Athy

This stands at the east end of the river bridge. It was built in 1417 but re-built in the following century as "the white castle", corrupted to "White's" but it's not named for anyone. 16th-century documents mention a second castle at the west end, but no trace of that has been found, so it might just have been an intention. White's Castle was bashed about in the Confederate Wars then became the local prison, earning poor guest reviews. It was later a police barracks then from the 19th century a private dwelling, and so remains, with no tours.

They're bigging up their local hero, but the museum also depicts other aspects of Athy's turbulent past.

12 acres of gardens, park and woodland. It's also possible to tour the house, a Georgian villa, by prior arrangement. They offer accommodation, and run Green Barn restaurant here.

The village of Ballitore was settled by Quakers from Yorkshire in the early 18th century. They founded a school, and the parliamentarian Edmund Burke was one of its pupils. The museum of those Quaker times is within the public library, which was once the home of the writer Mary Leadbeater (1758-1826). She documented terrible scenes in Ballitore during reprisals against the rebels of 1798: the troops slew whoever they could lay hands on, and almost Mary herself.