Loughrea Tourist Attractions
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The thriving little town of Loughrea (Baile Locha Riach, "Town on the Gray Lough"), the see of the Bishop of Clonfert, lies in the west of Ireland a few miles inland from Galway Bay, at the junction of the N6 and N66.
St Brendan's Cathedral
St Brendan's Cathedral, externally a modest and unassuming church, is notable for a magnificent series of stained glass windows illustrating the development of Irish stained glass in the 20th C., with work by A. E. Childe, Michael Healy, Evie Hone and Sarah Purser, among others. The church has other fine examples of modern art, including a series of Stations of the Cross.
Surroundings
The surroundings of Loughrea have many features of interest.
Turoe Pet Farm and Leisure Park
The Turoe Pet Farm and Leisure Park forms a delightful surrounding for the Turoe Stone, a rare National Monument. The open farm features a nature walk, domestic animals and rare birds, old farm machinery as well as picnics areas and playgrounds.
Turoe Stone
12mi/20km north of the town of Loughrea on the R350, near Bullaun, stands the Turoe Stone (third century; National Monument), an oval granite block 3ft/90cm high with curvilinear relief ornament in a style characteristic of the La Tène period on the rounded upper half, which is separated from the undecorated lower part by a band of meander pattern. The stone formerly stood close to a nearby ring-fort, and no doubt served some ritual purpose.
Pallas
Going southeast from Loughrea along the shores of Lough Rea and turning left at Carrowkeel, the road passes through Duniry and comes to Pallas, which has an imposing 16th C. castle (National Monument), a well-preserved tower house in an outer ward. The curtain walls with their parapet walks and towers are largely undamaged.
Portumna
20mi/30km southeast of Loughrea at the north end of Lough Derg, where the Shannon flows into the lough, lies Portumna, with a nine-hole golf course, good fishing and a marina for sailing and rowing.
Portumna Castle and Gardens
On the outskirts of the town, in the beautiful Portumna Forest Park, are Portumna Castle (1618; National Monument), a large fortified mansion with corner towers, and the ruins of a Dominican friary (National Monument); a church with a beautiful east window and various conventual buildings.The 17th C. walled kitchen garden has been recently restored.
Athenry
The R349 and R348 run northwest from Loughrea through an area which becomes steadily more stony and barren, coming in 12mi/20km to Athenry, a little town situated at a railroad junction, which was a place of some consequence until the end of the 16th C. and has preserved many medieval buildings. Athenry Castle (1235-50; National Monument) is a ruined tower house with roof gables within the remains of curtain walls with two corner towers. The Dominican Friary (National Monument), founded in 1241 and in subsequent centuries much altered and several times destroyed, is represented by a ruined church containing a number of funerary monuments. The Market Cross, of which only the base and the top part survive, has reliefs of the Crucifixion and the Virgin and Child (15th C.). The remains of the medieval town walls (probably early 14th C.) show the extent of the old town; the tower-like north gate is well preserved.Around Athenry are several prehistoric and numerous medieval structures.
Athenry Castle
The castle, finished around 1250, has a three-story tower and a strong outer wall. A colorful audio-video is presented entitled "Athenry: Gateway to Medieval Connacht."
St Kilian's Heritage Center
St Kilian was born in Mullagh at A.D. 640 and set sail from Kenmare Harbor at 680. Kilian and two of his companions were beheaded and their bodies were secretly buried due to Geilana's revenge.
