County Offaly

Offaly is one of those parts of Ireland you take for empty as you drive through, until you reach the Shannon and see the ruins of Clonmacnoise on its banks. A trip to County Offaly leads to one of the most important monasteries of early Christian Europe, to wide expanses of bogland, and to a town whose name appears on every bottle of whiskey.

Landscape and Towns

A large part of Offaly consists of raised bog, which was mined industrially for decades and is now increasingly being restored. To the west, the Shannon forms the border; to the south, the Slieve Bloom Mountains rise. Tullamore, the county seat, is known for Tullamore D.E.W. whiskey, whose visitor center is housed in an old warehouse on the Grand Canal. Birr is a planned Georgian town with broad streets and well-kept facades, and Edenderry in the east is a market town on the canal.

Sights in County Offaly

Clonmacnoise was founded around 545 by St. Ciarán and was a center of learning and craftsmanship for centuries. Today it is home to round towers, ruined churches, and high crosses, the originals of which are protected in the museum. At Birr Castle stands the "Leviathan," the largest telescope in the world in the 19th century, set amid extensive gardens. Lough Boora Discovery Park shows how mined-out bog is being turned into a nature area with sculptures, cycling trails, and bird-watching. The Slieve Bloom Mountains offer quiet hiking trails through heather and forest.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Tullamore is on the Dublin–Galway rail line; for Clonmacnoise and Birr you will need a car. The best time to visit is between May and September, when the gardens and bogs are in bloom and excursion boats ply the Shannon. Offaly is also a land of canals: The Grand Canal crosses the county from east to west and reaches the Shannon at Shannon Harbour, where old warehouses recall the days of the barges. The towpath is ideal for long bike rides and hikes. In Banagher and Shannonbridge you will find boat rentals, fishing spots, and pubs with river views; Kinnitty, on the edge of the Slieve Bloom, is a starting point for hikes.