Uisneach going on agenda for US visitors
The Hill of Uisneach has played host to kings, cattle, music fans, druids – and latterly, to American tourists seeking to get in touch with the real heritage of this country in parts often not seen by US visitors.
Since the start of the summer, spoken word artist Marty Mulligan, and former Blizzards manager, Justin Moffitt – both Mullingar men – have been leading tour parties up the hill, and pointing out all the features and sites of interest, as well as recounting the history of Uisneach.
The Americans are all coming to Ireland through the Mullingar-based tour operators Exploring Ireland, who offer American visitors something that bit different to the typical package on offer to the US market.
“They come to Mullingar for two days, and they stay in the Bloomfield, and we’ve been taking groups up Uisneach every week since May, and we’re booked to do the same next year from May to September again,” reveals Marty.
He says that what the Americans are looking for is the ‘hidden’ Ireland, and so they also get to see places like Lough Crew, Locke’s Distillery, and Belvedere House during their visit here – and they love it.
The reactions to the tours of Uisneach have been brilliant, he says, adding that the groups typically comprise up to 40 people, and they range in age from the young to the elderly.
“We start off the tour at the Royal Palace, built by Tuathail Teachtmhar in 1AD, and we take them to Lugh’s Lake, and tell them all about the Tuatha De Danaan, and we take them to St Patrick’s Bed, and show them the view across 20 different counties, and then on to the Catstone, which used to mark the centre of Ireland, and they love that they’re in the middle of Ireland – and that they are on private land, so thanks are due to David and Angela Clarke for that,” he says.
It’s not just American visitors who get to enjoy the benefit of Marty and Justin’s in-depth knowledge of the hill however: right up to the end of September, anyone who is interested can join the two for public sessions they are running from the Uisneach car park at 1pm each Saturday.
The tours are free, and gives local people and other tourists, the chance to see and hear the sort of detail of Ireland’s history that have been captivating the US tourists.
Marty paid tribute to historian Ruth Illingworth for giving himself and Justin such an insight into the famous hill, which they are now passing on.
“It’s so much better than just wandering aimlessly: we have a dedicated walk way and we tell them all of the story of the area, including about the archaeological dig of the 1920s,” says Marty.
The tour takes around two hours, and generally, participants adjourn afterwards to the nearby Uisneach Inn to enjoy refreshments.
As an aside, Marty reveals that one of those who took part in last week’s walk was a New Jersey resident – who is a neighbour of that most famous of all New Jersey residents, Bruce Springsteen.
“I told him that Bruce’s family was from around this area, and he said he would tell his neighbour to come over here,” says Marty, who has been making efforts for some time to persuade The Boss to visit Westmeath.
• Free guided walking tours of the Hill of Uisneach, Saturdays, 1 pm, from Uisneach car park.