Things to do in Abbeyleix
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Heritage House
This museum in an old school building at the northern end of Main St details the town's colourful history. One room looks at the town's carpet-making legacy – the Turkish-influenced carpets once made here were chosen to grace the floors of the Titanic – while another showcases the Mulhall Collection, a fascinating selection of memorabilia from the Morrissey family who ran the town's renowned shop and pub from 1775 to 2004. The centre also has a variety of tourist information and a great playground next door.
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Heywood Gardens
Southeast of town, these lavish gardens were landscaped by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll and were completed in 1912. The centrepiece is a sunken garden, where circular terraces lead down to an oval pool with a magnificent fountain.
The gardens are 7km southeast of Abbeyleix, off the R432 to Ballinakill, in the grounds of Heywood Community School.
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Morrissey's
This half-pub, half-shop is one of those increasingly rare places that has withstood the onslaught of modernisation. Ancient biscuit tins, jars of sweets, boxes of tea and a hodgepodge of oddities line the shelves above the pew seats and pot-belly stove. It's a wonderful place to soak up the atmosphere while you cradle a pint at the sloping counter.
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Cafe Odhráan
Small and cosy, with a warm, friendly atmosphere, this simple little place serves up a tempting selection of salads, quiches, crostini, panini and wraps, as well as homemade cakes and scones. Ingredients are locally sourced and include such delicacies as Ballacolla blue brie and Mossfield goat's cheese.
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Abbey Sense Gardens
Garden lovers should also make their way to this sensory playground set in the walled gardens of a Brigidine convent. The vibrant planting, wind chimes, humming stone and fragrant blooms aim to stimulate all the senses and are the first of their kind in Ireland.
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McEvoy's
Run by the folks from nearby Castle Durrow, this classy wine bar and steak house offers a good choice of international dishes such as Cajun salmon and Thai curries as well as its excellent grills. The ingredients are locally sourced, the interior all tasteful neutrals and as you would expect, the food is cooked to perfection.
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Bramleys
You'll find a wonderful selection of soups, salads, hot dishes and tempting desserts at this coffee shop in an upmarket interiors store. It's another top-notch offering from the Castle Durrow team with veg coming from the castle gardens, communal tables weighed down with papers and magazines and some lovely outside seating for sunny days.
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