Spending an afternoon in Castletown & Mountrath.

ProudDUB

I'm heading down to Portlaoise this Saturday to attend an evening event. Arriving via Bus Eireann around noonish. I want to spend the afternoon visiting the towns that my grandfather and grandmother came from, Castletown and Mountrath, and hopefully visit a few old family graves. I believe that the two towns are only a mile or so apart. If I get the BE bus to Mountrath, is Castletown walkable from Mountrath and is the walk safe? Or should I get a taxi, or should I wait for the next BE bus to come along?

The Bus Eireann website lists Mountrath as being 10 minutes out from Portlaoise and Castletown as an R stop. Borris on Ossory is the next listed stop. The reason I mention this is that I heard once that there are 2 Castletowns in Laois. I want to make sure that the Bus takes me to the correct one, just outside Mountrath. Does it?

What is there to do and see in Mountrath? Is there more than one Catholic church cemetery in the town, for me to check family graves?

Ditto for Castletown. I have a vague memory of attending a family funeral there when I was 9, and my memory of it is being very, very small, but I don't remember what was there exactly.

Have to be back in Portlaoise by 6 and the buses only runs every hour. Will 4/5 hours be enough to do all this?

Thanks.

Matt Santos

There is only the one Catholic graveyard in Mountrath. It is located behind the new Community College. The distance between both Castletown and Mountrath is in my opinion too far to walk. It is also a pretty busy road and not safe to walk. There are a number of taxis in the town and if you were to call in to any of the bars within the town and ask for a taxi they will ring you one and they can drop you out.
Easy to ring same taxi to call back out for ye when you are finished in the village of Castletown. I reckon €5 will get ye in and out.
Enjoy yer visit..

ProudDUB

Cheers, thanks for that. A taxi it is so.