Posted by There is more than one Stradbally in Ireland so don’t get mixed up. One is situated in County Laois the other Stradbally is in county Waterford. This article refers to the village near Waterford. It really is situated in the middle of nowhere and on first sight a godforsaken place BUT I absolutely loved it.
Don’t get me wrong; there is absolutely nothing to see or do in Stradbally. I can’t explain it. You actually have to go there in order to get it. Stradbally is situated in the very heart of the Irish Riviera and on a sunny day that is pretty much as good as it gets.
The area is just beautiful. And don’t listen to anything people say: The weather is much better down there!
Stradbally by all means is a village. To get there I turned left at the R681 coming on the N25 from Waterford. Then simply follow the road. As a result you will get lost and you may end up back on the N25 which is no problem since you can turn left again on to the R677.
You will eventually have to turn right but – and that’s an important bit of information – I would never ever trust any road sign in rural Ireland. Best ignore them. Most of them seem to date back to the good old days where they tried to lure Englishmen into an ambush. They never – and I am only exaggerating slightly here – point you into the right direction.
Should you be one of the lucky few who actually manage to find the village you will be impressed and this much I can guarantee. Let me rephrase that; at first you will probably ask yourself how you could be foolish enough to follow the advice of someone you don’t even know.
You might curse the internet as the primary source of misinformation beating even your local politician when it comes to spreading lies but once you set foot on one of the local beaches you will thank me. (Assuming the weather is nice of course) It is spectacular or as our friends and foes across the Atlantic like to phrase it: AWESOME.
There are a couple of places to stay in the village. One would be the Park House. Phone: 051 293185.
PS. I previously stated that I couldn’t think of any good reason to go to Stradbally County Laois. Well; it was pointed out to me that I missed something. Of course the Electric Picnic is in Stradbally which is one of the finest music events in the annual festival calendar. And that’s not the only reason to visit Stradbally County Laois.
Every August the town holds its annual flower festival and a steam rally held by the Irish Steam Preservation Society. Talking about it; there is the Steam Museum where they have a variety of steam-driven engines on display which is actually quite cool. So; accept my apology and ignorance. There are a number of good reasons to go to Stradbally County Laois.
Tours and Day Trips Ireland: There are many great tours in Ireland: This link gives a good overview of different tours and excursions
FACTS ABOUT STRADBALLY:
- Stradbally is on the Irish south coast.
- Stradbally is in County Waterford and approximately 7.5 km south from the N25.
- The village is in the middle of nowhere.
- Nearby are spectacular beaches.
- There is absolutely nothing to see in Stradbally and by that I really do mean NOTHING.
- The dialling code is: 051.