County Laois
General Information about County Laois.
County Laois is situated in the heart of some
of Ireland's most beautiful landscapes, where history has left its
marks in the remains of Celtic ringforts, medieval ruins and
monastic buildings. The County is steeped in heritage and folklore
and has many historic buildings and gardens testament to this,
many located on the Laois Heritage Trail. The spectacular Emo
Court is one of the greatest stately homes in Ireland and Heywood
Gardens - 'The Secret Garden' is considered one of the finest
gardens in Ireland. The magnificent Slieve Bloom Mountains, the
oldest mountains in Europe is one of the most popular visitor
attraction in County Laois. The Rock of Dunamaise is one of the
county's great fortifications where Vikings and Normans have
fought over its possession.
Laois is a popular destination for activity tours for adults and
children - golf, horse-riding, western-style riding, angling,
walking, bowling, tennis to paintballing and adventure sports.
Laois has an excellent location as the county is 'Less than 1
hour' from Dublin and has an excellent road, rail and bus network
which covers all parts of Ireland. Apart from its own many
attractions, Laois is ideally situated to visit other places of
interest on a day trip such as Rock of Cashel, Clonmacnoise,
Kilkenny Castle, the National Stud and Japanese Gardens,
Glendalough and many more…..
ATTRACTIONS:
Laois - Can offer mountains, lakes, woods and the
rolling rural landscape provide the natural terrain for an
exciting range of activities for adventure seekers. Paintballing
in the Stradbally woods, four wheel drive jeeps in the Slieve
Bloom Mountains, touring Laois in a horse-drawn caravan or taking
a barge on the historic Grand Canal are just a taste of the
activities on offer for children and adults alike!
ACTIVITIES:
Walking
Walking in the Slieve Blooms is like walking in another world.
Explore the Glens and hills while forgetting the hussle and bustle
of everyday life. Or why not walk in some of the other attractive
areas in Laois. For more information on walking contact the
Tourist Office, Portlaoise, Co. Laois. 057 8621178
Steam Train
There is a Narrow Gauge Railway in Stradbally where a rare steam
train runs every bank holiday weekend. Contact Tourist Office at
00 353 (0) 57 8621178 for more details.
Ballyhyland X Country Equestrian Centre
Ballyhyland,
Co.Laois
057 8727200
ballyhylandxcountry@eircom.net
Paintballing
Supershot Paintball Mission,
Cork Road,
Stradbally,
Co. Laois
T: 00353 (0) 57 8731912
Mob: 086-1949498
E: info@supershot.ie
W: www.supershot.ie
Western-style Riding
Fossey Mountains Springs Western Ranch
Timahoe,
Co. Laois
T: 00353 (0) 57 8736527
M: 087-2316591
Barge Hire / Boat Hire
Barrowline Cruisers,
Vicarstown,
Co. Laois
T: 00353 (0) 57 8625189
E: barrowline@eircom.net
W: www.barrowline.com
Barges on Grand Canal from Vicarstown.
Roll 'n' Bowl Bowling & Adventure Centre
Childrens adventure centre
Clonminam Industrial Estate,
Portlaoise.
T: 00353 (057) 8670005
Kilvahan Horse-Drawn Caravans
Tullibards Stud,
Coolrain,
Co. Laois
T: 00353 (0) 57 8625189
E: kilvahan@eircom.net
W:
www.horsedrawncaravans.com
Bowls Stadium
Republic of Ireland's only Indoor Bowls Stadium
Heritage Golf & Country Club,
Killenard,
Co. Laois
Telephone: +353 (0)57 8645994
Email:
info@theheritagegolf.com
W:
www.theheritagegolf.com
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