In Cloghan, remarkable architectural details meet the history of the Grand Canal. Nearby is Cloghan Wetland. If you are looking for accommodation in Cloghan, you can focus on these local themes or look to County Offaly as a wider setting for cultural and nature experiences.
Church, Houses and Distinctive Architectural Details
Saint Mary’s Catholic Church is a detached Roman Catholic church dating from around 1860. Its plan is T-shaped, with a polygonal apse at the chancel. The three-storey tower and its spire complete the distinctive design. The different elements are particularly interesting from an architectural perspective: the standalone building, the shape of the end section and the soaring tower.
Another architectural landmark is the protected house at 30–34 Castle Street. The gable-fronted building dates from the early 19th century, has two storeys and is laid out in four bays. Its elliptically moulded door surround, with a leaded-glass fanlight, is particularly elaborate. The house also retains remnants of a shopfront from the same period: above the door is a rectangular leaded-glass fanlight. The same address thus reveals both the design of a residence and traces of its former use as a shop.
Strawberry Hill House offers a different focus. Its structure is considered architecturally unusual, and its tower has a medieval appearance. Medieval heads are set into the tower’s south façade, contributing to the site’s archaeological significance. Together with the clearly dated buildings on Castle Street, the house shows the different ways Cloghan’s built heritage can be described: through historic residential and commercial traces as well as unusual forms and older architectural elements.
Canal Bridge and Wetland
L’Estrange Bridge was built in 1800 as a single-arch stone canal bridge. It carries the road from Cloghan to Shannonbridge over the Grand Canal. A limestone towpath runs along the canal beneath its arch. Here, the bridge, road and waterside path bring the canal’s built infrastructure into focus.
The 55-hectare Cloghan Wetland is not in the town itself, but nearby. This natural area includes Loch Clochan, natural ponds, wetlands and birch and willow woodland. The surrounding area thus offers a range of landscape features as well as its buildings.
County Offaly as a Wider Travel Horizon
County Offaly offers further distinct themes. The ruins of Clonmacnoise comprise a cathedral, two round towers, three high crosses, nine churches and more than 700 early Christian grave slabs. Clara Bog is considered perhaps the best-preserved example of an ombrotrophic raised bog in mid-western Europe. These places offer different points of interest: Clonmacnoise is known for its early Christian architectural and funerary monuments, while Clara Bog is notable for its distinctive raised-bog landscape.
At Lough Boora Discovery Park, the visitor centre at Loch an Dochais offers visitor information, public toilets, a café, bike hire, a picnic area and a car park. Check the operator’s website before travelling. The Sculpture Park includes a 3.3-kilometre walking and cycling route featuring 24 works by Irish and international sculptors. The artworks and the route offer two different ways to engage with the landscape.
Birr Castle Demesne also adds to the range of attractions in County Offaly: the park covers 120 acres and features more than 5,000 plant species, award-winning gardens and an adventure playground. The estate also includes the Great Telescope, castle tours and the Historic Science Centre of Ireland, which explores achievements in astronomy, engineering and photography. Those interested in routes through the landscape can also explore the Offaly Way: this 32.4-kilometre linear route runs from Cadamstown to Lemanaghan, crossing agricultural land and following quiet roads, riverside and woodland paths, as well as paved roads. It also passes a rare Mesolithic site near Boora.
Discover more destinations: Birr, The Curragh, Banagher, Killurin, Shannonbridge, Rhode, Tullamore, Toberpatrick.
For the wider travel overview: County Offaly.
