Tourism

Cooley Peninsula

If you travel southeast along the coast road you will find yourself on the beautiful Cooley Peninsula. Once a part of the historical Province of Ulster the Peninsula lies in County Louth in the Republic of Ireland. It's a place of fresh green hillsides, woodland, mountains and myths. This was also the home of the giant Finn McCool.

The Peninsula's capital is Carlingford one of Irelands foremost medieval towns, a place of narrow streets and castles overshadowed by mountains and lapped by the sea.

Mourne Mountains

The popular song by Percy French has made The Mournes the best known mountains in Ireland. Slieve Donard is the largest of the mountains and from the top you can see the Isle of Man, the full length of Strangford Lough and Lough Neagh.

The Mournes emerged 50 million years ago during the Ice Age. The Mourne Wall that connects the summits is 22 miles long.

Ring Of Gullion

A circle of hills in the shadow of Slieve Gullion and home to the mythic warrior Cuchulainn. They enclose a cultural landscape of small farmsteads rich in legend with a multitude of historic monuments.

Gosford Forest Park

It is here Dean Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels and he couldn't have picked a more serene surround. With numerous nature trails and the beautiful walled gardens set in the shadow of Gosford Castle it is well worth a visit. There is also a deer-park, heritage poultry, rare breeds of cattle and sheep in open paddocks to amuse the younger visitor, and it is only a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

Newry City

Sandwiched between The Mourne Mountains and The Ring of Gullion, Newry itself is an historical treasure trove. Founded in 1144 as a Monastic settlement around a yew tree planted by St. Patrick, it became Ulster's most important port following the opening of the canal in 1742.

Newry's canal route has been in operation for over 200 years and you can walk or cycle the 20 mile route to Portadown and enjoy not only the joys of canal life but take time to call at the various Visitor Centres, art exhibitions and hamlet villages.

Newry City HallNewry Cathedral is undoubtedly the most commanding building in the City Center. Built in 1829 of local granite at a cost of £8000 it was the first Catholic Cathedral opened after the granting of Catholic Emancipation.

Newry is also an excellent place to shop; boasting two large shopping centres The Buttercrane and The Quays, both only a 5-min walk from the hotel. Hill Street in the City Center is also recommended for those who wish to shop till they drop.

For the golfers Newry Golf Club is just a short taxi drive away, and Royal County Down is situated only 30miles away in the seaside resort of Newcastle.

Kilbrony Park

Situated just outside Rostrevor, Kilbroney Park has breathtaking riverside walks and a 2-mile forest drive to panoramic views over Carlingford Lough. Kilbroney Park is also home to Cloughmore Stone, a 30-ton granite boulder on a mountain ridge 1000ft above the village of Rostrevor. It is a spectacular remnant of The Ice Age. However local legend claims the giant Finn McCool placed it there.

Armagh City is situated 20 miles north west of Newry. It is the Ecclesiastical Capital of Ireland and the seat of both Protestant and Catholic Archbishops. The mile long Mall is a good place to start your walkabout of Armagh. Two museums are situated on the East Side of The Mall and if you veer off the west side and up Russell Street you will find Saint Patrick's Trian and the newly built Market Place Theatre.

In the country roads around Armagh during the summer months the traditional game of Road Bowls is still played and certainly worth a look.