Lough Boora Discovery Park — Attraction in The Municipal District of Birr

Upon entry to the visitors center you are greeted by a wonderful lady called Lisa who is full of useful and entertaining information , a person truly passionate about the parklands and surrounding area . We decided to visit last weekend, there are picnic benches in the vicinity of each of the carparks we cycled or drove by, as well as in the pavillion which is about a 15 minute walk into the park from the visitor center . We picniced in the main carpark where the tables are very private ,quiet and visited by lots of friendly small birds looking for crumbs .

We visited the sculpture park on the Saturday afternoon and took a leisurely stroll around the fairy walk in the woods (fantastic for children of all ages ) got some fantastic photos at the Celtic knot , learned about the various dry stone wall types from the different provinces at the gathering of stones and climbed to the top of the boora pyramid .

I'm into preserving our environment ,like art, and am an amatuer naturalist so had been looking forward to visiting Lough boora for awhile but wasn't sure my partner or her daughter of 11 would enjoy it as much as myself , imagine my surprise when they suggested we go back the following day and cycle around a larger portion of the park . While the art in the sculpture park might not be everybody's cup of tea I would be surprised if everyone did not find one piece that they like . Even if it's just seeing and climbing the pyramid , getting a view of the Lough boora monster (system no.30) from a seat in the "tippler bridge" or taking a contemplative moment in the boora triangle. While in the park I took the opportunity to check out the bird hides in the wetlands for a future visit in the Autumn or winter .

There are plenty of information boards about the park and the history of bord na Mona at the site and environs and the work carried out , the walking path and cycle track are well signposted around the park . Toilets are located in the visitors center and beside the pavillion in the park and were clean and stocked and there were disabled toilets in both locations .

There are fishing spots around the park and disabled fishing spots near the visitors center .

The cafe in the visitors center had a variety of snacks ice creams and cold drinks muffins tray bakes as well as serving hot food pizzas etc , teas and coffees also were available . When we returned on the Sunday we hired bikes , a tandem and a mountain bike and visited the Mesolithic part of the bog and the area where the partridge are breeding and returned via the wetlands area. We had a lovely time and a leisurely cycle for just under two hours with plenty of stops along the way.

The bikes were well used but well maintained and more than adequate , the staff were terrific even when there wasn't a tandem available we went to the cafe and they came and told us when one became available . The bikes are very reasonably priced at 8euro an hour for the tandem and 5euro an hour for adults , they also had children's bikes , ladies bikes ,adult bikes with chairs for smaller children and bikes with trailers for children.

All in all Lough boora is a fantastic place to visit , the people who work there are friendly and knowledgeable, it is a beautiful part of the country and it's FREE , highly recommended and for extra fun and or exercise bring or rent a bike ,you...

Discovery Park is a fantastic place to visit and we have been there many times during the summers..Great walks and the bike hire is a great idea..The only thing that disappointed me and my friends is the Bathroom situation...They close very early compared to the park closing..yes it's stated there are some at the pavilion if the cafe ones are closed but it's a good walk back down to them especially if you have already had a long walk...It would make more sense to have the toilets at the car park open for visitors as many people apart from ourselves were disappointed today..I totally understand the cafe staff want to go home but during the long summer days 4.30 is very early to close..Would you consider putting extra outdoor toilets maybe besides the bike shop that can stay open till close of park. Visitors to this park may not know much of the area and have to rely on the services on the motorway which is a good distance away..We never had a problem paying an entry fee and would gladly pay it again if it helps to provide toilets near the carpark...we really love going down there so please could management please look at...

Worth a visit but avoid the restaurant. Bring your own food plenty of picnic areas. Visited Lough Boora last August my wife bought a the triple decker sandwich in the restarunt which she couldn't eat , there was wasps in the pastry cabinet and wasps all over the seating area. I sent an email to Lough Boora a day or two later but got no reply even though they say they typically reply within 24 hours. I posted a review on facebook in march this year and got a reply from a guy named Tony the following day saying he couldn't find my email and asked me to send him on details of my complaint which I did. That was early march todate I got no reply from Tony. If you are thinking of visiting Lough Boora give the restaurant a miss , bring you're own food. When you say you will reply to any enquires or complaints within 24 hours please do. THIS PLACE IS DIFFICULT TO GET TO OVER VERY BAD ROADS OTHER PLACES SHOULD BE...