Explore the luxurious surroundings of Mid Ulster’s many period properties and their glorious gardens or discover historic sites dotted across the landscape.
Explore historic homes in Mid Ulster
Make yourself at home in acre upon acre of ancient woodland, ornate gardens and awe-inspiring views. Once belonging to vast walled estates, these grounds are now yours to enjoy and explore. At their heart, you’ll find the spectacular properties in which knights, earls and colonels made their homes in the beautiful Mid Ulster landscape hundreds of years ago.
Many of Mid Ulster’s historic houses date from the 17th century - and a home doesn’t get to be that old without picking up a few stories along the way. Expect tales of fearsome foes, opulence and romance. siege and rebellion, devastating fires and personal heartbreak. Family seats and baronets. Ancient livery companies, Game of Thrones filming locations and so much more.
Historic sites and cultural wonders
Mid Ulster is full of heritage sites, historic monuments and cultural wonders. Discover our rich history as you visit places where Kings were been crowned and battles won and lost. From its hillItop position outside Cookstown, the ancient ceremonial and inauguration site at Tullaghoge Fort, was a royal power centre which came to historical prominence in the 11th Century when it was a dynastic centre and inaugural place for Cenel nEogain. Enjoy panoramic views from the hilltop – just like generations of O’Neills did centuries before. If you stand on the Hill of The O’Neill, not far way in the town of Dungannon, you are standing on one of the most important sites in the history of Ireland - a place at the centre of a nine year war that changed the landscape of Ulster forever.
400 years of history
There’s no shortage of options if you’re looking for period properties to visit in Mid Ulster. Springhill House and gardens, in Moneymore, between Cookstown and Magherafelt, is one of the best National Trust houses to visit in Northern Ireland. In fact, it’s considered one of the prettiest homes to visit in Ulster.
The 17th-century plantation house is home to an impressive costume collection, portraits, furniture, walled gardens and parkland walks.
The enchanting country residence of Lissan House, also in Cookstown, is believed to be the oldest house in Mid Ulster still standing. The 17th century mansion was home to the Staples family for more than 400 years. Take a tour to soak up all of that history and enjoy a walk through the 267-acre estate’s forest trails and riverside walks.
Castles built by renowned architects
The imposing, Norman-inspired Killymoon Castle, in Cookstown, was designed by the famous London architect John Nash, who also worked on Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch and Brighton's Royal Pavilion. Nash’s asymmetrical design, featuring both round and square towers, makes Killymoon one of the most distinctive castles in Northern Ireland. Take a guided tour of the Regency Gothic interiors, before enjoying a relaxing afternoon tea.
Beautiful Irish country homes
The 550-acre Blessingbourne Estate, in Fivemiletown, offers a range of family friendly activities, including a working farm, mountain bike trails, and a carriage and costume museum. Group tours of the house, which was built in the 1870s, and gardens are available so you can delve further into the history of the estate.
At Ballyscullion Park, in Bellaghy, you can book a house and garden tour of this beautiful property on the shores of Lough Beg. Owner Richard Mulholland will talk you through the history of the park, from building work starting on the first Ballyscullion House in 1787 through to its more recent use as a Games of Thrones filming location.
Nearby is the 17th century fortified house of Bellaghy Bawn, one of the most famous historic houses in Northern Ireland. Built on land belonging to the Vintners' Company in around 1619 by Sir Baptist Jones, the property also houses exhibitions on local history and is the site of a statue celebrating the poem ‘Digging’ by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, who was born and raised in the Bellaghy area.
Presidential connections
The President U.S. Grant Ancestral Homestead in the Clogher Valley, was the family home of the Simpsons, the ancestors of Ulysses S. Grant, General and 18th President of the United States of America. The preserved white washed cottage with large turf fire and the original mud wall is home to a new exhibition which tells Grant’s life story and the stories of those who emigrated from Mid Ulster to America.
Three Sisters Experience
Discover the stories of the three Molesworth sisters and their connections with three of Mid Ulster’s historic homes. Dublin-born Henrietta, Louisa and Elizabeth Molesworth were all aged younger than 17 when a fire tore through their London home in May 1763. The girls' mother, Lady Molesworth, two of their sisters, an uncle and six servants died. Their father Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth, had died a few years earlier, so the sisters were orphaned.
Learn how the three surviving Molesworth sisters overcame that horrific trauma and how their adult lives became intertwined with the stories of some of Mid Ulster’s most impressive houses: Killymoon Castle, Lissan House and Springhill. You’ll explore the history of these magnificent period properties through one family’s personal stories of triumph after tragedy as part of our Three Sisters experience.
