Ireland's Hidden Heartlands is the newest of the tourism brands and the least travelled. It follows the River Shannon and the Beara-Breifne Way through the middle of the country - Longford, Roscommon and Leitrim at its core, with stretches of Westmeath, Offaly, Cavan, east Galway, north Tipperary and east Clare along the water.
What You're Missing
The Shannon and its lakes offer a completely different Ireland - houseboats, quiet fishing villages, and empty backroads where you won't see another tourist for miles.
Clonmacnoise in Offaly sits on the Shannon's east bank: a monastic city founded in the 540s, with round towers, high crosses and the largest collection of early Christian grave slabs in Europe.
Lough Key in Roscommon has forest trails, a boardwalk through the treetops and the ruins of McDermott's Castle sitting on its own small island.
Why It Matters
This is where Ireland lives. Not the tourist Ireland of cliffs and pubs and craic, but the real Ireland of small towns, local GAA matches, and conversations over cups of tea. If you have the time, give it a day or two.
