Laois tends not to feature on the list of counties people think of first when planning a trip to Ireland. That’s understandable. It doesn’t have a coastline, and it doesn’t shout about itself. But if you’re looking for somewhere to spend a couple of days without the crowds, with good walking, interesting heritage, and a pace that lets you actually relax, it’s worth taking seriously.
We’ve been welcoming guests toRoundwood House in Mountrath for over forty years, and these are the places we find ourselves recommending most often. Some are on every list, others are a bit off the beaten track, which is honestly where Laois is at its best.
Start on the Grounds
If you’re staying with us, there’s no need to get in the car straight away. The perimeter walk around the 18 acres here takes about 40 minutes at an easy pace and goes through native woodland, past an old flax mill, and through the wildflower meadow. It’s a good way to start a morning, and the grounds are quiet enough that you’ll often hear woodpeckers or spot a hare before breakfast.
Frank’s Library is also worth an hour of anyone’s time. Over 2,000 books on history, philosophy, religion, and literature, with leather armchairs and a fire. Some guests sit down intending to browse for ten minutes and don’t surface until dinner.
Planning a stay? You can check availability andbook a room at Roundwood House here. We’re about an hour from Dublin, just outside Mountrath on the Slieve Bloom side.
The Slieve Bloom Mountains
The Slieve Blooms are the mountains on our doorstep, and they’re genuinely good walking country. The highest point, Arderin, is just over 527 metres. Not Himalayan, but enough to feel like proper hills. The walks are well marked and cover a range of distances and difficulty levels, from short forest loops to the longer Slieve Bloom Way, which runs for about 77km around the range.
What makes the Blooms different from more famous Irish mountains is the quiet. On a weekday, particularly in spring or autumn, you can walk for hours without meeting another soul. The bog and heather landscapes at the top are striking, and on a clear day you can see several counties.
The Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trail is also worth knowing about. It’s a purpose built network of trails for all abilities. The green and blue runs are perfectly manageable for recreational riders, while the red and black trails are properly challenging. Bikes can be hired locally if you don’t have your own. You can find out more atslievebloom.ie.
Birr Equestrian Centre, just over the border in Offaly, does daily trekking through the Blooms. It’s a good option if you’d rather see the hills from the saddle. Book ahead as they do get busy in summer.
The Rock of Dunamase
About 15 minutes east of Mountrath, the Rock of Dunamase is one of those places that catches people off guard. It’s a ruined castle perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock above the Laois countryside. The kind of site that would be covered in coaches if it were in Kerry. Here, on most days, it’s almost empty.
The rock itself is an early Celtic fortification that later became a significant Anglo Norman stronghold. The climb isn’t long, about ten minutes to the top, but the views across the midlands are excellent, and on a day with good light it feels like a proper discovery. No entry fee. No café. Just the ruins and the view.
Emo Court
Emo Court is a Neo Classical house designed in the 1790s for the Earls of Portarlington, and it’s one of the finest buildings in the midlands. The house itself is open for guided tours in season, but even if you just go for the gardens and parklands you’ll get plenty out of a visit. There’s a long yew walk that’s particularly good, and the grounds feel very well looked after without being over manicured.
It’s about 25 minutes from us by car, which makes it an easy half day. Well worth pairing with a stop in the village of Emo itself, which is small but pleasant.
Abbeyleix and the Heritage Towns
Abbeyleix is probably the most handsome town in Laois. It was a planned estate town laid out in the 18th century, and unlike a lot of Irish towns it still has most of its original bones intact: good Georgian proportions, wide streets, and a real sense of order. The bog at Abbeyleix is also worth knowing about. It’s an ancient raised bog that was saved from harvesting and is now a nature reserve and woodland walk. Entry is free and it’s a beautiful and unusual walk, especially in the early morning.
Castletown is another village worth a visit. It sits on the River Nore, with castle ruins, old mill buildings, and Georgian houses. The Half Door Club Festival, a traditional music and set dancing event, takes place there in the autumn and is one of the better small festivals in the region.
Birr Castle
Strictly speaking, Birr is in Offaly, but it’s only about 30 minutes from Mountrath and it’s too good to leave off any list of what to do from here. Birr Castle has some of the finest gardens in Ireland, 120 acres of them, with the tallest box hedges in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records at 10 metres, and a remarkable collection of trees. There’s also a science centre based around the Great Telescope, which was the world’s largest telescope for 72 years after it was built here in the 1840s.
Birr town itself is worth a wander: good food, nice pubs, and a pleasant Georgian square. If you’re going with children, the castle has an adventure playground with Ireland’s largest treehouse. Allow at least half a day.
Heywood Gardens
Heywood Gardens near Ballinakill is a formal garden designed by Edwin Lutyens in the early 20th century, set within a larger landscape of woodland and lakes. It’s in the care of the Office of Public Works and entry is free. The formal garden, with its terracing, pergola, and oval pool, is one of the more atmospheric gardens in Ireland, and because it’s not well publicised it tends to be quiet. The walk through the woods and down to the lake is lovely in any season.
Foraging with Wild Food Mary
We can arrange foraging walks with Mary, a local guide who knows the hedgerows and fields around here better than anyone. A typical outing is about two hours, with the option of finishing back here fordinner. It sounds like a gimmick but it’s genuinely interesting. You end up looking at the landscape completely differently. Good for groups, and a nice thing to do with older children too. Ask us when you book and we’ll get it set up.
We’re happy to help with planning days out while you’re staying here. If there’s something specific you’re looking for, whether that’s walking routes, fishing, or particular heritage sites, just drop us a note:contact us here or call +353 57 873 2120.
Fishing and Swimming
The Laois Angling Centre at Clonohill House is about 10km from us and has four well stocked spring fed lakes. Day permits are available and it’s a well run set up. If you’re more of a wild swimmer, Laois Tourism has a good guide to outdoor swimming spots in the county. There are some lovely stretches of the Nore and Barrow rivers within easy reach. Neither is particularly crowded, which is the point.
Lough Boora Discovery Park
Lough Boora is in Offaly, about 40 minutes away, and it’s one of those places that’s hard to describe but very easy to enjoy. It’s a former industrial peat bog that has been transformed into a nature reserve and sculpture park. There are kilometres of flat walking and cycling trails across open bogland, with large scale sculpture pieces placed throughout the landscape. You can hire bikes there, or just walk. It’s good for families and also for anyone who likes a bit of space and strange, open countryside. No entry fee for the park itself.
A Few Practical Notes
Most of what’s listed here requires a car. Laois is a rural county and public transport is limited outside of the main towns. If you’re coming without a car, the walks and grounds here at Roundwood will keep you well occupied, and Mountrath village is a short walk down the road.
The Slieve Blooms can be wet underfoot even in summer, so decent walking boots are worth having. And if you’re visiting Heywood or Abbeyleix Bog in the morning, bring waterproofs as the grass holds the dew late into the day.
For a mix of the outdoors, some heritage, and a good dinner back at the house, two nights is the right amount of time to do most of this without rushing. If you’d like to stay a little longer, ourcottages are a good option for anyone who wants more space or a bit more independence. If you’re the kind of person who finds it hard to get off the sofa in a place like this, which happens more than you’d think, one or two things from this list is probably enough.
If any of this sounds like your kind of trip, you cancheck availability and book your stay at Roundwood House here. Breakfast is included, dinner is available most evenings, and we’re always happy to answer questions about what’s on or what’s worth seeing.
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