THE LOCATION:

The seaside resort of Bettystown offers long sandy beaches, country walks, golf, watersports, cycling and riding and is just less than 1 hours drive from the city of Dublin. For the children , "Funtasia" provides great indoor fun. These 12 beautiful properties are in a courtyard setting complete with walled garden in the old grounds of the original country house. They are beautifully equipped and maintained, furnished in traditional country cottage style.

THE HOUSES:

4 star Irish Tourist Board with open plan living /Kitchen/dining. The houses have 3 bedrooms, 1 double with ensuite shower, 1 twin, 1 single; 1 bathroom. There is shared laundry facilities with washing machine & tumble dryer, this is payable onsite. Other features are: dishwasher, microwave, gas fired central heating, barbecue,  tv, drying room for sports equipment, daily maid service is available at extra charge payable onsite. The village & local pub is just 300 yards away. Electricity is charged at €5 per day June / July/ August; €8 per day rest of year. Towels are available for hire at €2 per set (1 hand towel and 1 bath towel) payable to the supervisor.

Activities and Links: 

Laytown and Bettystown Golf Club: Laytown and Bettystown sweeps along the coast with views of the Irish Sea and Maiden Tower, Morington. It can best be described as a most enjoyable challenge.This traditional links course is reputed to have a tough par 71. This traditional links has produced many fine international players, the best known of whom is Des Smyth. There are some fine holes in this stretch of links land, not least the par 5 (4th) where it takes two perfect shots to reach and hold the plateau green. The toughest hole on the back is the 11th, a par 4 of 462 yards. All in all, the par of 71 is a stiff target, especially when the wind blows in off the adjacent Irish Sea.

www.landb.ie

Funtasia:Funtasia is a state of the art family entertainment complex all under one roof, featuring a ten lane tournament size bowling alley, an american style pool room, and top claas snooker tables, a multi level kiddies play area, licenced fairground restaurant, delux casino and a fully equipped children's disco for parties. Also inddor dodgem's and selection of fairground rides including Santa Fe train and butterfly mono-rail.
We also have some roof top entertainments , these open normally from March to September and include crazy golf, and a climbing wall.
Funtasia  www.funtasia.ie

Puddenhill Activity Centre: 320m karting track, inflatable challengers and games, clay pigeon shooting, leisure trekking. www.puddenhill.com

Rathcairn Gaeltacht Area: An Brádan Feasa is based in the Gaeltacht region of Meath which is where the Irish language is spoken and all the traditional way of life is embraced through dance and music. They regularly hold events, where everyone is guaranteed a traditional Irish welcome. www.rathcairn.com

Newgrange: (c 3,200 B.C.) is the best-known monument of the World Heritage Site of Bru na Boinne.  Inside the large mound there is a long passage leading into a chamber.  The cremated remains of the dead were laid on large stone basins inside the chamber. At dawn on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year (December 21st), a shaft of sunlight enters the chamber of Newgrange through a specially designed opening over the doorway.  On December 21st 1967, Professor MJ O'Kelly was the first person in modern times to see this now world famous event.

Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre
Donore, Co. Meath Tel: +353 (0) 41 988 0300 / Fax: +353 (0) 41 982 3071

Location of Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre: 2km west of Donore Village on the L21.

Kells Heritage Town :The Monastic World of Saints and Scholars
The circular monastic enclosure protected St Columba's Church, the Round Tower and four of the towns five crosses. From this point, a circular street pattern radiates which is still evident today. Nearby, St Colum Cille's House is strategically positioned at one of the highest points in the town. It is thought that it housed some of the Saint's relics and that the 9th century Book of Kells was completed here. A facsimile copy of the Book of Kells the single most significant artefact associated with the town is on display in the Heritage Centre.

Kells or Ceanannas Mór, meaning Great Fort, was known to be a royal residence before St. Colmcille established a religious settlement in Kells in 550. The monks from his community on the Scottish island of Iona fled to Kells in 806 in order to escape savage Viking raids and it was here that they completed their illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels, the Book of Kells. While the original is housed in Trinity College, facsimile copies can be viewed in the Kells Heritage Centre and in the Church of Ireland.

The Heritage Council houses a modern multimedia exhibition and tourist information point in the recently restored former courthouse, originally designed by Francis Johnson in 1801. The High Cross of Kells is now located in the grounds of the centre. The cross depicts scenes from the Old and New Testaments and dates from the 8th or 9th century.

The walking trail in the town will bring visitors to numerous monuments in Kells. St Columcille's House, built in the 10th century is a ancient oratory with a step stone roof and early barrel vaulting. St. Columb's Church and HighCrosses are among the finest of the High Christian era. The illustrations on the crosses were probably used to spread the faith. Kells Round Tower dates from Viking times, each of the five windows pointing to one of the town's gates in anticipation of an attack from the Norse raiders.

A monument of more recent times, the Spire of Lloyd is an 18th century folly in the form of a lighthouse erected to the memory of the Earl of Bective by his son.

Nearby, Teltown also know as Tailte in the Gaelic form, was the site of the Aonach Tailteann, an Olympic games type of sport, recitations, music and dancing in honour of pagan gods. Pagan rites, such as swimming horses through the river at dawn were observed as well as an interesting ritual in marriage whereby a young maiden stuck her finger through a hole in a door. If admired by any of the men on the other side, he took hold of it and the maiden became his bride. However the marriage was only valid for a year and a day and if the couple disagreed they were free to return and try their luck at the next festival.

Angling: In Meath you will find superb game, coarse and sea angling. It will satisfy the expectations of specialist, experienced and novice anglers alike. There is a great diversity of waters in this fishery and you are invited to sample the quality and variety of fishing for yourself.

Game Angling
Game angling is available on the River Boyne and it's tributaries as well as on a series of small to medium sized lakes, which are located near Collinstown and Fore in Co. Westmeath.

Course Angling
The lakes around Bailieboro and Virginia to the North-West and a number of lakes near Collinstown and Delvin hold excellent stocks of coarse fish as do the Royal and Grand canals at Enfield and Edenderry.

Sea Angling
Sea anglers are provided for on the stretch of coastline from Clogherhead South to Laytown and at the mouth of the Boyne where it flows into the Irish Sea.

The proximity of the Boyne Valley to major airports and sea ports means that quality angling is only an hours drive away.  The Boyne Valley has much to offer as an angling destination and is well worth a visit.

EQUESTRIAN: Moy Riding Centre, Summerhill

Tel +353 (0) 9557575
086 8239115

Small family-run riding centre specialising in children's horse riding.
Children are our speciality at the riding centre, the emphasis is always on safety and enjoyment. Lessons
are organised for mid-week and weekends. Residential pony camps for children take place during school holidays. Also hacks are available for use on quiet lanes. The centre has two self-contained apartments for rent for those wishing to take a week's holiday at the centre

Facilities
Lessons for Children and Adults

Indoor and outdoor arenas

All B.H.S. qualified staff

Residential pony camps