartidytowns.com/heritage-trail/.

Kilbeggan Distillery near Mullingar (photo: Kilbeggan Distillery Visitor Centre on Google Maps)

Kilbeggan Distillery Experience: One of the oldest whiskey distilleries in Ireland is very close by. See: https://www.kilbegganwhiskey.com/visit-our-distillery.

Explore beautiful lakes: Take some beautiful trips to the lakes in the area: Lough Ennell, Lough Owel and Lough Derravaragh.

Du na Si Amenity & Heritage Park: Visitor park for the whole family with a very interesting mix of attractions. Located a good distance towards Athlone. See: https://dunnasi.ie.

Derrymore Springs: Just outside, family activities on the lake: fishing, kayaking, swimming etc. See: https://www.derrymoresprings.ie/water-activities/.

At the Hill of Uisneach near Mullingar (photo: tanya bulakh on Google Maps)

More Activities

Kilbeggan Racecourse: have you ever been to an Irish horse race? You can do it here: https://kilbegganraces.com.

Mullingar Greyhound Stadium: You can also visit exciting greyhound races in Mullingar. See: https://www.grireland.ie/go-greyhound-racing/our-stadiums/mullingar-greyhound-stadium/.

Mullingar Pewter: Here you can visit a traditional pewter foundry and shop for goblets, jewellery, gifts and other beautiful things made from pewter. See: https://mullingarpewter.com.

Royal Canal near Mullingar (photo: Chalky1996 on Google Maps)

Conclusion

You might not find Mullingar on the list of the top 10 sights in Ireland, but the small town in the Midlands is still a nice stopover on your journey.

Either to spend a few pleasant hours here, as we did, or to stay overnight, enjoy the local gastronomy and perhaps visit one or two other sights in the surrounding area the next day.

So if your route takes you across Ireland – why not stop off – in Mullingar, for example!