Sights in County Laois
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Rock of Dunamaise
The Rock of Dunamaise is an arresting sight: a craggy limestone outcrop rising dramatically out of the flat plains. The rock offered early settlers a superb natural defensive position with sweeping views across the surrounding countryside. It was first fortified in the Bronze Age and was recorded on Ptolemy's map of AD 140.
Over the centuries that followed, successive waves of Viking, Norman, Irish and English invaders fought over its occupation and control. The ruins you see today are those of a castle built in the 13th century. It was extensively remodelled in the 15th century and finally destroyed by Cromwell's henchmen in 1650.
You'll need some imagination to envisage t…
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Emo Court
The unusual, green-domed Emo Court is an impressive house, designed in 1790 by James Gandon, architect of Dublin's Custom House. It was originally the country seat of the first Earl of Portarlington. After many years as a Jesuit noviciate, the house, with its elaborate central rotunda, was impressively restored.
The extensive grounds, littered with Greek statues, contain over 1000 different trees, including huge sequoias, and shrubs from all over the world. Enjoy a picnic or a long walk through the woodlands to Emo Lake.
Emo is about 13km northeast of Portlaoise, just off the R422, 2km west of the M7.
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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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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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