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 /pɔrtˈliʃə/; however, a partially anglicised pronunciation as "Port Laois" (say /pɔrtˈliʃ/) is common. The population in 2006 was 14,275. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Bullet for locations in Ireland, displays location and not area. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... GPS redirects here. ... The Irish national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Ireland. ... When under Gaelic rule, Ireland was divided into provinces to replace the earlier system of the túatha. ... Statistics Area: 19,774. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist, while several county names have changed. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Portlaoise Code: LS Area: 1,719 km² Population (2006) 69,012 Website: www. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... A county town is the capital of a county in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Portlaoise Code: LS Area: 1,719 km² Population (2006) 69,012 Website: www. ... To anglicise (or in North American English anglicize) is to adapt a foreign word into the English language, often modifying its form to correspond to standard English French demoiselle, meaning little lady. Another common type of anglicisation is the inclusion of a foreign article as part of a noun (eg. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The present town originated as a settlement around the old fort, 'Fort of Leix' or 'Fort Protector', the remains of which can still be seen in the town centre. Its construction began in 1548 under the supervision of the then Lord Deputy Sir Edward Bellingham in an attempt to secure English control in the county following the exile of native Celtic chieftains the previous year. The fort's location on rising ground, surrounded to the south and east by the natural defensive barricades of the River Triogue and an esker known locally as 'the Ridge', greatly added to its strategic importance.

The town proper was established by an act of Parliament during the reign of Queen Mary in 1557. It was renamed Maryborough, and the county of Laois was renamed Queen's County, in Mary's honour. The following year, the fort was garrisoned in response to the threat posed by the O'Mores, the native chieftains of Laois; for the next fifty or so years, they waged a continual, low-scale war of aggression against the inhabitants of the town, who were mostly English in origin. Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July 1553 (de facto) or 19 July 1553 (de jure) until her death on 17 November 1558. ... Events Spain is effectively bankrupt. ...

In 1570, a charter of Queen Elizabeth I raised the town to the rank of borough. This allowed the establishment of a Corporation of the Borough, a body which consisted of a burgomaster, two bailiffs, a town clerk, and a sergeant at arms, as well as various other officers, burgesses and freemen. Until the Act of Union in 1801 and the abolition of its franchise, the town returned two members to the Irish Parliament. The Corporation itself existed until 1830. Events January 23 - The assassination of regent James Stewart, Earl of Moray throws Scotland into civil war February 25 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England with the bull Regnans in Excelsis May 20 - Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas. ... This article is about Elizabeth I of England. ... Look up Borough in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Act of Union can mean: United Kingdom The Act of Union is a name given to several acts passed by the English, Scottish and British Parliaments from 1536 onwards. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ...

Local government

Portlaoise Town Council is an elected local government body, and mandated under the Local Government Act 2001 to provide civic leadership and a forum for the democratic representation of the community. Responsibilities include amenity support, operation of the Litter Act, contribution to tourism development, event licensing, arts support, etc. The term Town Council was introduced into Local government in the Republic of Ireland by the Local Government Act 2001. ... The Local Government Act, 2001 (No. ...

The Town Council executive comprises nine elected Councillors, headed by the town mayor. The current mayor is Rotimi Adebari. An Independent member of the city council, Adebari escaped religious persecution in Nigeria, sought asylum in Ireland in 2000, and is the first black mayor in the country^{[1] [2]}. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Rotimi Adebari (born 1964, Okeodan, Ogun State) is a Nigerian born Irish politician. ...

Portlaoise is twinned with Coulounieix-Chamiers in the Dordogne département of France. Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a department in central France named after the Dordogne River. ... Departments (French: IPA: ) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties. ...

Transport

• 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. Maryborough railway station opened on 26 June 1847.^[3]

A directional road sign in the Republic of Ireland on an other road (not a national road) at Portlaoise, County Laois, including patches for national roads and advance warning of bridge height restrictions. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Limerick (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in the Republic of Ireland. ... The N7 road is a National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland, connecting Dublin to Limerick. ... Station buildings Portlaoise railway station is a railway station situated above the town of Portlaoise, in County Laois. ... A Romanian InterCity train, run by Romanian Railways, at Arad station in May 2003 InterCity is a name for the inter-city rail services in Europe. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in the Republic of Ireland. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... Commuting is the process of travelling from a place of residence to a place of work. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Local economy

The town has long been a major commercial, retail, and arts centre for the Midlands. Until the early twentieth century, the main industries of the town were flour milling and the manufacture of worsted fabric. Since their respective declines, the government has been one of the major employers in the town: the maximum-security Portlaoise Prison, which houses the majority of paramilitary prisoners sentenced in the Republic, the Midlands Prison, and the Department of Agriculture are all large-scale employers in the town. This number is expected to increase further under the planned decentralisation of government departments from Dublin. Portlaoise Prison is a maximum security prison located in Portlaoise, Co. ... Anthem The Soldiers Song Republic of Ireland() – on the European continent() – in the European Union() Capital (and largest city) Dublin Official languages Irish, English Demonym Irish Government Republic and Parliamentary Democracy  -  President Mary McAleese  -  Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, TD Independence from the United Kingdom   -  Declared 24 April 1916   -  Ratified 21...

Portlaoise

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. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ...

Tourism

Significant nearby local tourist sites include the ruins of an eight hundred year old hill-top castle at Dunamase; a large Georgian estate home designed by James Gandon and surrounding gardens at Emo; the town of Mountmellick, the site of a notable Georgian square; and the Slieve Bloom Mountains and Forest Park. The Four Courts by James Gandon James Gandon (1743 -1823) is today recognised as one of the leading late 18th century, early 19th century architects to have worked in Ireland. ... Emo (Ioma in Irish) is a village in County Laois, Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference N449076 Statistics Province: Leinster County: Population (2006) 4,137  Website: www. ... The Slieve Bloom Mountians rise from the central plain of Ireland to a height of about 560 metres. ...

Within the town itself, the former jail has been transformed into an arts centre comprising a cinema, performance space and exhibition space.

Sport

• Portlaoise GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.

Portlaoise Gaelic Athletic Association Club is a hurling and gaelic football club in County Laois, Ireland. ... For other uses, see GAA (disambiguation). ...

People

Portlaoise is the hometown of footballers Ian Fitzgerald, Colm Parkinson and aviation pioneer James Fitzmaurice. The well-known poet Pat Boran was also born and grew up in the town. Ian Fitzgerald is a former gaelic football player from County Laois in Ireland. ... Colm Parkinson is a Gaelic football player from County Laois in Ireland. ... This article is about the 20th-century pilot. ... Pat Boran (born 1963) is an Irish poet. ...

Twinning

Portlaoise is twinned with the town of Coulounieix-Chamiers in France. Sign denoting twin towns of Neckarsulm, Germany Town twinning is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. ...

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

This is a link page for cities and towns in the Republic of Ireland, including larger villages, and villages and townlands of note, as well as towns, townships or urban centres in Dublin. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Portlaoisepictures.com - Photographs of contemporary Portlaoise plus photos of, and documents relating to, old Portlaoise.
• Dunamaise.ie - Website of the local arts centre, The Dunamaise Centre, which incorporates a theatre and art gallery

• Portlaoise is at coordinates 53°01′51″N 7°18′03″W / 53.0309, -7.3008Coordinates: 53°01′51″N 7°18′03″W / 53.0309, -7.3008
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