Emo

Emo is a handy village on the N80 between Portlaoise and Stradbally, just off the M7 about 70 kilometres from Dublin. It's perfectly placed for anyone travelling the Dublin-Cork route, with Portlaoise only 8 kilometres away for shops and services. The surrounding midlands countryside rolls gently through good farming country, and there's decent charging infrastructure for electric cars in the area. The real draw here is Emo Court, a magnificent neoclassical mansion designed by James Gandon with formal gardens that rank among Ireland's finest.