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See & Do

Discover The Area

Childers Park and Woodlands

Locals and visitors joke that Listowel’s Childers’ Park and Woodlands or as we call it locally 'The Cows Lawn' is nearly bigger than the town itself, and we in Listowel have enthusiastically embraced this.

If you like beautiful natural scenery and relaxing walks, you will love our town park. Our ‘River Walk’ takes you along the meandering embankment of the river Feale, with fantastic views of Listowel Castle and Listowel Bridge. The peaceful Gurtinard Wood is a vestige of one the largest natural alder and ash forests in the country, and is today home to a remarkable variety of flora and fauna. The park is also home to an 18 hole pitch and put course, two tennis courts, football pitches and a childrens’ playground.

Listowel Community Centre, a recently revamped, state of the art gym and activity centre, is bustling with sports clubs activities and events – as well a some very friendly and passionate staff. Want to try a new sport, activity or exercise routine? You will find it in Listowel Community Centre.

History

In 1946 Gurtinard Wood was purchased from William Hare (Lord Listowel), and ever since the wood has been a beautiful natural amenity, enjoyed and treasured by locals and visitors alike. In the 1960s, the local council bought the ‘Cows’ Lawn’, a commonage where Listowel people grazed cattle, and combining it with Gurtinard Wood, created one of the largest town parks of its size in Ireland. Locals still refer to Childers’ Park and Woodlands as the ‘Cows’ Lawn’.

The Dandy Lodge

The Dandy Lodge at Listowel-town-park

The Dandy Lodge is a nineteenth century cottage – originally built around c. 1875.  It was carefully moved stone by stone and reconstructed at the entrance of the Town Park.

It appears, in its original location, as the first house in the Bridge Road in the Ordinance Survey map of 1897. It was the a gate lodge to the manor of the agents of Lord Listowel.

The Garden Of Europe

Listowel-Park-Monuments-Gardens-Of-Europe

It is a hidden gem’; ‘A wonderful surprise’; ‘I still can’t believe it is there’ – this is how some of our visitors react when they discover The Garden of Europe, nestled in the heart of Gurtinard Wood and Childers’ Park. Containing more than 2,500 varieties of tree and shrub, representing native floral from all corners of the European continent, the garden is a wonderful, peaceful kaleidoscope of horticultural diversity.

More than anything, The Garden of Europe is an oasis of calm and serenity in the middle of Listowel; a place for adults and children to come and enjoy themselves; admire the flowers, shrubs and trees on display, walk through the various pathways and breath in the serene atmosphere. The bust of poet and philosopher Friedrich Schiller, a key figure in Germany’s romantic movement, chimes with the garden’s theme of unity and friendship amid diversity. The Holocaust memorial, denoted by the German embassy in Ireland, is an important commemoration of the millions who lost their lives and ensures the garden is also a place for contemplation and reflection.

 

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