Rock of Dunamase

Ruined Anglo Norman Castle On A Limestone Outcrop Above The Laois Plain, Free To Visit, With Wide Views To The Slieve Bloom Mountains · Portlaoise, Laois

The Rock of Dunamase is the ruin of a Norman castle on a limestone outcrop that rises abruptly from the flat farmland of County Laois, about 6 km east of Portlaoise. The rock was a fortified site long before the Normans - the annals record a Viking raid on Dun Masc in the 840s - and it came to Strongbow in 1170 as part of the dowry of Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster, Dermot MacMurrough, or so the story goes. Later lords including William Marshal built it up with gates, walls and a great hall on the summit, and it was wrecked in 1650 by Cromwellian forces. Today it is free, unstaffed and open at all hours: a short, steep path climbs through the gateways and broken walls to the top, where the views stretch to the Slieve Bloom Mountains. People come for the view, the atmosphere at sunset and a leg stretch on the long drive west. The honest caveat: it is a tier three stop, worth about 45 minutes for people already on the M7 or in Laois, with no visitor centre, no toilets and little interpretation.

Off the N80 about 6 km east of Portlaoise, County Laois; small car park at the foot of the rock, Portlaoise, Laois, Ireland

Open at all hours, every day of the year, with no gate, no staff and no charge; daylight is the only practical limit, and the rock has no lighting. There is a small car park at the foot of the rock off the N80 Portlaoise-Stradbally road, about 10 minutes from junction 17 of the M7 and about 1 hour 10 minutes from Dublin. There is no bus to the site; Portlaoise has Irish Rail trains from Dublin Heuston and taxis. Nothing needs to be booked.

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