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Portumna
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Portumna is one of
Galway's most attractive towns and is situated on the border with
County Tipperary, at the point where the River Shannon enters the
northern shores of Lough Derg. This historic crossing point over the
Shannon river between counties Tipperary and Galway has a long
history of bridges and ferry crossings. Today it is an ideal
location to avail of all the facilitiess that the Shannon and Lough
Derg waterways have to offer. In particular Portumna is a well-known
tourist destination for boaters - there is a marina for Shannon
pleasure cruisers. For angling enthusiasts, Portumna offers good
fishing waters. The most commonly caught species include Pike,
Perch, Bream, Roach and Hybrids. Portumna also boasts a variety of
other activities for the water enthusiast, such as jet ski-ing,
sailing, wind-surfing, swimming and power-boat racing.
The town is famous for Portumna Castle which both King James I and
Queen Elizabeth I of England visited, and for the lords who lived
there. The great semi-fortified house at Portumna was built before
1618 by Richard Burke or de Burgo, 4th Earl of Clanricarde. It was
the main seat of the de Burgo family for over 200 years, until it
was gutted by fire in 1826. The ground floor of the house is now
open to the public. To the north of the house are formal,
geometrically laid out gardens. Exhibitions are held in the castle
and Gate House.
Portumna Forest Park provides a welcome amenity to this important
market town; its mile long sign-posted trail guides you through a
marvellous world of common and exotic trees. If you go quietly, you
need not lack company for there are sixteen species of wild animals
and eighty-five varieties of birds living happily beneath the green
mantle.
Portumna Golf Club is a traditional parkland golf course set in the
old Castlerickard estate near the upper end of Lough Derg. Course
developments in the past 5 years have propelled Portumna towards the
top of the parkland league table in Ireland. The holes are laid out
through mature deciduous and evergreen trees and herds of deer can
frequently be seen roaming the course.
One of the lesser known attractions in Portumna is the five-span
road bridge over the river. The bridge was designed by C. E. Stanier
of London, and completed in 1911. It is the largest early-twentieth
century swivel bridge in Europe with a central section resting on
Hayes's Island which divides the river into two channels. |
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Portumna Holiday Homes - County Galway, Ireland