The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage has a useful section on their site showing the mapping of historic demesnes in Offaly. See www.buildingsofireland.ie
Flights of Fancy, Follies Families and Demesnes in Offaly by Rachel McKenna (Offaly County Council 2017)
For an insight into Offaly’s landscape demesnes, the book Flights of Fancy, Follies Families and Demesnes in Offaly by Rachel McKenna (published by Offaly County Council 2017) is recommended. It is available in all branch libraries or for purchase from Offaly History on Bury Quay Tullamore, Midland Books High Street Tullamore, and Birr Castle and Gardens Shop for €30.00.
Gardens open to the Public in Offaly
Birr Castle Gardens, Birr Town. These gardens have a rich history. They were originally landscaped in the 18th century by Sir William Parsons, and over the generations the Parsons family have added to the Demesne and increased its beauty and interest. It now has plant material collected by 3 generations of the Earls of Rosse, as well as some of the most famous plant hunters past and present. It was the first garden in Ireland to receive specimens of Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) after its discovery in China in 1945. The garden comes alive in spring with spring flowering bulbs and a vast Magnolia collection. For further details see Birr Castle Gardens and opening hours.
Bellefield House and Gardens, Shinrone
The renowned architect and garden designer Angela Jupe, died in 2021, and very generously left her house and gardens at Bellefield, Shinrone, to the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland (RHSI). As well as a house and cottages, the grounds include a 2 acre walled garden with a noted collection of perennial plants and rare bulbs, pasture, forestry, a bog area managed for biodiversity and a plantation of native trees.
The gardens have Open Days and a full schedule of events can be found on https://rhsi.ie/rhsi-bellefield/
