Offaly Tours

About Offaly

County Offaly sits at the heart of Ireland along the River Shannon, holding some of the country's most remarkable heritage and nature in a landscape of bogland, river meadows, and ancient mountains. Clonmacnoise is Ireland's most important early Christian monastic site. Founded in 544 by St Ciarán on an esker ridge where the east-west road crossed the River Shannon, it grew into one of Europe's great centres of learning, producing manuscripts including the Book of the Dun Cow. The site today includes the ruins of a cathedral, seven churches (10th to 13th century), two round towers, three high crosses (the Cross of the Scriptures, carved c.900, is one of the finest in Ireland), and the largest collection of early Christian grave slabs in Western Europe. Note: the visitor centre is currently closed for renovation in 2026, but the outdoor site remains fully accessible. Birr Castle Demesne, in the heritage town of Birr, spans 120 acres of parklands and gardens with over 5,000 species of trees and plants. Its centrepiece is the Great Telescope — built by the third Earl of Rosse in the 1840s, it was the largest telescope in the world for 70 years. Ireland's Historic Science Centre on the grounds explores the Parsons family's contributions to astronomy, photography, and engineering. The gardens include the world's tallest box hedges and Ireland's tallest treehouse. Lough Boora Discovery Park is a rehabilitated peatland that has been transformed into an ecological and recreational asset. The park's award-winning Sculpture Park features 24 works created from industrial bog materials. Cycling and walking trails weave through wetlands, grasslands, and lakes where over 940 species have been recorded. The Slieve Bloom Mountains — shared with neighbouring Laois — are among the oldest mountain ranges in Ireland (roughly 400 million years old). The highest point, Arderin (527 metres), offers views across five counties. The Slieve Bloom Way is a 70-kilometre waymarked loop through the mountains.