Emo Court

The house at Emo, photo by by IrishFireside

Emo Court was built by the Earl of Portarlington in 1790 and is the only private house designed by James Gandon, the architect who designed the Custom House in Dublin.

It is a huge neo-classical mansion, formal and symetrical in its design and with beautifully proportioned rooms inside. The house has been restored and is now the property of the state.

The gardens at Emo are magnificent and they too have been brought back to the splendour of their past, with formal areas, woodland walks, abundant statuary and a lake.

It is divided into two main areas. The Clucker, which contains some fine and rare specimen trees and a vast range of azaleas and rhododendrons and other shrubs. This part of the garden is at its magnificent best in late Spring.

Entrance drive at Emo, photo by sportsilliterate

The Grapery is an arboretum though which wind a series of pathway, each opening to vistas accross the surrounding Slieve Bloom mountains or towards the house.

This is a marvellous place to visit in Autumn especially when it is a blaze of dramatic colours.

There are loads of wide open spaces here and it’s a terrific place to let kids run wild and let off some steam!

Visiting Emo Court

The gardens are open all year round during daylight hours. The house is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm from June to September and is only accessible by guided tour.