The present mansion of 45 rooms was built relatively recently, in 1878, replacing the 'old' Clonalis House, which was built in 1700. The 'new' house contains a priceless collection of archival material that documents Irish history and the history of the O'Conor clan as far back as the 5th century BC.

The joke goes that the senior surviving branch of the Conor clan spells the name with one 'n' rather than two because they never could make n's meet - a tale possibly borne out by the fact that Denis O'Conor was so impoverished that he walked barefoot to Dublin in 1720 in order to fight a law case to recover a small portion (800 acres of poor land) of his ancestral lands.

The family's place in history is first brought to the attention of visitors even before they pass through the Italianate entrance to the house. To the left of the door is the Coronation Stone of the Kings of Connaught, a squat lump of rock that dates from druidic times and was originally at Rathcroghan. The newly chosen king would place his foot on the stone during the ceremony.

Tours of the house begin in the handsome entrance hall with its Ionic columns of pink Mallow marble. Visitors are led through rooms furnished with antiques ranging in style from Louis Quinze to Georgian Regency and Victorian. Specially interesting are an exhibition of lace garments, Georgian, Regency and Victorian silver, a 17th-century chalice designed for easy concealment during the anti-Catholic penal times, and the harp of Turlough O'Carolan, the blind harpist who was a frequent visitor to Clonalis House.

Douglas Hyde Interpretative Centre

Frenchpark/Du'n Gar

This unpretentious village is named after the now demolished redbrick house designed by architect Richard Cassel in 1729. It was the home of Major General George Arthur French, first commissioner of the Canadian North-West Mounted Police, the 'Mounties'. In the grounds of the former house is a five-chambered underground refuge, or souterrain, and to the east are the remains of the 1385 Cloonshaville Dominican friary'.

Ratheroghan/Cruachan

Sadly, one of Ireland's - and Europe's - most important archaeological sites has not been fully excavated, preserved or signposted. This traditional coronation and burial place of the Kings of Ireland and Connaught covers several square miles and includes some 53 ancient sites, among them ring-barrows and ring-forts. Some of them are prehistoric and some of early historic dates. They are all pagan locations that were abandoned with the arrival of Christianity.

But since access is difficult - the land is still privately owned - and there is no visitor or interpretative centre, those seeking glimpses into Ireland's past will have to arrange their expeditions carefully and make sure they obtain permission from the farmers before crossing private land. A brochure with a map of the ruins is available from the County Heritage Centre in Strokestown.

One of the most accessible sites is the earthwork known as Rathcroghan. This is named after Cruachú who was the handmaid of Etáin, mother of the legendary Queen Maeve. The small, steep-sided hill has been formed into a ring-barrow and was reputed to be Queen Maeve's residence. It is 3 miles to the west of Tulsk, just before the crossroads to Castlerea.

About 12Oyds north of the hill is a large stone, now on its side, formerly a 9ft standing stone. It is known as Maeve's Lump, but its purpose is unclear. Some believe it has magical associations.

Relig Na Ri, the burial ground of the kings, and Rath Na dTarbh, 'fort of the bulk', are nearby and deserve a visit.  The Morrigan, a war and fertility goddess associated with Rathcroghan, is reputed to appear on occasion as a large, black crow.

Tulsk/Tuilsce