Offaly – Ireland.com County Guides
County Offaly
Door in Georgian Birr, Birr Castle, Gardens and Cruising on the Shannon
With its castles, abbeys, heritage centres, Victorian canal locks, boggy wetlands of the Shannon Callows, Offaly has plenty to see and do all year round.
The biggest visitor attraction is Clonmacnoise, one of the most significant monastic sites in Ireland. But its fine towns and nature reserves make it a great short-break destination for all. The Shannon allows visitors boating and fishing accessible from half a dozen towns or more.
Tullamore is home to the Irish Mist whiskeys and Tullamore Dew. Charleville Forest Castle on the outskirts is a wonderful architectural aberration for Ireland with mock gothic interiors that wouldn't be out of place in a Henry VIII drama. And a resident ghost, allegedly. Chill out inside during the summer Castle Palooza rock festival.
Birr, an elegant Georgian town, is worth a night's stay with friendly atmosphere in pubs and restaurants and an enchanting walk through the grounds of Birr Castle, which houses one of Europe's finest ornamental gardens and Europe's first telescope – a giant, and still working, contraption in the middle of the garden.
Banagher, just a short drive away, is hugely popular for boating, set on a wide section of the Shannon. Charlotte Bronte spent her honeymoon there.
Ireland's bogland is unique in the world and Offaly has tons of peat or turf as it is known locally. The Bog of Allen – which stretches from Kildare across to the Shannon is the largest in the country and is largely cultivated for fuel but large swathes remain untouched.
As a result roads can be a bit bumpy – the midlands lost out the Celtic Tiger road upgrades – but the scenery is especially Irish and appreciated by Europeans and Americans who haven’t seen bog before.
The Shannon Callows, or river plains, provide a rich feeding ground for migrating birds with tens of thousands descending in winter months to the turloughs or winter lakes caused by floods. A bird-watchers paradise.
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Offaly – places to stay, things to do and see
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Don't Miss...
Ballybrittan Castle
Ballybrittan Castle is an extended tower-house which takes its name from the tower or a castle, built in the late 15th Century as an O’Connor stronghold in the townland of Ballybrittan, near Edenderry, Co Offaly. Although a major portion of the castle was taken down in the 19th Century, the overall suite of buildings is regarded as one of the best surviving examples of this house type. It still incorporates 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th century features reflecting many ...
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Don't Miss...
Grange Castle And Gardens
Grange Castle, close to the source of the Boyne, is a fine example of a late 15th Century tower house which has now been restored by Duchas, The Heritage Service. The castle was embellished in the first half of the 17th Century with ornamental battlements and Jacobean chimneys. It is adjoined by a Georgian cottage and it is the focal point of a complex of walled enclosures, including an historic walled garden ( the restoration of which was also financed by Duchas ) ...
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