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Abbeyleix Heritage House, Abbeyleix, Co Laois |
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Abbeyleix Heritage House in the Old North
National School, interprets the Planned Estate Town of the
de Vesci Landlords, once home to the Abbeyleix Carpet Factory,
where a number of hand-tufted carpets were made for the state
rooms of the Titanic ship. |
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Ballaghmore Castle, Dublin Road, Borris-in-Ossory, Co Laois |
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Situated between Roscrea and
Borris-on-Ossory, Ballaghmore Castle was
built in 1480 by the Gaelic Chieftain
MacGiollaphadraig (now called
Fitzpatrick), meaning son of the servant
of Patrick. Lords of Upper Ossory. They
defended North Munster, strategically
placed as they were on the old Irish
Road. A Sheela-na-Gig carved in stone is
on the front facing wall, a pagan
fertility symbol to ward off evil.
Set in
the Irish midlands in Co. Laois, it is
the perfect setting for a relaxing rural
break in luxurious and historic
surroundings. |
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Castle Durrow, Durrow,
Co Laois |
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One of Ireland’s most luxurious Country
House Hotels located on the N8 Dublin to
Cork Road (one hour from Dublin), in the
midlands of Ireland, adjoining the
quaint village of Durrow,
Co Laois. Built by Capt. William
Flower (later to become Viscount
Ashbrook) in 1716 as his family home in
the Midlands of Ireland, pre Palladian
design and formal gardens.
It is the creation of an
Anglo-Irish landlord family, a relic of
an age that has vanished forever. Castle
Durrow is the first country house of
importance that still stands in close to
its original condition and is one of the
few 18th century houses for which
precise building records survive. |
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Emo Court, Emo, Co Laois |
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Emo Court is a country villa designed by
architect James Gandon (1743-1823), best
known for his great public buildings,
including the Custom House and the Four
Courts in Dublin.
The house is a
magnificent example of the neo-Classical
style, reflecting the architecture of
ancient Greece and Rome. |
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Timahoe
Round Tower
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