Introduction
The Mount Leinster Heritage Drive is a 75km (47 miles) driving route through the beautiful countryside of rural south Carlow taking in the towns and villages of Borris, Bunclody, Clonegal, Kildavin, Myshall, Fenagh and Bagenalstown. Notable features in the landscape include the Blackstairs Mountains, and Mount Leinster, its highest peak at 795 metres. The Blackstairs are part of an extensive area of granite rock which extends from Dun Laoghaire near Dublin to Brandon Hill beyond Graiguenamanagh in County Kilkenny.
Identifiable road signs make the Mount Leinster Heritage Drive an easy-to-follow tour while large map boards in the centre of each village or town provide further information. The trail can be joined at any point and driven in an anti-clockwise direction. The trail can be completed in a day if so desired. However, we encourage you to relax, overnight and spend time exploring the remarkable beauty of this undiscovered part of Ireland. It is a journey not to be rushed and visitors will appreciate the unhurried pace of life in this area. Traffic jams are an exception with delays more likely to be caused by a herd of sheep lazily moving from one pasture to another.
The secret to discovering the true beauty of the Mount Leinster region is to spend time exploring its hidden treasures and getting to know the local people, who are renowned for their friendliness. Each twist and turn of the road will reveal a new delight – beautiful unspoiled villages, breathtaking scenery, interesting rock formations, heather clad hills, grand country homes and ancient heritage sites. Visitors with a taste for the outdoors will appreciate the superb range of activities including the South Leinster Way long distance walking route, shorter walks along the beautiful River Barrow and at Kilbrannish Forest on the Blackstairs Mountains, hang gliding and cycling.