The midlands of Ireland

[Mearabade]

I live in the midlands of Ireland. Im in Westmeath.

I work in a job, where I answer calls and emails from all over the country .

People often ask where I'm from and if i say Im from westmeath, they always say "sure there's nothing there".

For example I was chatting to a woman from kilkenny on the phone.
She asked me where I was, and I said I was in westmeath.

She said that she'd never been to westmeath and I said "you'd love it if you came". And she said 'westmeath? Sure there's nothing there!

My colleague is also from Offaly, and she also gets things like this said to her

I know the midlands of ireland are not the most glamorous parts of ireland, but why do they get totallt written off by people.

I was just thinking this week how absolutely lovely it is here in the midlands

There's the lakes outside Mullingar. Theres the Shannon in Athlone. You can get a boat trip up the Shannon.

In county offaly, there are stunning hill walks. The nature is beautiful.

I just wanted to give a little shout out for the midlands. It's a beautiful place. Come and visit if you're ever near!

There's no Aldis in the north at all!

In northern ireland do you mean?

No aldi in the wee North. They have a few Asda and Sainsbury's, and Lidl. And Super Valu I think. And Marks and Dunnes.
Sainsbury's have a good selection of biscuits.

I have relations dotted around Offaly and spent summers as a child on my Granny's farm there which is in the middle of the bog. I find it so peaceful there - I live in a commuter county where traffic is constant so it's wonderful to hear the sounds of nature unhindered. I remember the Lough Boora area as a working bog so it's wonderful to see it all being returned to nature and used as a public amenity.
I also love the lakes in Westmeath, boat trips on the Shannon and Athlone is a nice town.

I'm from Carlow. We get lumped in with the Midlands even though geographically it's more south-east. But we don't have the glamour of our southern and eastern neighbours so we're considered to be lumpy midlanders. 😅Same as my friend from Monaghan.

I love Carlow, it's brilliant. But, to be fair, I can see why it's not top of anyone's holiday destinations list. If you only have a week or two to see the most stunning places in Ireland, you're probably going to largely hang around the west & Dublin.

Fair play to them. Tourists can dangle themselves over the Atlantic in Kerry and Galway and leave Carlow to people who appreciate it.

I haven't been to Carlow!

It's true, for me as well, that if I go anywhere I go to Galway, Dublin, Belfast and Cork.

And I miss out on the smaller places.

I never would have seen Waterford only that one of my colleagues was from Waterford and I went down to visit them.

I absolutely loved it.

I'll be honest, as much as I love Carlow, it doesn't have much that I can think of that would make anyone say they had to go to Carlow because it had something that no other county has. But it is beautiful in the way that a lot of the lesser known areas are ... and we can get out to more conventionally attractive places like Curracloe and Glendalough in just over an hour.

The motorway right through the county does very little to enhance its beauty. But it is useful at times.

Yes I agree with you. People including myself just follow like the herd and go to the main cities.
When the smaller places have such beautiful parts to them.

One of my colleagues is from Leitrim. I've never been to anywhere in Leitrim except Carrick on Shannon. I really want to go round some small villages.

Not from Carlow but I’ve walked from Bagnelstown to Carlow along the Barrow and it is absolutely gorgeous. The mountains are fab looking from the town and tonnes of stately homes from that time youse had all that money a couple of centuries back. I think Carlow and Sligo are two of the most underrated counties in Ireland.

Mayo is lovely too. Really stunning nature.

Carlow: what's not to love about a place that has a railway station that looks like THIS! 'Jacobean Revivalism', no less.

Midlands get bad press everywhere - in the USA don't they call all the bits in the middle 'the flyover states'? And Australians settlers couldn't think of anything more imaginative to call their midlands than 'Nullarbor Plain' - no trees, but lots of other things going on seasonally, if they'd bothered to ask the locals..

I'm sure midlanders have difficulty forgiving Donagh MacDonagh for writing:
'The soft and dreary midlands with their tame canals
Wallow between sea and sea, remote from adventure'

I don't like different places or communities being pitted against each other, even if it's just 'banter' about where someone is from. Ireland is full of lovely places, rural and urban and in between-ish

My daughter had a six week placement in Carlow! It was a good place.
Leitrim, Cavan and Fermanagh are peaceful lakeland places.
I love Sligo, Mayo, Donegal for the coastline. Limerick for the Hunt museum and Shannon.
Having all the motorways heading to Dublin doesn't help the midlands, some of the small roads have too much traffic. The government will sort it out!

Being a brummie from the Midlands or specifically the West Midlands, it's nice to know that Ireland has a middle lands/Midlands..who knew?
I won't get into who had 'Midlands' first? we'll call it a draw. Saying that probably more Irish heritage in the Brummie Midlands than Westmeath anyhow 😆

I'm from athlone but live in england now. The midlands is great if you like water. There's water everywhere. I prefer some hills in my landscape but did enjoy long summers on the boats as a kid.

I had a picnic in Athlone once!

Not the Midlands but friend has just done some work in Adair Manor, it looks fairly fabulous. (She's a wedding planner so travels around spending other people's money!)

Yes!
My dads family is from offaly and weatmeath
Spent many happy times there!
Birr castle
Slieve bloom mountains
Swimming in the River Shannon
Most of his family worked for Bord na Mona

Mullaghmeen- the largest ash forest in Europe, the bluebell forest, Tyrellspass tea rooms, Belvedere house and gardens, cycle track from Athlone to Mullingar- found all this stuff when friend from Dublin came down for two nights with her family and they had the best holiday ever staying in Bloomfield ( in Mullingar), which gave her free access to pool and Belvedere! My mind was blown!

Midlands get bad press everywhere

In France they have what's called the Diagonale du Vide - the Diagonal of Emptiness, which is an imaginary line from the north east to southwest of the country.

And I thought Carlow had bad press (although it turns out you all love it 🤗)!

Belvedere house is stunning. It has a forest walk around the outside of the house, with fairy houses in the trees for the kids.

The Bloomfield hotel is also stunning.

That is the hotel that's right beside the lake, isn't it.

We had accidental tea and scones in Kinnity castle a couple of months ago. There are so many lovely castle and country house hotels around the place.

Expensive for staying...but nice for a coffee and toilet break.
There should be a trip advisor site to review scones and facilities.

Spent an amazing long holiday one summer , based in Longford. Wandered around Westmeath , Cavan, Leitrim , Roscommon, Sligo. So many lovely hills and lakes. Hardly any tourists. Friendly people and very reasonable prices. A hidden gem.

Glad you're keeping Carlow nice and secret.

I agree it's a brilliant little county, and I think it should remain undiscovered.

Mearabade

yes, right next to it- the went at summer time and loved it so much, are planning on going again!

If there's no Aldi in the North do Northerners go to Dundalk to shop there @ilovepixie ?
I love going to Sainsburys in Sprucefield or Asda just outside Belfast and B&M and Home Bargains when I'm up North.
I popped in to Greggs in the Buttercrane centre Newry once to see what the fuss was about.
I wish there was a Waitrose and John Lewis in the North.

Waves to the midlanders 👋

I'm in the gang too, Westmeath is a great place! They don't know what they're missing.