The Rock of Dunamaise, 6km east of Portlaoise, is an arresting sight: a craggy limestone outcrop rising dramatically out of the flat plains. It offered early settlers a superb natural defensive position with sweeping views across the surrounding countryside. You'll need some imagination to envisage the site as it once was, before it was destroyed by Cromwell's henchmen in 1650. But the views from the summit are breathtaking on a clear day.
The rock was first fortified in the Bronze Age and was recorded on Ptolemy's map of AD 140. Over the centuries that followed, successive waves of Viking, Norman, Irish and English invaders fought over its occupation and control. The ruins you see today are those of a castle built in the 13th century. It was extensively remodelled in the 15th century. In the 18th century, its shattered remains were slightly rebuilt.
If you're lucky, you'll be able to see Timahoe round tower to the south, the Slieve Blooms to the west and the Wicklow Mountains to the east.
