Westmeath Tours

About Westmeath

County Westmeath sits at the centre of Ireland, anchored by the towns of Athlone and Mullingar and defined by a landscape of lakes, Georgian estates, and medieval curiosities. Athlone Castle is a 12th-century fortification built for King John on the River Shannon — the strategic crossing point at the heart of Ireland. The castle's interactive visitor centre relives the Great Siege of 1691 in a 360-degree cinematic experience. Note: the castle is currently closed for redevelopment with an anticipated reopening in Autumn 2026, but its imposing exterior remains a centrepiece of the town. Belvedere House and Gardens, 6 kilometres south of Mullingar on the shores of Lough Ennell, is a Georgian hunting lodge set in a 65-hectare parkland estate. The house itself features extraordinary rococo ceilings and a scandalous family history involving the first Earl of Belvedere imprisoning his wife for 31 years. The Jealous Wall — a Gothic folly built to block the view of a rival brother's house — is one of Ireland's most remarkable architectural curiosities. The estate's woodland walks around Lough Ennell are peaceful and well-maintained. Fore Abbey, 26 kilometres north of Mullingar in the Fore Valley, is a 7th-century monastic settlement founded by St Fechin around AD 630. The site is the largest Benedictine foundation in Ireland and is associated with the legendary Seven Wonders of Fore — including water that will not boil, wood that will not burn, and a mill without a race. A 3-kilometre looped trail circles the valley past the ruins. Kilbeggan Distillery, on the River Brosna between Athlone and Mullingar, is the world's oldest continuously licensed whiskey distillery, established in 1757. The distillery is a working production site where visitors can tour the original waterwheel, pot stills, and warehouses before tasting in the Warehouse Bar.