Portlaoise is one of those small Irish towns that are particularly important – for the local inhabitants. Probably less so for travellers and tourists – but….
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Intro
…but we want to shed new light on it with this article.
Nobody talks about Portlaoise – except the locals. I’ve travelled through a few times myself and wasn’t particularly interested in this small town in the east of the country at first. It’s a typical Irish town, without the glitz and glamour – just normal.
But when I did a bit of research into the surrounding area, I realised that Timahoe is an absolutely lovely village with ‘heritage’ (i.e. witnesses to the past) and a nice stopover.
Climbing the Rock of Dunamase was also a very nice and interesting little excursion. And then there are fantastic, enchanted gardens, a great manor house and…
As you can see, it might be worth taking a second look – and now let’s take a look at Portlaoise and its surroundings…
Sightseeing
Dunamase Castle or Rock of Dunamase: Ruins of an impressive medieval castle with panoramic views over County Laois, east of Portlaoise. See: https://heritageireland.ie/unguided-sites/rock-of-dunamase/.
Emo Court: Impressive neoclassical manor house with beautiful gardens, north-east of Portlaoise. See: https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/emo-court/.
Donaghmore Workhouse Museum: A museum about farming in the past and the Great Famine in Ireland, just south-west of Portlaoise. See: http://donaghmoremuseum.ie.
Timahoe Round Tower and Heritage Centre: Beautifully preserved medieval round tower at old monastery, south-east of Portlaoise. See: https://laoistourism.ie/directory/list/things-to-do-in-laois-explore-irelands-ancient-east/key-attractions-in-laois-mountains-castles-adventure/timahoe/.
Gash Gardens: Beautiful, enchanted gardens west of Portlaoise. See: https://gashgardens.ie.
Haywod Gardens: Beautiful gardens south of Portlaoise. See: http://laoisgardens.ie/heywood/.
Music and Culture
Dunamaise Arts Centre: Irish shows and music can be found in this cultural centre. See: https://dunamaise.ie/.
Kavanaghs Pub & Venue: Live music and shows (and food and drink) can also be found here: https://kavanaghsportlaoise.com.
Electric Picnic: A big music festival at Stradbally (east of Portlaoise). Usually takes place in September – if you happen to be there… See: https://www.electricpicnic.ie.
Mountmellik Embroidery Museum: A little way north of Portlaoise you’ll find this nice little embroidery museum. See: https://www.facebook.com/mountmellickmuseumandconference/.
Timahoe Heritage Festival: In June, if you happen to be here, you can experience living local history – monks, Vikings and more…. See: https://timahoeheritagefestival.com.
Food and Drink
Kelly’s Steakhouse: Very good Irish cuisine in the Midlands Parkhotel. See: https://www.midlandsparkhotel.com/kellys-steakhouse/.
Treacy’s Bar & Restaurant: Just outside Portlaoise is this pretty reed-roofed cottage restaurant with a cosy atmosphere. See: http://www.treacys.ie.
Emperor`s House Restaurant: Here you will find Chinese dishes. See: https://www.feedme.ie/restaurant-menu?name=emperors-house-restaurant&id=621fc5ffcbc97e58e194ec11.
The Pantry Café: Cosy little café in the heart of Portlaoise. See: https://www.thepantry.ie.
The Bay Tree: Good café and restaurant in the centre of Portlaoise. See: https://www.thebaytree.ie.
Choclate Brown Portlaoise: The name says it all: a delicious café – see: http://www.chocolatebrown.ie.
Tours and Outdoor Activities
Slieve Bloom Loop Walks: The Slieve Bloom Mountains near Portlaoise are a hiker’s paradise. Here you will find beautiful circular hiking trails: See: https://slievebloom.ie/walking/loop-walks, or: https://www.alltrails.com/parks/ireland/county-laois/slieve-bloom-mountains-nature-reserve/walking
Abbeyleix Bog Project Tours: At Abbeyleix you will find this nature centre where you can explore the bog and its fauna and flora at any time on good trails. See: https://www.abbeyleixbog.ie/visit.
Dunmore Wood Walks: Also at Abbeyleix you will find this nice wood and its walks. See: https://www.coillte.ie/site/dunmore-wood/.
Barrowway Bike Hire: The Barrow is a nearby river with old towpaths along its banks. Here you can hire a bike and explore it – see: http://www.barrowwaybikes.ie.
Blueway Boat Trips: A nice boat trip on the River Barrow near Vicarstown. See: https://www.facebook.com/people/Blueway-Boat-Trips/100092500652047/.
Stradbally Woodland Railway: Ride historic steam trains through the woods – cl for young and old. See: https://irishsteam.net/?page_id=144.
More Activities
Take a trip to the beautiful city of Kilkenny. You can find my article on this here: https://irland-insider.de/die-mittelalterliche-stadt-kilkenny/.
Take a trip to the Rock of Cashel. It’s a bit further away, but easy to reach via the motorway – see my article: https://irland-insider.de/der-sagenhafte-rock-of-cashel/.
Conclusion
Portlaoise is the main town in County Laois. And with around 25,000 inhabitants, the town is not that small (for Ireland). Above all, however, Portlaoise is characterised by its beautiful surroundings:
A wonderful hilly landscape, in which there are surprisingly many beautiful places that are well worth a visit.
Sometimes you just have to look a little closer to discover the beauty. And maybe you’ll pass through Portlaoise and County Laois and take a closer look…
With this in mind: Have fun on your journey and enjoy yourself in and around Portlaoise!
More interesting articles for you
Athlone – in the heart of Ireland
THE MEDIEVAL TOWN OF KILKENNY
The legendary Rock of Cashel
CAHIR CASTLE – A STAR AMONG THE CASTLES
Cover picture: View from the Rock of Dunamase near Portlaoise (Photo: Zach Mckinney on Google Maps)
