The Central Hotel is situated in the centre of the town and is in close proximity to shops, restaurants, bars and great nightlife. The Central Hotel is a great choice whether you are travelling on business or enjoying a leisure break with family or friends. A five minute walk from Tullamore railway station and a short drive from the Dublin/Galway motorway, the Central Hotel offers a great location to explore the secret gems and attractions of Tullamore and Offaly. At the hotel’s Bar Polo, you will enjoy the highest quality food from the freshest and finest local produce. The hotel features a 24 hour front desk, baggage storage, and complimentary newspapers and you can stay connected during your stay as Central Hotel Tullamore offers guests free wifi. The Central Hotel is situated in the centre of the town and is in close proximity to shops, restaurants, bars and great nightlife. The Central Hotel is a great choice whether you are travelling on business or enjoying a leisure break with family or friends. Website: https://centralhoteltullamore.com
Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore
The 4* Bridge House Hotel Tullamore is one of Ireland’s most popular landmark hotels and is centrally located in the thriving midlands town of Tullamore at the heart of Ireland’s Ancient East. The Bridge House Hotel Tullamore, with its spectacular entrance and elegant foyer, its grand crystal chandelier and magnificent marble stairway is the fabulous setting for your weekend away, business trip or indeed your wedding reception and is one of the most popular hotels in the midlands. This Offaly hotel is easily accessible from all destinations, less than 90 minutes from Dublin, Limerick and Galway making it the ideal meeting point. Renowned for good food, hospitality and world class service the Bridge House Hotel Tullamore is the perfect choice for a relaxing short break, family holiday, Spa and leisure break, weddings, functions, conference, business and golf trips. Website: https://bridgehousehoteltullamore.ie
County Arms, Birr
Set on a nine-acre estate in the elegant Georgian heritage town of Birr, the family owned County Arms Hotel is a four-star hotel that offers guests elegant accommodation with warm and friendly service. Centrally located in the heart of Ireland, the hotel is just 120 minutes from Dublin, 90 minutes from Shannon, 85 minutes from Galway and just over an hour from Limerick. The newly renovated hotel has 70 luxury bedrooms, including Georgian Suites (which are among the finest hotel Georgian Suites in Ireland), Family, Deluxe and Accesible Rooms. The Springs Leisure Club is the centre for health, fitness, and wellbeing at County Arms Hotel. Offering guests a bright and uplifting space to exercise, relax and unwind, its facilities include gym, heated swimming pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and whirlpool. The international award-winning cuisine served in both The Rose Garden Restaurant and Bar 62, with a mix of contemporary dishes and hearty classics, made them a destination for many years among the best places to eat in Birr. Delicious cocktails are served in the trendy The Shaker Room, the hotel’s newly launched cocktail bar.” Website: https://countyarmshotel.com
Dooly’s Hotel, Birr
Dating back to 1747, Dooly’s Hotel in Birr is one of the oldest coaching Inns in the country. Dooly’s exudes olde world charm combined with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Dooly’s Hotel offers luxury hotel accommodation with 17 boutique style guest rooms. The hotel’s bedrooms combine old world elegance with up to the minute standards and facilities. With a renowned local reputation for quality food and service The Emmet Restaurant offers great value menus to cater for all needs while the atmospheric Coach House Bar offers a fantastic alternative to the main restaurant. Dooly’s enjoys a rich history of guests from politicians to world famous writers, opera singers and even the odd Royal. Ideally situated in the centre of Georgian Birr, Dooly’s is just a short walk to all attractions in the town including Birr Castle which has 100 acres of grounds with river walks and pretty parkland. Website: https://doolyshotel.com
Kinnity Castle
Set against a backdrop of the Slieve Bloom Mountains and dating back to 1209, Kinnitty Castle Hotel is set within 650 acres of parkland and forests. This Gothic four-star Castle offers luxurious accommodation in the picturesque village of Kinnitty, just 30 minutes off the Dublin/Limerick motorway. There are 37 distinctively styled en-suite guest rooms within the Castle. Each luxurious room retains an original, cultivated style that is in keeping with the period of the property. Spaciousness and high ceilings, along with opulent fabrics and period furniture, effortlessly highlight the singular heritage of the Castle. With a variety of excellently prepared dishes in the Slí Dala Restaurant, light refreshments and relaxing drinks in the Library Bar or traditional food, Irish music and drinks in the Dungeon Bar, Kinnitty Castle Hotel offers something for everyone. Kinnitty Castle is set at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, with numerous trails and guided walks available. Clay Pigeon shooting is available on the castle grounds, and Birr Castle is a 20-minute drive away. Website: https://kinnittycastlehotel.com
Tullamore Court Hotel
Its uniquely central location, just ten minutes off the Dublin/Galway motorway, ensures the magnificent and newly refurbished four-star Tullamore Court Hotel is popular with visitors from all corners of Ireland and throughout the world. The multi-award winning Tullamore Court boasts 104 bedrooms including 33 executive suites, all with free broadband. Located in the town and five minute walk from the railway station, the Tullamore Court is the perfect location for romantic getaways, fun-filled family breaks, business trips or quick overnight escapes. The Tullamore Court Hotel has something for everyone, luxury accommodation complemented by fine dining, extensive leisure facilities and is the perfect choice for weddings, a family holiday or weekend break. Family friendly facilities include Kids Klub, an award winning Leisure Centre with swimming pool, kiddies’ pool and crèche. The hotel’s Leisure Centre is one of the top fitness clubs in the midlands. Open seven days a week from 7am until 10:15pm and free for all hotel residents, guests can enjoy full use of its 20-metre heated indoor pool and its jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. They also get full access to the hotel’s fully equipped fitness gym which is packed with premium equipment. With capacities varying from five to 750 people, the hotel’s dedicated conference centre offers a huge choice with 14 flexible, bright and airy meeting rooms and is one of the most popular meeting and events venues in the country. Website: https://tullamorecourthotel.ie
Grand Canal Way
What better way to see Offaly from a different perspective than to savour all the wonderful delights and surprises that the Grand Canal way has to offer. Covering a distance of 132 kilometres and running all the way from Ringsend in the Dublin docklands to Shannon Harbour, the Grand Canal meanders through the Offaly countryside from Edenderry in the east to Shannon Harbour in the west of the county. The Offaly section of the Grand Canal route is punctuated by historic sites, canal locks, lock houses and industrial architecture from bygone days. The route embraces landscape that has been untouched by modern agriculture and remains a linear oasis for the flora and fauna that was originally common throughout our countryside. Dotted along the 71 kilometres route are the towns and villages of Daingean, Ballycommon, Tullamore, Rahan, Pollagh and Belmont offering accommodation to walkers and cyclists and boating enthusiasts. Offaly County Council are currently in partnership with Waterways Ireland and Bord na Mona working towards completing a full off-road Grand Canal Greenway west from Tullamore to Lough Boora Discovery Park and eastwards to Daingean. To view or download map click here; Map Source: visitoffaly.ie
Clara Bog Nature Reserve & Visitor Centre
With the Slieve Bloom mountains as a backdrop Clara Bog Nature Reserve is one of the most important raised bogs in Europe and is the finest remaining example of a raised bog in Ireland today. Clara Bog Nature Reserve is home to many protected wildlife species and it has been said that visitors here can experience ten thousand years of history in the ten square kilometres that accommodate Clara Bog and its surroundings. Covering 840 hectares it is home to hundreds of plant and animal species with many totally unique to this site. Clara bog’s one kilometre looped boardwalk affords visitors the perfect opportunity to view some of the many protected wildlife species and birds that have made the place their home. Less than two kilometres from the Nature Reserve, the Visitor Centre offers visitors the opportunity to get a deeper appreciation of the unique insight into the bog with colourful wildlife displays, documentaries and touch screen info-graphics. Please be aware that the Visitor Centre is open saesonally and it is advised to contact in advance. Address: Clara Bog Visitor Centre,Ballycumber Road, Clara Email: claraguides@housing.gov.ie Phone: +353 579368878 Website: http://www.clarabognaturereserve.ie Source: visitoffaly.ie
Tullamore Dew Distillery
The Ultimate Distillery Experience Experience a day like no other as you’re taking ‘behind the scenes’ of the Tullamore D.E.W. state-of-the-art Distillery. Explore the home of Tullamore D.E.W. from distillation to maturation while meeting some of the characters who work on-site every day. Sip an Irish coffee, feel the warm embrace of heat from the bubbling stills and inhale the rich whiskey aromas from the 50,000 oak casks that lie sleeping in our maturation warehouse. Visit Ireland’s only custom built warehouse snug and discover the art of blending before savouring three of award winning whiskeys. Your tour includes: 105 minute “behind the scenes” guided tour of our state-of-the art working Distillery. Welcome Irish Coffee. Still House visit. Experiment in our blending lab. “Dip the Dog” and taste whiskey straight from the cask in our Secret Warehouse Snug. Premium whiskey tasting of 3 expressions of Tullamore D.E.W. Create your own unique blend of Tullamore D.E.W to bottle and take away (additional cost) Address: Tullamore Dew Distilery,Clonminch, Tullamore, R35 E027 Email: info@tullamoredew.com Phone: +353 579319760 Website: https://www.tullamoredew.com/en-gb/visit-tullamore-dew/ Source: visitoffaly.ie
Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise is on the left bank of the River Shannon in County Offaly. Saint Ciarán founded an abbey at Clonmacnoise nearly 1,500 years ago and a number of churches, two round towers, high crosses, and grave slabs remain standing. Try and hug the High cross to see if you have ‘healing powers’ or put your ear to the ‘Listening Wall’ to hear the whispers. It really is best described as the place where ‘time stands still’ and there is a great sense of peace in the area. The surrounding area of Clonmacnoise is a microcosm of landscapes within the Midlands. These include the Shannon callows, eskers, boglands both preserved and cutaway. https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/clonmacnoise/ Source: midlandsireland.ie