GREATDRIVES:The road from Virginia to Mullingar takes in stunning landscape, touches three counties and passes several signifiant lakes, writes BOB MONTGOMERY
THE ROAD FROM Virginia to Mullingar may not come readily to mind as a “great drive”, but along the way it touches on three counties, several ancient sites, four significant lakes and several smaller ones. Its also an interesting drive as the landscape changes enormously during its short length. In fact, I doubt there are many roads in Ireland that change so much during such a relatively short distance.
Virginia, pretty as always, was our starting point as we headed down the R195 to Oldcastle. The town is beautifully situated on Lough Ramor, and owes its origins to a scheme for the colonising of Northern Ireland during the reign of James. The road to Oldcastle is, for the most part, an interesting drive, twisting its way through an attractive tree-covered landscape.
At Oldcastle you are right in the centre of a very ancient landscape and there is a wealth of prehistoric remains on the nearby Loughcrew Hills, a little to the southeast of the town, chief of which is Slieve na Calliagh (Hag’s Mountain), which rises to 276m. This is just one of several very worthwhile diversions to take from our route and the view from the top of Slieve na Calliagh is well worth the short climb from the car park provided.
All along this route are the usual brown signs directing you to historic places of interest and it’s well worth exploring a number of them along the way.
Continue out of Oldcastle on the R195 towards Castlepollard. Before long you’ll catch glimpses of Annagh or White Lough to the west of the road, the first of the many lakes along our route.
Shortly afterwards you’ll come upon signposts for the ancient Valley of Fore with its fascinating ruins of Fore Abbey and its various churches.
It’s a really interesting place and has a small tourist office where you can obtain more information about what to see there.
Back on the R195, Lough Glore makes its appearance to the west and not long afterwards we arrive in the attractive town of Castlepollard. To the east of Castlepollard is Lough Lene, and about three kilometres to the west is Pakenhamhall or Tullynally Castle, which dates to the 17th and 19th century and is associated with the novelist, Maria Edgeworth.
To the southwest of Castlepollard, Derravaragh is the largest of the area’s lakes, forever associated with the legend of the Children of Lir who were doomed to spend 300 years living on its waters.
Taking the R394 out of Castlepollard brings us close to the southeastern end of Lough Derravaragh, where there are several viewing points.
The road continues on to Mullingar past several smaller lakes, Lough Drin, Slevin Lake and Lough Seever. Of course, to the northwest of Mullingar lies moody Lough Owel, a brooding mass of water best reached by a short run along the N4.
This is a route to drive slowly, drinking in all the many different diversions that lie along it. If you’re lucky enough to drive it on a good day, as I was, then it’s one of the most interesting roads in the Irish midlands, whose essential character comes from the many lakes it touches along the way.