Bordered by the great Shannon River to the west and Dublin’s neighbouring counties to the east lies the Heart of Ireland. Green and rural with a pleasantly slow pace of life that marks its time with the peaceful rolling countryside. Here are outdoor pursuits of golf, fishing, pony trekking and boating on the most extensive waterways in the country.

Rich in tales of the past the region has its links with many milestones in Celtic and Irish history.

An hour’s drive away from Dublin is Westmeath sandwiched between the Shannon in the west and the Boyne valley in the east. The main town is Mullingar, a vibrant, bustling market town with a strong retail flavour and an excellent choice of restaurants and pubs, many of the latter offering traditional Irish music and a chance to let your hair down. Made up largely of small distinctive shops and pubs with strongly coloured fronts which are slowly giving way to larger retail concerns.

The Military Museum is located at Columb Barracks (by appointment with the Army authorities) which has old uniforms and weapons displays along with a section devoted to the old IRA (Irish Republican Army).

The twin-spired cathedral copes with the town’s spiritual needs and has a rather unique Ecclesiastical Museum. Good rail and road connections give Mullingar a convenient ‘stopping-over’ value on the way to the far west or returning to Dublin, or the south.

Almost encircling the town are Westmeath’s lakes or loughs which are ideal for relaxing short breaks for boating or fishing.