Laois

I

Introduction

Laois or Leix (pronounced “leash”), county in Leinster province, central Republic of Ireland, bordered on the north by Offaly, on the east by Kildare, on the south-east by Carlow, on the south by Kilkenny, and on the west by Tipperary. This inland county has a land area of 1,719 sq km (664 sq mi).

II

Land and Resources

Laois mainly consists of bogland and acidic farmland. There are extensive deposits of clay and sand. The underlying Carboniferous limestone forms low hills in the east of which the highest is the Rock of Dunamase (65 m/212 ft). In the north there is part of the Slieve Bloom mountain range of which the highest in Laois is Arderin Mountain (529 m/1,735 ft). The River Barrow flows along the eastern boundary. The bogland to the west and south has few distinctive features. Agriculture is one of the main economic activities.

The climate of Laois is typical of Ireland as a whole with mild summers and winters, and a uniform distribution of rainfall throughout the year. Temperatures average 7° C (45° F) in January and 16° C (61° F) in July.

III

Population and Administration

The county has a population of 52,314 (1991). The county town is Port Laoise, which has a population of 3,618 (1991). The other principal towns are Abbeyleix (1,299), Mountmellick (2,495), Portarlington (2,088), Rathdowney (1,092), and Stradbally (1,046). Port Laoise is the administrative centre for the county council; there are town councils (formerly urban district councils) at Mountmellick and Port Laoise.

IV

Places of Interest

Port Laoise is the site of Ireland’s maximum security prison. Abbeyleix is an example of a purpose-built 18th-century village and was laid out by Viscount de Vesci; nearby are some of the few remnants of native oak forests still extant in Ireland. Emo Court, Emo, was the county seat of the 1st Earl of Arlington, and was designed by James Gandon, a famous 18th-century architect.