Amazing place, beautiful bucolic views and peaceful atmosphere. It is nestled in a quaint Irish…read moretown with 2 pubs, takeaway place, a convenience shop, and Michelin restaurant. Whether you are just visiting the tea room and gardens/castle tour, or staying in the castle Airbnb rooms- it's a wonderful experience. The gardens and grounds are more extensive than you realize, and can find many hidden pathways that lead to somewhere seemingly magical. I have been a guest at Huntington for a collective 3 months now, and would highly recommend. If you come in the Spring, don't miss out on seeing the lambs!

We had a lovely stay in the castle. Claire and Alex are excellent hosts! They made sure we were…read morecomfortable. The castle is beautiful and full of history. We had to miss their award winning breakfast due to an early flight, but we heard it was amazing. I highly recommend staying here!

Rock of Dunamase is a fantastic little stop just off the main road. We were driving from Dublin to…read moreKillarney. I was looking for a place to stop and stretch our legs. This was perfect; better than I hoped for. There is a small little parking lot. From there you can see the ruins. It's just a short walk up the hill to the site where you can walk amongst the castle ruins. The views on top are incredible. You can really soak in the beauty that is Ireland. Free. Easy to Access. Stunning.

For the last number of years we have been passing the big brown sign for the Rock Of Dunamase on…read morethe Laois stretch of the M7. And finally, on St Patricks Day 2014, we decided to stop and take a look. The day before we had been to see the Rock of Cashel, it was a weekend of Rocks! Firstly and not surprisingly, after you leave the M7 at junction 16, it is not signposted very well. If you follow the signs to Carlow via the N80, you should get there OK as the turn off for the Rock is then well sign posted from the N80 itself. At least this was the case when we were heading northbound on the M7, perhaps its better signposted from junction 16 if you are heading southbound. You pull up to an Anglican Church, where you can park, but the first thing that catches our attention are all the signs warning you not to leave valuables in your car. This is obviously a favourite spot for thieves, to have so many signs telling you so. Heed their warnings and keep all valuables on your person. Finally the Rock of Dunamase itself! It's impressive to look upon. And even more impressive at the top, amongst the ruins. The views of the surrounding country side is fantastic (and this was on a dull day). It's well worth a visit, imagine what it would be like on a clear day? A few things of note: it's free to enter. There are gravelled foot paths up to the top, which is not far at all, but parts are quite steep. You should wear sensible shoes and be somewhat sturdy on your feet to make it to the top.

Beautiful area with nice views and a lot to experience. Very peaceful and and a good feeling of…read moreIrish culture

If you want to get to the heart and soul of Ireland, you must visit this place - about five miles…read moreeast of Ballymore on the way to Mulingar. In many ways, it is the twin of the more famous Hill of Tara. Its main feature is the most unusual, Cat's Stone, which gets its name because it's believed that it resembles a cat, and if you study it closely, it does! I wonder did Ripley's 'Stranger than fiction' ever visit it? The Hill was believed by the ancient Druids, to be the very navel of Ireland - the geographical centre - where the five provinces met! Look out on a fair day and see many of Ireland's counties unfurl themselves before your eyes like phantoms from out of the mystical mists and relax and see the smooth plains of Ireland's midlands - smooth and uplifting, as if some bountiful cream was rubbed on the serene face of Ireland's goddess, Eriu! Hidden Ireland......

Venturing down a woodland trail puts things into perspective. Trees join limbs before the sky and…read moresunshine filters down in golden patches. Bees land on wild flowers and the sound of birdsong is powerful. All of a sudden, the softest blanket of purple haze shimmers before me. A shock of bluebells huddle together, their heads downcast. The astonishing splendour of nature has awoken me and I feel like telling the bluebells to look up. Look up and appreciate the beauty around you. The magnificence of yourselves.

Went for a lovely walk here recently. It's a bit out of my way but I wouldn't mind coming back,…read moreespecially in Spring when the bluebells and wild garlic are in full bloom. Seemingly there are walks to the extend of 10km and well sign posted. Some of the ways we walked are lovely small. Just pure nature. A nice suurounding to unwind.

Not where baby Goths go to stand trial, but a beautiful mansion designed by James Gandon of Four…read moreCourts fame in 1790. The playground of various earls until the 1930s, it was taken over by the Jesuits and eventually handed over to the State a few years ago. One of the most impressive features of Emo is its wonderful gardens, which have been rejuvenated in recent times; they include formal areas, woodland walks, a rake of rare trees, an impressive lake and an abundance of statues. Some of these statues were actually pulled from the lake when the State took over the estate, and it is suspected that they somehow made their way their during the time that the Jesuits were running the place. "Brother, there seems to be an effigy of a naked faun down by the old stables." "I think I know the perfect spot for it. Grab a shovel." The house itself is open to the public from Easter to September, but you are free to roam the gardens all year round.

A lovely house worthy of a visit in the Midlands of Ireland. The house has a history stretching…read moreback to the 18th century, and had an interesting variety of owners- rich English and American gentlement, and the Jesuit Order, before being passed to the Office of Public Works of the state. As with most OPW properties, visiting prices are very reasonable, and the tour guides are interesting and informative. They clearly are passionate about what they do, which is excellent. Something that sticks out for me from the tour was that the Jesuits removed many artworks which were sexual in nature, left behind by previous owners, to avoid tempting the members of the order. I found this quite funny. However, they were good at keeping the art safely stored away to be recovered again in later years. The gardens at Emo Court are also beautiful, and extensive. You can freely roam around in them all year. I particularly like the lake, with many different water birds living there, and a lot of fish. Well worth a visit.

All that remains of this castle is the walls of one side. but with the height of the walls inside…read moreyou can see where the various floors were located. there are 2 towers on each side of the castle walls in which all that is living now are pigeons and their fledglings. but if you are in Carlow town and you want a bit of quiet history and a break from your little shopping trip it is nice to walk along here and imagine what Carlow town may have looked like, maybe 1798 when there was a rebellion and 100's of Irish died.

Carlow Castle, Should be used for its historic and it needs to be installed by building and…read morerepairing its walls , as it was blown up years ago by a man who used to much powder explosives, and the stones were removed , sadly. +Archbishop Dr, Martin Pius Kelly.

This place is amazing! It's currently being restored, so a lot of the old original structure is…read morestill in place. The man who runs it puts a lot of care into maintaining the castle and knows the whole, very long and very interesting, history! Also, the view from the top of the castle is absolutely breathtaking. Truly a magical experience.

My second time visiting the castle, I also went back in August. I love chatting with the owner,…read moreSean, who has many stories to tell as well as being very knowledgeable in Irish history.

This is the official county museum for Wexford. Building is really cool and you can get all the way…read moreto the rooftop. Views across the town are pretty cool, and you can pick out all the historical points in the towns history like Vinegar Hill and the Cathedral as well as some others. The exhibits are awesome, I particularly liked the Eileen Grey one. They also have a Brooklyn exhibit with Kelly's shop including all the old things you could buy back in the day. They also have some of the rooms decorated in the style from when the castle was occupied while downstairs they have a super interesting collection of artefacts including a wheel from a German blame that mistakenly dropped a bomb in nearby Kiltealy area, a three seater bike made for brothers who wanted to attend GAA matches, a carriage and lots of other stuff. You can also go downstairs to see the dungeon. I really recommend the guided tour because there is a lot of history and information connected to this place. The guide we had was awesome-and even provided some Stuff for kids or dress up!