Guided Tours of Esker Arts Centre

Tucked into a Victorian shopfront on Tullamore’s High Street, Esker Arts Centre opened in April 2023 on the site of Kilroy’s - a furniture and hardware store that served the midlands for nearly a century. During National Heritage Week, the centre opens its doors for free guided tours, giving visitors a chance to walk through a building that layers a century of local commerce beneath a contemporary arts complex. If you have any interest in how a town repurposes its past, or simply want to see what a well-designed regional arts venue looks like from the inside, this is a good use of an August afternoon.

What to expect

The building runs across two former retail units - No. 13 High Street, the original Kilroy’s hardware premises, and the adjacent Kenny’s Ballroom - knitted together into a single centre. Inside, you will find two gallery spaces stacked one above the other, their white walls and circular lighting set up for visual art exhibitions. The main performance space seats 228, with a warm red interior, a floor-level stage, and a cinema projector for independent film screenings. Upstairs, seven artist studios each retain their original fireplaces - an odd and pleasing detail in what is otherwise a sleek contemporary fit-out.

The guided tour during Heritage Week takes you through these spaces and tells the story of the building itself: the Kilroy family business, the ballroom that became a furniture showroom in the 1960s, the years the site sat idle, and the community effort that eventually raised roughly €8 million to turn it into a working arts centre. President Michael D Higgins officially opened the building in June 2023, just two months after the first public programmes launched.

Getting there

Tullamore is the county town of Offaly and sits at the junction of the N52 and N80 roads. From Dublin, the M6 motorway brings you most of the way in about 90 minutes; the N52 links Tullamore to Birr, Mullingar, and Dundalk. By rail, Tullamore station is on the Dublin Heuston to Galway / Westport line, with several services a day. The town has a bus station served by Bus Eireann routes from Dublin, Athlone, and other midland towns. Parking is available in the town centre car parks off O’Connor Square and along Church Street, a short walk from High Street.

While you’re in Tullamore

Tullamore is also home to the Tullamore D.E.W. Heritage Centre, where the story of Irish whiskey distilling in the midlands is told. The Grand Canal, which runs through the town, makes for a pleasant walk east or west of the centre. There is more to see in Tullamore and across Co. Offaly.

Good to know

• Dates: National Heritage Week, 15-23 August 2026
• Times: Check eskerarts.ie for confirmed tour times nearer the date
• Price: Free
• Booking: Contact Esker Arts directly or check the Heritage Week listings at heritageweek.ie
• Address: Esker Arts Centre, 13 High Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly