The name Durrow suggests an ancient wood or forest of Oak (Darú) which once encompassed this area in Co. Laois. A settlement sprung up here in the Early Medieval Period (400-1169 A.D) associated with an early church site attributed to St. Fintan Maeldubh (7th Century). This monastery is believed to have stood on the grounds of the present Protestant Church in the town until its ruins were knocked in 1731 (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2). There

Dysartgallan Church (LA030-011001-) is set in the picturesque landscape of the Owenbeg River valley in south County Laois, approximately 3km northeast of Ballinakill village. The site is located within the townland of Aghnacross, civil parish of Dysartgallan or Ballinakill. The Church is located within 50 meters of the Owenbeg River and it would appear that a fording point existed where the current road bridge transverses this tributary of the Nore, hence the Irish name for

Situated approximately 3km NE of Rathdowney in south County Laois, we have a fine remnant of a rectangular plan Towerhouse located on slightly elevated ground with good views in all directions. The surrounding fertile lands and strategic location was no doubt a factor in the selection of the site for a fortified dwelling. Kilbreedy Towerhouse (LA028-046) is situated close to an esker formation which, in earlier times formed a natural routeway in a landscape predominated