Castles & Gardens

Abbey Sensory Gardens

Dove House
Main Street, Abbeyleix
Co. Laois

Email: dovehouse@scjms.ie
Tel: +353(0)57 8731325

A team of people with disabilities, led by head gardener Paul O'Toole, created the garden for everyone to enjoy. Within the garden, vibrant planting schemes stimulate the sense of sight, while hearing is reached through wind chimes and a humming stone. Strongly scented plants and those with interesting textures are available for visitors to touch and smell. Mature lime trees anchor the garden. Other features include a rose-covered pergola, a fernery and a hornbeam maze. A long herbaceous border contains unusual plants donated by the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

Ballaghmore Castle

Borris-in-Ossory
Co. Laois

Web: www.castleballaghmore.com
Email: gracepym@eircom.net
Tel: +353 (0) 505 21453

Situated between Roscrea and Borris-in-Ossory, Ballaghmore Castle was built in 1480 by the Gaelic Chieftain Mac Giollaphadraig (now called Fitzpatrick). Ballaghmore Castle is a unique and beautiful place. Set in the Irish midlands in County Laois, it is the perfect setting for a relaxing rural break in luxurious and historic surroundings next to a sixteenth century manor guest house. Ballaghmore Castle is located on the N7 Dublin to Limerick road between Borris-in-Ossory and Roscrea.

Castle Durrow

Durrow
Co. Laois

Web: www.castledurrow.com
Email: info@castledurrow.com
Tel: +353 (0)57 8736555

Between 1713 and 1732, the Flower Family, Viscounts Ashbrook, built Castle Durrow, one of the great houses of Ireland. In the mid-1990s, Peter and Shelly Stokes renovated Castle Durrow into a fine country house hotel. Today visitors can wander through the walled organic garden, where a number of old apple trees still produce. All fruit, vegetables and herbs are served in the hotel. Perennial borders adorn the outside of the walled garden and the terraces. An 18th century pleasure garden of conifers, including a monkey puzzle, leads to a magnificent copper beech. A path along the river joins the 'Leafy Loops,' a series of walks through Durrow's scenic countryside. Open during daylight hours, except from Christmas until mid-January. Admission free.

Emo Court House & Gardens

Emo
Portlaoise
Co. Laois

Web: www.heritageireland.ie
Email: emocourt@opw.ie
Tel: +353 (0)57 8626573

Emo Court demesne is the second largest walled park in Europe, after the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The Parkland surrounds Emo Court, a neo-classical mansion designed in 1790 by James Gandon, who is best known for two buildings in Dublin: the Custom House and the Four Courts.
Gandon designed the building and its grounds for the first Earl of Portarlington. The earl died before building was complete, and the property passed through many hands. Finally, in 1969, C.D. Cholmeley-Harrison began to realise Gandon's vision for the house and grounds. Restoration continues today by the Office of Public Works. A wooded area called the Clucker features azaleas and rhododendrons. Trails continue around a 25-acre ornamental lake. Near the sluice gates there is an ornamental temple. Open during daylight hours. Admission free.

Gash Gardens

Gash
Castletown
Co. Laois

Email: gashgardens@eircom.net
Tel: +353 (0)57 8732247

In 1984, nurseryman Noel Keenan converted a paddock into a garden. Today, Gash Gardens covers over four acres and is managed by Noel's daughter Mary and her husband Ross. The gardens feature a collection of unusual plants and fine specimen trees. The season begins with a display of alpines and rhododendrons. In June, the laburnum tunnel is a highlight. All summer, herbaceous borders and island beds provide a continuous succession of colour. The Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) provide a spectacular seasonal finale. Water is a linking element throughout the garden. Visitors can sit inside the Moon House and watch water cascade from above. A hidden walkway leads to a looped walk along the River Nore.
Open from 1 May to 30 September, Mondays-Saturdays from 10a.m. to 5p.m. Sundays by appointment. Due to the specialist nature of the gardens, children are not admitted.