Portlaoighise

53°02N 7°17W, pop (2000e) 8500. Capital of Laoighis county, Leinster, Ireland; SW of Dublin; railway; jail; small industrial estate.

former name Maryborough), is the county town of County Laois (formerly Queen's County) in the midlands of the Republic of Ireland.

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 town is a major commercial, retail, and arts centre for the midlands. Both establishments are major employers in the town. 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 &