Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [439]
If you fancy staying in the area, Tall Trees B&B ( 057-862 5412; epcon@02.ie; Cork Rd; s €47-55, d €70-90; Feb-Oct; ) is a very friendly place, with simple, tranquil rooms in a modern house.
JJ Kavanagh & Sons ( 081-833 3222; www.jjkavanagh.ie) runs buses from Portlaoise to Carlow that pass through Stradbally (€5, 15 minutes, two daily Monday to Saturday).
Stradbally is also on the Bus Éireann Waterford–Longford service (two buses daily Monday to Saturday, one Sunday), which passes through Kilkenny, Carlow, Portlaoise (€3.50, 15 minutes) and Athlone.
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TIMAHOE
pop 500
Tiny Timahoe casts a real charm, even if the village is nothing more than a handful of houses fronting a grassy triangle. Screened by a babbling stream and seemingly straight out of a fairy tale, is a tilting 30m-tall, 12th-century round tower. The tower, with its unusual carved Romanesque doorway high up on the side, is part of an ancient site that includes the ruins of a 15th-century church. The entire place has a certain magical quality, enhanced by a dearth of visitors.
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THE GRAND & ROYAL CANALS
After much debate about linking Dublin to the Shannon by water, work began on the Grand Canal in 1757. The project was beset by problems from the start and encountered huge difficulties and delays. In the meantime, commercial rivals hatched a plan for the competing Royal Canal. The two canals revolutionised transport in Ireland in the early 19th century, but their heyday was short lived, as they were soon superseded by the railways. Today the canals are popular for cruising and fishing, and make wonderfully gentle territory for walking and cycling, with plenty of pretty villages along their banks.
Waterways Ireland (www.waterwaysireland.org) and the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (www.iwai.ie) have a wealth of information on the canals. The former publishes Ireland’s Waterways, Map and Directory. Other useful guides include the Guide to the Grand Canal of Ireland and the Guide to the Royal Canal of Ireland, both sold in tourist offices and bookshops in the region.
Grand Canal
The Grand Canal threads its way from Dublin through Tullamore to join the River Shannon at Shannonbridge, a total of 131km in all. Along the way, the canal passes through relatively unpopulated countryside, with bogs, picturesque villages and 43 finely crafted locks lining the journey. Near the village of Sallins in County Kildare, the graceful seven-arched Leinster Aqueduct carries the canal across the River Liffey.
From nearby Robertstown, a 45km spur turns south to join the River Barrow at the pretty town of Athy.
Huge engineering difficulties, including the riddle of how to cross the Bog of Allen, meant that the canal took 23 years to build. Passenger services continued until the 1850s and there was a trickle of commercial traffic until 1960.
For detailed information on the section of the canal between Robertstown and Lullymore, Click here.
Royal Canal
Fourteen years behind the Grand Canal and duplicating its purpose, the 145km Royal Canal was always a loss maker. It follows Kildare’s northern border, flowing over a massive aqueduct near Leixlip, before it joins the River Shannon at Clondra (or Cloondara) in County Longford.
The canal has become a popular amenity for thousands of residents along the north Kildare commuter belt and, although the towpaths are open all the way to the Shannon, the canal itself is navigable only as far as Ballymahon in County Longford. Restoration continues and the final 18km to Clondra should reopen in 2010. It will then be possible to follow a triangular route from Dublin along the Royal Canal or the Grand Canal to the Shannon and back.
Barges & Boats
The canals offer a relaxing way to drift across the country in warmer months; you can hire narrow boats at several locations. Two-/six-berth boats cost from €892/1670 per week in September and about €992/1880 per week in July and August, but rates