Starting point of the 2005 Riders' Rally, the Irish 650-mile, 3-day motorcycle touring rally, is The East End Hotel, Portarlington. Opening times will be from 2pm-8pm Friday 29th & 8am-noon Saturday 30th July.

Food and Sundries are available all day. The Rally doesn't overnight here. The Friday night halt is about 80 miles down the road.

Portarlington is reached from the main M7/N7/N8 roads at the Monasterevin exit; from the N4 by the Enfield or Clonard exits via Edenderry; from Rosslare ferryport via N80 north thru Enniscorthy, Bunclody, Carlow, Portlaoise; & from N6 to N80 south via Tullamore exit at Mountmellick.
The Boyne Riders have set the Laois/Offaly photo subject at Timahoe round tower S 535 902.

Laois is split by the Dublin to Portlaois motorway which divides into the Limerick and Cork roads and forms part of the boggy central plain, though the Slieve Bloom Mountains are a prominent feature in the north-west of the county along the boundary with Offaly. There is much interest and beauty in the quiet by-ways of this area, away from the main roads. The heritage includes one of the finest celtic fortifications in Ireland - the Rock of Dunamase and numerous fine houses & gardens. The numerous Restaurants and Pubs in Laois will ensure you will have a wonderful visit. Once the land of the O’Dempseys and Lea Castle; in 1694, Portarlington, a town straddling Counties Laois and Offaly (Formerly Queen’s County & King’s County) became the home to a substantial Huguenot settlement.

The Bog of Allen lies mainly in Co Offaly and the area has been extensively developed by Bord na Móna. Bord na Móna have opened up the area around Lough Boora as a park and wildlife sanctuary and is well worth a visit, while at the Blackwater works, you can take a Bog Rail Tour on a narrow gauge train, also run by Bord na Móna. For further information on bogs, check out the website of the IPCC.

The historic monastic site of Clonmacnois is by the Shannon, as are Cloghan and Clononey Castles. Clononey Castle is a ruin, but Cloghan Castle is still inhabited and can be visited during the summer. Flood waters from the Shannon make it hard to get to during the winter months.