Meath

You can be Irish for a day at the Causey Farm with a host of traditional activities including turf cutting, bodhrán classes, céilí dancing, sheepdog demonstrations, cow milking and brown bread baking.

These tranquil formal gardens boast over 400 different roses, but the real draw for the kids is the raucous tropical bird garden and the mini zoo with camels, monkeys and racoons.

Boat hire, barge trips, bicycle hire, barbecue hire, fishing rod hire and a coffee shop are just some of the facilities on offer here.