Portlaoise

Irish Place|

  name        = Portlaoise |
  gaeilge     = Port Laoise |
  crest image =  |
  motto       =  |
  map image   = Ireland map County Laois Magnified.png |
  pin coords  = left: 59px; top: 47px |
  north coord = 53.0309 |
  west coord  = 7.3008 |
  irish grid  =  S465986 |
  area        =  |
  elevation   =  139m (459ft) |
  province    = Leinster |

county = County Laois |

  town pop    = 14,275 |
  rural pop   =  |
  census yr   = 2006 |

web = |}}

Portlaoise (older spelling Portlaoighise; former name Maryborough), is the county town of County Laois (formerly Queen's County) in the midlands of the Republic of Ireland. The name is Irish for "Fort of Laois", and properly pronounced ; however, a partially anglicised pronunciation as "Port Laois" (say 'Port Leash') is common. The population in 2006 was 14,275.

The town was first established by Queen Mary in 1556 as "the Fort of Maryborough" and was renamed 1922 to "Portlaoise". Very few signs of the old garrison remain in the town. The old jail has been transformed into an arts centre. Nearby is the Rock of Dunamase, an ancient Celtic fortification, allegedly recorded by Ptolemy in the 1st century. Also nearby are Emo Court, an 18th-century country house designed by James Gandon; Ballyfin House, now a school; and Mountmellick, the site of a notable Georgian square.

The town is a major commercial, retail, and arts centre for the midlands. It is home to Ireland's maximum-security Portlaoise Prison, which houses the majority of paramilitary prisoners sentenced in the Republic, and to the Midlands Prison. Both establishments are major employers in the town. There are also several hundred employed in the Department of Agriculture in the town. This is expected to increase further under the governments planned decentralisation of government departments from Dublin. The town also has a large and growing commuter population availing of the rail and motorway connections to Dublin.

The National Spatial Strategy for Ireland has identified Portlaoise as an ideal location for an inland port. This designation encourages the town to focus on the growth of distribution, logistics and warehouse uses, which ties in well with its strong transport connections.

Portlaoise stands at a major crossroads in the Irish roads (major roads to Dublin, Limerick, Cork) network although construction in recent years of the M7 motorway, which bypasses the town, has reduced traffic congestion in the town centre. The town has a railway station served by intercity trains between Dublin and Cork and by Dublin commuter services.

Significant nearby local tourist sites, include the ruins of an 800 year old hill-top castle at Dunamaise, a large Georgian estate home and surrounding guardians at Emo, and the Slieve Bloom Mountains & Forest Park.

See also

*List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

External links

*http://www.portlaoisepictures.com This very comprehensive site has many photographs of contemporary Portlaoise plus photos of, and documents relating to, old Portlaoise. An added unusual feature is a number of short stories set in and around the town.
*http://www.portlaoiseontheweb.com - Official website
**- Photo gallery