Port Laoise is the county town of County Laois in the midlands. The name is Irish for "Fort of Laois", however, a partially anglicised pronunciation as "Port Laois" (say 'Port Leash') is common.
Portlaoise was originally established as the Fort of Maryborough in 1556 under the reign of Queen Mary, and many elements of its garrison past are still evident throughout the town. The town now has a large and growing commuter population availing of the rail and motorway connections to Dublin.
The old jail in Portlaoise town centre has been recently restored to create a multi-purpose arts centre, which regularly hosts a variety of cultural delights.
Just outside Portlaoise lies the Rock of Dunamaise, an ancient Celtic fortification that is reputed to have been mapped by Ptolemy in the 8th century. The view from the summit is spectacular and well worth the climb.
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Two self-catering units situated on the grounds of Roundwood House, an 18th century Palladian Villa, in a beautiful region of central Ireland at the foot of the unspoilt Slieve Bloom Mountains.
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VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art & The George Bernard Shaw Theatre
Carlow, Co. Carlow
VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art & The George Bernard Shaw Theatre is a state of the art multi-disciplinary facility that comprises a 294-seater performing arts theatre, four principal gallery spaces (Main Gallery, Studio Gallery, Link Gall ...
Gina Murphy and her husband Padraig McLoughlin’s large bar and ‘informal fine dining’ restaurant is named after a mountain in the nearby Slieve Blooms (the border between Laois and Offaly is at its peak), and occupies a large to ...
A selective companion guide to our famous broad-based online collection, the ‘glovebox bible’ includes a uniquely diverse range of Ireland's greatest places to ...
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