The River Bann is in the North of Ireland and flows into the Atlantic quite spectacularly at the hazardous Bar Mouth.

THE BAR MOUTH

Heading West from the mouth of the river on any Ireland tours you will coma across the little village of Castlerock.

On the cliffside you will see Mussenden Temple which is stunning and locally known as the “biscuit barrel”.

There is also Downhill Palace built in the 1780’s last occupied by American troops during World War Two.

If you are lucky your tours of Ireland will take you to Magilligan Point and onwards to Limavady. A truly beautiful drive.

From here Donegal is within easy striking distance.

It is also easily reached from the cruise ship dock in Belfast as one of our extended Belfast tours.

Beyond Castlerock on the road to Downhill is the entrance to the Bishop’s Glen and Mussenden Temple. there are beautiful walks along the Glen and past the old Bishop’s Palace, now in ruins, and on to Mussenden Temple, which is perched on an outcrop overlooking a long stretch of beach.

This is one of the the best known structure in Northern Ireland, and was built in the late eighteenth century by Frederick Augustus Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol who was also the Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry. Known also as “the Temple of the Winds” because of its weather beaten location, it was inspired by the temples of Vesta at Tivoli in Rome, ad was named in honor of the Bishop’s young cousin, the beautiful Mrs Mussenden – although she died before it was completed.

He was very much his own man, and in his day he was a champion of Catholic rights, and he made available the basement of the Mussenden temple for Roman Catholic worship, he was also delightfully eccentric, and he once staged a horse race on Magilligan Strand between Presbyterian and Anglican Clergy.

There are magnificent sea views from Mussenden Temple, which is now in the care of the National Trust, and there is also a good path back to Castlerock. For the visitor moving further along the coast, the roads winds down a steep hill to the hamlet of Downhill, and immediately left there is a steep climb on a minor road which leads to the Eagle’s Nest. this affords one of the best views along the entire North Coast.

See it all on your Ireland tour with Ireland Luxury Tours !!!!

Downhill House, near Coleraine, was the residence of the eccentric Anglican Bishop Frederick Augustus Hervey, fourth Earl of Bristol, a descendant of a long line of rascals.  Derry was one of the wealthiest of Ireland’s church districts and it was here Earl-Bishop Hervey reigned at the end of the 18thcentury, always managing to wrest the maximum from his see in order to live extravagantly and indulge odd whims, such as a ‘curate’s race’ along the beach of Downhill, where the winners were rewarded withpositions in the diocese.  He also had a passion for travelling the Continent witha massive carriage and entourage, making him so popular with hoteliers that ‘Bristol’ was often added to the name for status.

Four architects were employed for the construction of the Downhill estate, reflecting the Earl-Bishop’s mercurial temperament, and though a fire in 1851 destroyed most of the mansion, numerous ‘follies’ around the grounds still stand in corny magnificence.  One such, MussendenTemple, is a rotunda with Corinthian columns, closely modelled on the Italian Temples of Vesta.  Built in 1783 by Michael Shanahan, the Temple was later named as a memorial for the Bishop’s beloved second cousin, Fridiswide Bruce Mussenden, who died at the age of 22.  The Temple also served as the Bishop’s library, and an occasional church, commanding a spectacular view over the six mile long Atlantic beach.