Cootehill

Cootehill sits in County Cavan's drumlin country, 23 kilometers northeast of Cavan town on the N3 toward Dublin. Most folk arrive via the R188 from Cavan or R189 from Monaghan, both grand drives through the rounded hills and small lakes. The town serves local traffic and longer journeys to Dublin, with connections north to Belfast and Enniskillen. The broad main street shows its 17th-century plantation roots, but the real gem is Bellamont Forest House just outside town, one of Ireland's finest Palladian villas from the 1720s that's stayed remarkably intact.