Lismore. Well worth a call

Lismore. Well worth a call

Cathedral ceiling

Local saint

The beautiful West Waterford town of Lismore is well worth a visit. So say I, with all the zeal of the newly converted. But, no kidding, I am not its only advocate. Take a look at its performances over the years in the Tidy Towns competition. In both 2011 and 2010, it was named Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town and there is a long list of honours before that including being Overall Winner in 2004.

It just gets better. There are some lovely buildings here, including the Heritage Centre  and of course the ancient Cathedral

Town Park waterfall.

 But the star attraction here is the old castle. I have written about it recently and this is the link. It is a superb place, featuring a long history, beautifully laid out gardens, sculpture all over gardens and also in the recent gallery.

Town park

 The town is on the Blackwater and that is included in many walks, most of them well sign posted and some of them giving you great views of the castle. The magical woodland trail known as 'The Towers' is located just 3 miles outside of Lismore Town. And not too much further away is the spectacular drive through The Vee.

Lismore Castle, just down the street.

A day trip? It may not be time enough to sample the many attractions. And if you want some fine food, I can thoroughly recommended a visit to the fabulous O’Brien Chop House.