Ballinakill, Co. Laois will host its inaugural ‘Twin Trees’ festival this year with a strong focus on the ‘En Plein Air’ outdoor painting event, tutored by established artists Jock Nichol and Bridget Flannery. The festival is inspired by the 150thanniversary of Sir Edward Lutyens, the celebrated garden designer who created the exquisite formal garden at Heywood Gardens, minutes from the village of Ballinakill. The festival will take place during Heritage Week 2019, on August 22nd, 23rd, and 24th.

The original town of Abbeyleix grew up near the River Nore, on the site of an early Christian abbey. The town developed under the protection of a twelfth century Cistercian monastery. In 1562, Queen Elizabeth granted the abbey and associated lands to Thomas, Earl of Ormond. Over the next century, the village grew to contain 52 families.

This beautifully refurbished public library includes an art gallery offering a great opportunity for artists, photographers and sculptors to showcase their work. Visitors are welcome.

A stunning country house available for exclusive hire, corporate retreats, Weddings, short stays and glamorous events. A beautiful Arts and Crafts garden where visitors experience simplicity and complexity at the same time. Relaxing, but at times challenging, this 14 acre space stimulates the senses and the imagination.

One of Ireland’s most luxurious Country House Hotels located on the N8 old Dublin – Cork Road (one hour from Dublin), in the midlands of Ireland, adjoining the quaint village of Durrow, Co Laois. Beautiful gardens and award winning restaurant. https://www.castledurrow.com/hotel-laois-garden.html

This floral oasis in the Laois farmland was established 15 years ago. In the old farmyard, a sundial is surrounded by box hedging and flowers. A rambling red rose climbs the gable end of an old stone farm building. Near the house, a seated area is shaded by a pergola covered in wisteria. From here visitors can admire the rockeries, the raised lavender bed, the upright yews and the weeping copper beech.

Step in the past at the Clonbrock Heritage Museum. The collection, gathered over a number of years, contains an array of vintage objects associated with farming, mining and other trades. It provides a fascinating glimpse into how our forefathers lived and worked. The museum is ideal for all ages. For the older visitor, it’s a nostalgic peek into the past or stroll down memory lane. Younger visitors can explore their rich heritage, a fascinating educational experience awaits. An entrance fee applies. Tours and groups welcome. Please contact for further details.

The playground features spring seesaw, toddler multiway, spring rocker, sand pit, water play unit, bucket swing, spinning basket, standing seesaw, slides, cable runway, large swing rope, standing swing.

Donaghmore Famine Workhouse Museum is a unique attraction in Co. Laois, Ireland and aims to tell the story of the families who lived and died within the Famine Workhouse walls before, during and after the Great Famine. The Museum uses guided and self-guided tours combined with various exibits to explain the socio-economic conditions which led to the establishment of this and other Workhouses.

Dunamaise Arts Centre is the premier location for theatre, film and exhibitions in the Midlands and hosts superb selection of theatre, music, dance, cinema, exhibitions and workshops over the season.

Although this garden was only established in 2005, it has already featured in the Farmers Journal, Irish Times and Irish Independent as well as Jane Powers’ book The Living Garden. Dunmore Country School has also featured on RTE’s Nationwide and Dermot’s Secret Garden. It covers approximately 1 acre. It is not a show garden, rather a working kitchen garden, which is dedicated to teaching. It is, in the owner's (Tanguy de Toulgoët) words, “not a display garden but a garden in progress”.

The great oak forests that once covered ancient Ireland gave Durrow its name, which comes from Daurmagh Ua nDuach, or the Oak Plain of the people known as the Uí Duach. The Normans adapted that name to Durrow when they founded a borough on the Erkina River in the early 1200s. This small, self-governed settlement was so successful that in 1245, King Henry III granted Geoffrey de Turville, Bishop of Ossory, the right to hold a yearly fair in Durrow, as well as a market every Thursday.