Mullaghmeen

This is a forest preserve where Steve and I went to walk the dogs.  It is the largest Beech Forest Plantation in Europe! The land was acquired by the Department of Agriculture in the 1930's, and that is when the planting of the forest began.  In the center is White Hill which is 261 meters or 859 feet high, making it the highest point in County Westmeath.

The web site on the area gives these directions for how to get there:

"From Castlepollard, drive out Water Street past the National and VEC schools and stay on this road. There are a few sharp turns and one sharp Y junction turn where the left fork should be taken (it is signposted for the forest but easy to miss) but basically stay on the same road until you come to the main entrance to the forest (which is signposted) on the left.

From Oldcastle, take the Castlepollard road past Millbrook to the first Y junction where a right turn off the main road should be taken. Follow this road until you pass Briody Holdings on the right and take a left turn
immediately after this shop. The forest is on this road so keep driving until the main entrance gate is seen on the right."

I include this so you can see that directions here are iffy at best!  Also, the roads to this particular forest are small with one lane areas that make it a little dicey!  We had to get almost completely off the road twice for big farm tractors pulling manure tanks. I would never really drive to this forest without Steve....

The Famine Fields are areas where people were planting and growing their crops during the famine years.  For small farmers the practice was to create "lazy beds" using seaweed and manure placement rather than plowing.  It enabled them to grow more produce per square foot than if they used regular plowing and planting methods of the day.

It was a bit humbling to see the fields that were used by people just trying to survive during the 1800's. 

Magnificent hilltop view - though we were not at the highest point!

Bluebells in abundance - which I think are where the faeries live!

This is primrose - it looks a lot like an African Violet.

These star-shaped flowers are wood anemones.

Only Rugby is concerned that I am getting too far behind...

and he makes sure the other two wait up!

A Booley Hut is apparently temporary housing built and used by those raising livestock so they could move the livestock to different grazing areas in the summer months.

It was a lovely forest and a beautiful, long walk.