Kinnitty: Trails and History

Kinnitty combines walking trails and mountain bike routes with distinctive architectural and local history. You can start and finish the Slieve Bloom Way here; several mountain bike routes also start and finish in the village. Kinnitty Castle and the Kinnitty Pyramid add two very different historic structures.

Hiking the Slieve Bloom Way

You can start and finish the Slieve Bloom Way in Kinnitty. Along the route, high, heather-covered ridges give way to deep valleys with flowing streams. This makes the trail a good choice for travellers who want to experience a variety of landscapes along a hiking route. The landscape described is part of the trail; it is not limited to the village of Kinnitty.

The trail surface also varies: the Slieve Bloom Way passes along forest tracks, mostly quiet paved roads, paths beside streams and through open bogland. Some parts of this bogland can be wet and muddy. Conditions can vary by season, and diversions may change. So check the latest information on trail conditions and route directions before setting out on your hike.

Mountain Bike Routes of Different Lengths

The Kinnitty Trail is a network of purpose-built singletrack routes and forest tracks on a signed circular route for mountain bikes. The Mountain Bike Blue Trail starts and finishes in the village of Kinnitty. It is 14.5 kilometres long, has 306 metres of elevation gain and takes 90 to 120 minutes. So for this loop, the distance, elevation gain and estimated time are all provided.

River Run and Mountain Top also start and finish in the village. Each is 12 kilometres long; including the full connection, River Run is listed as 22 kilometres and Mountain Top as 30 kilometres. These figures show the different total distances of the two options without making any claims about their difficulty. In total, the Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails include more than 90 kilometres of singletrack routes and have a starting point in Kinnitty.

The Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Centre offers guided mountain bike tours in Kinnitty and the Slieve Bloom Mountains, mountain bike hire and basic instruction for beginners. The availability of these services may change; check the current offerings if you are planning a tour, bike hire or lessons.

Kinnitty Castle and the Pyramid

Kinnitty Castle is a neo-Gothic castle at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. It stands on a 650-acre private estate. The present castle can also be viewed in the context of the area's earlier history: the first Kinnitty Castle was destroyed in 1209 and rebuilt by the Normans in 1213. These historical dates refer to the earlier castle, not to the construction date of the present building.

Another distinctive structure is the Kinnitty Pyramid, beside the Church of Ireland in Kinnitty, also at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Richard Wellesley-Bernard had it built between 1830 and 1834 as a family mausoleum. The pyramid is an exact replica of the Egyptian Pyramid of Cheops. Its unusual shape and use as a mausoleum give it a different historical context from the neo-Gothic castle. Together, the two structures offer different ways to explore Kinnitty—not only through its trails, but also through its architecture and history.

Discover more destinations: Shannonbridge, Creagh, Birr, Toberpatrick, Killurin, Cloghan, Tullamore, Daingean.

For the broader travel guide: County Offaly.