Coole Park And Gardens

Coole Park And Gardens

Coole Park, now a nature reserve, was once the home of Lady Augusta Gregory, dramatist, folklorist and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre with Edward Martyn of Tullira Castle and Nobel prize-winning poet William Butler Yeats. Coole Park, in the early 20th century, was the centre of the Irish Literary Revival. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, John Millington Synge and Sean O’ Casey all came to experience its magic. They and many others carved their initials on the Autograph Tree, an old beech still standing today.

Attractions include exhibitions, tea rooms, nature trail walks, the famous "Autograph Tree", and a lake and turlough. There are two audio visual presentations, "The Magic of Coole" and "Lady Gregory of Coole".

There are two trails to follow. "The Family Trail" is an easy 1.75 km walk, taking you past the deer pen, the site of the house and into the walled garraph Treeden to see the Autograph Tree. The   4.5 km "Seven Woods Trail" connects the different woods made famous in poetry by W.B. Yeats. Depending on the season, you might  see bluebells and violets, jays and treecreepers, red squirrels and stoats, butterflies and dragonflies, or swans and other wetland birds.

Find details here on Childrens Attractions and Pet Farms in Ireland