Offaly lies near the centre of Ireland. In the south-east of the county are the Heathery Slieve Bloom Mountains, among which there are pretty valleys to be explored. The rest of the county is largely level plain and bogland, with occasional elevations. In the west the River Shannon separates the county from Counties Galway and Roscommon. The area was known as King's County from 1556 until the Irish Free State was established in 1922.

Birr in the south of the county is best known for its castle and gardens. The Castle [1], owned by the Parsons family, (the family bears the title: 'Earl of Rosse') is best known for its 19th century telescope. Before the plantation of modern day Offaly by English settlers, the territories it comprises were controlled principally by the O'Connor clan in the North/East of the county and the O'Carrolls clan in the south.

As you can understand, this is a pretty large undertaking which is why we will be adding buildings and places as we cover them. Currently we have the information on the following areas: