Wellbrook Beetling Mill

The last working water powered beetling mill in operation, Wellbrook is a reminder of the vast industry that was linen in Northern Ireland until its demise in the 1950s. At Wellbrook, the visitor can try some scutching, hackling and weaving as they take part in hands-on demonstrations. The building itself is set in a glen, offering the tourist a range of forest and grassland walks.

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Lissan House

This enchanting historic property in Lissan, from Gaelic Lios Áine (the Fort of Áine, Celtic Goddess of Summer), is arguably the oldest residence in Ireland in the possession of a single family. Originally built in the 1620s, it has been maintained and developed by the Staples family since, until the death of Hazel Radclyffe-Dolling (née Staples) in April 2006. The building was virtually a ruin, however, by 2003, when it was entered into a BBC programme, Restoration. There was a prize of £1 million for the winner of the competition and, although Lissan House made it to the final, they came second but got nothing. The publicity garnered through appearing in the programme, though, allowed the Lissan House Charitable Trust to fundraise and, as a result, they have carried out extensive repairs and improvements inside and out. The house is now open for visitors, with a variety of events running from photography and painting workshops to murder mystery evenings.

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Ulster American Folk Park

Built on the land that had belonged to Thomas Mellon, the banker and lawyer who emigrated from there to America in 1816, the Folk Park has reconstructed or replicated buildings from Ireland and America and uses these as a stage to show visitors how life was lived in days gone by on both continents. There are also exhibits on emigration, including a replica of an Irish emigration sailing ship. Research on genealogy and emigration are also carried out on the site.

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Tullaghoge Fort

Tullaghoge Fort, located near Cookstown and Lough Neagh, was one of the central places in the long dominance of the O’Neill clan in Ulster. Although it probably was a significant site in former times, it was with the rise of the O’Neills in the 11th century when they chose Tullaghoge as the site of the inauguration of their clan chieftain.. This practise continued until the inauguration of Aodh Rua (Red Hugh) in 1593. After the defeat of the Irish army at Kinsale in 1601, the fort was overrun by the English and Leac na Rí, the ceremonial stone on which the inauguration was carried out, was broken into pieces by order of Lord Moutjoy in 1602.

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