Saint Kavin
Anatrim monastery
Early Christian settlement in the foothills of Slieve Bloom, dedicated to Saint Kavin. One of the old religious communities that dotted these mountains. The ruins are still there — worth finding if you can.
Coolrain is not a village in the modern sense. It's a hamlet — maybe 150 people, one road, one pub. What it is, precisely, is a gap between Mountrath (7km up the mountain) and the open slopes above. The Slieve Bloom Way passes through. Walkers use it as a base — quiet, close to the trails, closer to the mountain than the bigger towns around it.
The pub is Hogan's, thatched, 250 years old, once an illegal still and now a licensed bar and restaurant. The parish priest ate here, the copper miners ate here, the walkers eat here now. Food is plain, people are plain. That's the entire conversation.
If you're walking the mountain and want to wake up in the foothills instead of a town, Coolrain is your place. Stay at Hogan's if they have a room. Walk out the door to the trail. Come back when you're hungry.
Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.
The trail runs the high ridges and glens of the mountains. You can walk out the door and into it. Mountrath gets the coach tours. Coolrain gets the quiet walkers.
Walks & outings → 02 Hogan's thatched pubOriginally a sheebeen — an unlicensed still. Licensed eventually. Now it's restaurant and bar, still thatched, still local. No choice on the menu but that's fine.
Pubs → 03 Anatrim monastery ruinsEarly monastic settlement on the mountain's southern foot. Very old, very quiet. Worth the detour when you pass through.
Stories & lore →None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:
Two-fifty years old. Thatched. Was a sheebeen before it was licensed. Food is plain — come for the history and the mountain access. One of three thatched pubs in Laois. They have rooms for walkers.
| Place | Type | € | Local note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogan's Bar & Restaurant | Pub restaurant | €€ | Simple food. Nothing fancy. That's the point. Reliable, filling, local. |
| Place | Type | Local note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogan's Bar & Restaurant | Pub rooms | Ask if they have a room. Small place. Walkers book ahead. | |
The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.
Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.
There is no bad time. There are different times.
The mountain opens. Lambs on the slopes. Trails are drying out. Good base for early walking.
Peak mountain weather. Busy on the main trails but Coolrain stays quiet. Long evenings, clear skies.
The best time. Clear skies, walking weather, the mountain visible all day. This is why walkers come.
Snow and cloud on the summit. The mountain is often invisible. Hogan's stays open. The walks are muddy and cold.
If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.
One pub. One place to sleep. Call ahead or sleep in Mountrath.
It's high, open moorland. Easy to get lost in cloud. Bring OS map and compass.
You're on a mountain slope in a hamlet. Hogan's is it. That's the whole point.
South from Portlaoise on N77 toward Kilkenny. Mountrath is the landmark (30km). Coolrain branches east from the mountain road, 7km beyond Mountrath. Takes 45 minutes from Portlaoise.
Bus Éireann runs Portlaoise to Mountrath on the Cork route. Coolrain would need a taxi from Mountrath (7km, roughly 15 mins).
No station. Portlaoise is the nearest (37km north), then bus or taxi.