Discover County Offaly

Raised bogs, rivers and lakes, walking trails and impressive cultural sites give County Offaly a varied character. You can focus your trip in a number of different ways: follow a route on foot or by bike, explore history and science, or enjoy activities on the Shannon. You can choose a holiday home to suit the experiences that matter most to you during your stay.

Raised bogs, sculptures and trails

Clara Bog is considered perhaps the finest surviving example of an ombrotrophic raised bog in the mid-west of Europe. Anyone interested in bog landscapes will find a distinctive natural attraction here. For a different way to spend time outdoors, the Sculpture Park in Lough Boora Discovery Park offers a 3.3-kilometre walking and cycling route that passes 24 works by Irish and international sculptors. This route combines art and exercise.

The visitor centre for Lough Boora Discovery Park is located at Loch an Dochais. It has visitor information, public toilets, a café, bicycle hire, a picnic area and a car park. These specific facilities may be useful when planning a visit; the sculpture trail and visitor centre appeal to different interests, from viewing the artworks to getting your bearings on site.

Walks with different character

The Offaly Way is a 32.4-kilometre linear walking route from Cadamstown to Lemanaghan in County Offaly. Along the way, it follows quiet roads, riverside and woodland paths, crosses farmland and runs along paved roads. The different sections and overall distance give you specific points to consider when planning your walk. Near Boora, the route also passes a rare Mesolithic site.

Another walking option is the Pilgrim Path. It runs from east to west through central County Offaly, connecting Ballycumber with the monastic site at Clonmacnoise along the historic route of the Esker Riada. Clonmacnoise is also notable for its ruins, which include a cathedral, two round towers, three high crosses, nine churches and more than 700 early Christian grave slabs. If you are interested in history and religious architecture, you can bear this in mind when choosing places to visit.

Gardens, science and whiskey history

Birr Castle Demesne offers several reasons to visit. More than 5,000 plant species grow in its 120-acre park, which also features award-winning gardens and an adventure playground. Other attractions include family activities, the Great Telescope, castle tours and the Historic Science Centre of Ireland, which explores significant achievements in astronomy, engineering and photography. Guided castle tours run from May to August and at other times by prior arrangement. This lets you plan around the gardens, science or a guided tour.

In Tullamore, the Tullamore D.E.W. Distillery Experience tells the 192-year history of whiskey. It showcases a fully integrated production process, from grain to bottling, at a single site. Visitors are given an Irish coffee to try on arrival. They can also have their own whiskey blended and bottled to buy and take home, offering a more personal introduction to whiskey culture than a history talk alone.

Experiences on the Shannon and other places

For on-the-water activities, Mid Ireland Adventure is located on the River Shannon in Banagher. Its offerings include kayak safaris, kayak hire, SUP safaris, archery, walking and bicycle hire. If you would like to combine your stay with a water activity, you can consider this option alongside bog landscapes, cultural attractions and walks. County Offaly has rivers, lakes, peat bogs, mountains and walking trails, so the experiences that influence your holiday-home search can vary widely.

For further reference, here are the places Rhode, Banagher, Birr, Tullamore, Killurin, Kinnitty, Daingean, Cloghan, Creagh, Clonmacnoise, Toberpatrick, Shannonbridge and The Curragh: Rhode, Banagher, Birr, Tullamore, Killurin, Kinnitty, Daingean, Cloghan, Creagh, Clonmacnoise, Toberpatrick, Shannonbridge and The Curragh.

For the wider travel overview: Leinster.