Places near here
Photo credits
- Sitomon, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- AnTuisealGinideach, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mike Murphy ( talk · contribs ), Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
- National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- sarah777, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Leendert Moret, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Explorer Tom Enclosure in Emo Park is currently holding a council meeting with the local sheep, who have strong opinions about where the fence should go next. They think it’s an art piece that needs more mud to look properly rustic and expensive. Find a local and ask them the real story, then come back and tell me.
Site of Killeenatogher ChurchChurch · 887 ydExplorer Tom Site of Killeenatogher Church nearly got sold for the price of a very good horse back in the day, which would have been embarrassing. It’s sitting on Emo Park land now, invisible but still pretending it’s the main event. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.
European Yew918 ydExplorer Tom European Yew in County Laois has serious trust issues and suspects the postman is stealing its secrets. It stands there looking ancient and slightly offended by modern mail. Have a look and decide if I was lying.
Emo CourtHeritage attraction · 1232 ydExplorer Tom If you have an unfinished job at home, Emo Court may make you feel wonderfully efficient. James Gandon designed this Laois mansion for the first Earl of Portarlington in 1790. The earl died in 1798 with building well under way, but the house did not reach something like today's form until the third earl's time in the 1860s. Nearly three generations to finish the good room! I would have lost the plans before the roof went on. Gandon also worked on Dublin's Custom House and King's Inns, yet later hands shaped much of what you see here. The state took ownership of the house and gardens in the 1990s, and the estate is open under public management. Check current house-tour arrangements; garden access and indoor access need not share a timetable. Stand back from the domed front and give the family credit for eventually finishing the sentence.
Giant Sequoia1234 ydExplorer Tom Giant Sequoia in County Laois made map makers sweat because they couldn’t fit it on the page without squashing the mountains. It’s just standing there, smugly taking up all the oxygen. Spot the oldest stone and give it a name.
New Inn HouseCoaching inn · 1496 ydExplorer Tom New Inn House ended up in Cappakeel because it got lost on a coaching run. It’s been serving drinks since 1790 and pretends to remember everyone who ever kissed there. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll.
Saint Paul's Catholic ChurchChurch/chapel · 1.3 miExplorer Tom Saint Paul's Catholic Church in Killimy is a Gothic Revival beauty from 1870 that thinks tourists from Dublin are all noise and no manners. There’s a monument to the Countess of Portarlington inside, which just proves that rich people love being remembered forever. It’s got a bell tower that probably rings only when it feels like it. Have a chat with it, nobody's watching.
Morett Castle (in ruins)House, fortified house · 2.0 miExplorer Tom Morett Castle has a hidden message in its stones if you squint really hard. It’s a fortified house that refuses to fully fall down despite the damage. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.
Morett Castle (ruins)Castle · 2.0 miExplorer Tom Morett Castle is locked in a feud with the next village over because someone stole a specific type of turnip in 1650. The ruins stand there looking smug, and I bet you the turnip never even left the ground to begin with. Stand where the owner used to stand and practise looking incredibly smug at the sky for me.
Church (in Ruins), GraveyardChurch · 2.6 miExplorer Tom Tirhogar's Church sits on that high rise, watching the world go by while slowly crumbling into a pile of limestone dust and pure attitude. The fiddler who played there all night never actually left; he's just been hiding in the broken doorway since 1300. Wave at the cows, they're the real locals.
Friary (in Ruins) GraveyardReligious house, unclassified · 4.4 miExplorer Tom Friary Graveyard in Kilmainham is a limestone mess where a cow allegedly tried to buy it with a hoof print. It’s got a barrel vault that looks like a giant’s sleeping bag, so keep your eyes peeled for dust bunnies. Tell it a joke, it's been a long time since anyone did.
Bog Lake WalkWalking route · 4.9 miExplorer Tom Bog Lake Walk is where a love story went badly wrong, with one partner slipping into the mud and blaming the other for not holding on tighter. It’s part of that Derryounce network that feels like it was designed by someone who really hates walking but loves looking busy. Make a wish before you go, because this place has had centuries of practice
More woods, forests and old trees in County Laois · All of County Laois
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