Emo Court House is a neo-classical mansion in County Laois that attracts visitors from all over the country and beyond. Designed by noted architect James Gandon (Designer of Dublin's Custom House) in 1790, it features magnificent gardens and is located just 2.5 km from Emo village. Emo Court was designed for the Earls of Portarlington. After the family moved to England in 1920, the house lay idle but was acquired by the Jesuits in 1930. Their most famous resident here was the famous photographer Fr Frank Browne and you now see an exhibition on his time here in the house. Functional renovations were made to the estate before it was sold to Major Cholmeley Harrison, a former London stockbroker, in the late 1960's.
Cholmeley Harrison’s vision was to restore Emo Court House to its former glory and today the results of his efforts are obvious. In 1994 Cholmeley Harrison presented Emo Court House to the people of Ireland, continuing to live there in private apartments until his death in 2008. Staff of the Office of Public Works (OPW) now care for the estate and preserve its stately elegance for modern visitors. Only this year they have decided to allow visitors to take photographs inside the house!! The house is surrounded by beautiful gardens and parkland which were first laid out in the 18th century and contain formal lawns, a lake and woodland walks with many very fine trees and shrubs