Lullymore Heritage & Discovery Park
Lullymore Heritage & Discovery Park was opened in 1993 and has since developed into a leading attraction for international and Irish visitors, tour groups of all ages, families, schools and special events at Easter, Halloween and Christmas.
Imagine. You are standing here several thousand years ago, burying a huge lump of butter in the bog. Are you preserving it for later consumption, hiding it from potential thieves, or making an offering to the gods or spirits?
Such are the thoughts that intrigue you as you view the authentic bog butter on display at Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park. People deposited butter in wooden or earthenware vessels right across Ireland’s peatlands and, even when rediscovered centuries later, it has been perfectly preserved in the unique bog environment. Waxy to the touch, with a whiff of cheese.
In just one afternoon, expert local guides will help you discover a journey through 10,000 years of heritage and culture: from how the peatlands were formed and harvested for industry, to the people who have found protection and seclusion on this special green mineral island in the Bog of Allen, Ireland’s largest peatland. Multimedia exhibits, train trips and meandering trails around 60 acres provide vivid understanding of so many secrets and stories.
You imagine: travelling the togher roads – prehistoric trackways still in evidence across the bogs – to ancient settlements and ceremonial sites here. The replica of a bog body, among the more gruesome discoveries so spectacularly preserved in Ireland’s peatlands, raises questions about rituals and sacrifices. In the Neolithic Farmhouse you meet a New Stone Age man.
In the Early Christian Centre you discover how monks in the 5th-century monastery enjoyed Lullymore’s isolation – and the holographic exhibit in the 1798 Cottage reveals how that same isolation became perfect for covert rebel activities. In the mudwall Famine House you encounter the hardships that propelled people to emigrate.
Then, along the boardwalk you watch nature quietly reclaiming these mysterious peatlands, taking their ancient stories into the future.
This is a must see destination along Ireland's Ancient East - visit http://www.lullymoreheritagepark.com for more information
