We parked up here, between the castle and the village green.What a gem of a place. There are a couple of very pleasant walks from the grounds of the castle, which both take a route through pastures, woods, and country roads. Both are loops and the one we took, brought us back to the village beside an amazing pub. Bobs Bar, is a cross between a homely inn and a museum. My Guinness was flat before I'd stopped saying "oh look" and I'd one like that " etc. there is a bit of road noise in the early hours with trinkets bringing goods fro Dublin to the west. We had originally planned to stay in Port Laoise, but after a chat with the nice people in Donaghmore work house, changed our minds. Apart from the delightfully amiable Bobs bar, there are about three others, a couple of restaurants, and a lovely buzz. The workhouse at Donaghmore is well worth the €5 for the guided tour alone. Also in the area, another fine village, Abbeyleix.
