Rock of DunamaseThe rock rises straight out of flat land east of Portlaoise with a ruined castle on top of it, and three counties are visible from up there.
Laois
Laois
Midland county of bog, the Slieve Bloom hills and old stone ruins.
- Leinster
- 20 places
- 0 events in the next 30 days
- 11 more listings
The list
Top 10 things to do in Laois
Laois is a midland county of bog, low mountain and old stone, and almost nobody stops in it on the way west. The Rock of Dunamase is the one everybody knows. Under it on this list are a Gandon house, a raised bog with a boardwalk across it and a round tower with its door five metres off the ground.
Rock of DunamaseThe rock rises straight out of flat land east of Portlaoise with a ruined castle on top of it, and three counties are visible from up there.
Emo CourtJames Gandon designed this domed neoclassical house. There is a lake in the grounds and a mile long avenue of giant sequoia running up to it.
Slieve Bloom MountainsLow and flat topped on the Offaly border, mostly blanket bog and forestry, with Arderin the high point at 527m.
GlenbarrowWaterfall · ClonasleeGlenbarrow is where the River Barrow starts in the Slieve Blooms, with a waterfall in it and a looped trail from the car park.
Timahoe Round Tower and ChurchMonastic site · TimahoeNearly 30m of round tower on the green at Timahoe, with its carved Romanesque doorway five metres off the ground.
Aghaboe AbbeyAbbey · BallacollaThe Dominican priory ruin and the church beside it stand on a monastic site that goes back to the 6th century.
Killeshin ChurchRuin · KilleshinThe carved Romanesque west doorway is still upright on this church ruin, on the hill west of Carlow town.
Donaghmore Famine Workhouse MuseumMuseum · RathdowneyAn 1853 workhouse near Rathdowney, kept as it was, dormitories still standing and an agricultural museum in the yard.
Abbeyleix BogBog · AbbeyleixThe boardwalk crosses a raised bog on the edge of the town. People from Abbeyleix blocked Bord na Móna's machines in 2000, and the town has looked after it since.
AbbeyleixTown · AbbeyleixLaid out as an estate town in the 1770s: one wide main street of limestone fronts, with the bog at the end of it.
Show 10 more
- Durrow Leafy LoopWalk · DurrowA long looped walk on lanes and woodland paths out of Durrow village, with shorter options signed off it.
- MountmellickTown · MountmellickA Quaker town on the Owenass river. The museum there keeps the white on white Mountmellick embroidery going.
- Sleaty Church and High CrossesMonastic site · SleatyThe church ruin and two plain granite high crosses sit on the Barrow bank at Sleaty, just west of Carlow town.
Heywood GardensGarden · BallinakillFormal terraced gardens laid out by Edwin Lutyens in 1906, with a sunken oval pool and a lime avenue.
Abbeyleix Heritage HouseMuseum · AbbeyleixAbbeyleix's old school building holds a museum on the town and its carpet factory, which wove carpets for the Titanic.- Ridge of CapardViewpoint · RosenallisThe ridge runs high across the Slieve Blooms, with a car park near the top and long views out over the midlands.
- Errill Church and Wayside CrossRuin · RathdowneyA medieval church ruin and a carved wayside cross stand in Errill village, close to the Tipperary border.
- Gash GardensGarden · MountrathThree acres at Castletown outside Mountrath running down to the Nore, with a rock garden and a moon house in it.
- Ballintubbert Gardens and HouseHouse and gardens · StradballyCecil Day-Lewis was born in this house near Stradbally. There is a walled garden and a holy well in the grounds.
- Ballykilcavan BreweryDistillery or brewery · StradballyThe brewery is in the farmyard of the Ballykilcavan estate near Stradbally, brewing with barley grown on the farm.
Where they are
Tap a pin to open the place.
13 of the 20 places are on the map. The rest are listed above.
More to see in Laois
11 more places from Fáilte Ireland’s own listings, each linked to its official site.
- The Irish Fly Fishing and Game MuseumMuseum · AttanaghThe Irish Fly Fishing and Game Museum explores 300 years of hunting and fishing in Ireland.
- Fruitlawn GardenGarden · BoleyFruitlawn Garden in Abbeyleix, County Laois, is a designer's garden of approximately 1 acre.
- Kilvahan Horse Drawn Caravans and Adventure FarmVisitor farm · CoolrainKilvahan Horse Drawn Caravan operates with 16 caravans, all of which are authentic and fitted out to a luxury standard.
- Dunmore Country School Kitchen Garden and Natural Beekeeping ClassesGarden · DurrowDunmore Country School Kitchen Garden and Natural Beekeeping Classes encourages students to reconnect with nature while learning sustainable practices.
- Gardens at Castle DurrowCastle or historic house · DurrowFound in Durrow, County Laois, Castle Durrow is one of Ireland’s most luxurious country house hotels.
- Monicknew WoodsCastle or historic house · MountrathMonicknew Woods in County Laois, is situated in a valley of the Slieve Bloom Mountain range.
- Solas Eco Garden CentreGarden · PortarlingtonSolas Eco Garden Centre in Portarlington, County Laois, is Ireland's first eco garden centre.
- Clonohill GardensGarden · PortlaoiseClonohill Gardens are set at the foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains.
- The Dunamaise Arts CentreGallery · PortlaoiseDunamaise Arts Centre is a gem in the heart of the Midlands.
- Stradbally Hall and DemesneCastle or historic house · StradballyStradbally Hall, as it appears today, dates from the middle of the 19th century.
- Mountmellick Embroidery & Heritage MuseumMuseum · LaoisThe Mountmellick Embroidery & Heritage Museum is in a refurbished grain mill built in 1830, overlooking the Owenass River in Mountmellick, County Laois.
Getting to Laois
- By air
- Dublin Airport
- By rail
- Stations at Portlaoise and Portarlington, on the Dublin to Cork and Limerick line.
- By road
- The M7, M8 and N80.
Questions
What are the best things to do in Laois?
Our top three are Rock of Dunamase, Emo Court and Slieve Bloom Mountains. The full list of twenty is at the top of this page, and every place on it has a page of its own.
What can you do in Laois for free?
Walks, beaches and open ground cost nothing to visit. On our list that includes <a href="/things-to-do/laois/slieve-bloom-mountains/">Slieve Bloom Mountains</a>, <a href="/things-to-do/laois/durrow-leafy-loop/">Durrow Leafy Loop</a> and <a href="/things-to-do/laois/ridge-of-capard/">Ridge of Capard</a>. Check parking and access with the place before you go.
What is on in Laois?
Nothing is listed for Laois right now. The listings refresh every night, so check back, or see what is on elsewhere.
