Dunamase Castle, built on a high limestone outcrop overlooking a flat plain, has been a ruin for almost 700 years, but is still worth seeing.
The house that once stood here is now gone, lost to fire in 1951, only the impressive entrance gates hinting at previous grandeur.
Emo Court is a Gandon designed Georgian house at the centre of a huge landscaped estate of gardens, walks and grand vistas.
Abbeyleix is a planned town, built in the 18th century by the 2nd Viscount de Vesci, whose descendants still live in nearby Abbeyleix House.