page_title: Port Laoise
hierarchical_section_title: Port Laoise
caption_attribution_description: Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland English: Main Street of Portlaoise, looking north-east.
context_page_description: Portlaoise, or Port Laoise is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050, which was well above the national average of 3.8%. It is the most populous and also the most densely populated town in the Midlands Region, which has a total population of 292,301 at the 2016 census. This also makes it the fastest growing of the top 20 largest towns and cities in Ireland.
  It was an important town in the medieval period, as the site of the Fort of Maryborough, a fort built by English settlers in the 16th century.
  Portlaoise is fringed by the Slieve Bloom mountains to the west and north-west and the Great Heath of Maryborough to the east. It is notable for its architecture, engineering and transport connections.
  On the national road network, Portlaoise is located 94 km west-southwest from Dublin on the M7, 170 km north-east from Cork on the M8/M7 and 114 km east-northeast from Limerick on the M7.
  It was once known for the manufacture of iron and steel buildings, tennis balls, rubber seals, tyres and electrical cabling.
context_section_description: Portlaoise (Pronounced /pɔːrtˈliːʃ/), or Port Laoise (Irish [pˠɔɾˠt̪ˠˈl̪ˠiːʃə]) is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050, which was well above the national average of 3.8%. It is the most populous and also the most densely populated town in the Midlands Region, which has a total population of 292,301 at the 2016 census. This also makes it the fastest growing of the top 20 largest towns and cities in Ireland.
  It was an important town in the medieval period, as the site of the Fort of Maryborough, a fort built by English settlers in the 16th century.
  Portlaoise is fringed by the Slieve Bloom mountains to the west and north-west and the Great Heath of Maryborough to the east. It is notable for its architecture, engineering and transport connections.
  On the national road network, Portlaoise is located 94 km (58 mi) west-southwest from Dublin on the M7, 170 km (106 mi) north-east from Cork on the M8/M7 and 114 km (71 mi) east-northeast from Limerick on the M7.
  It was once known for the manufacture of iron and steel buildings, tennis balls, rubber seals, tyres and electrical cabling. Today Portlaoise is a commercial centre, with the economy dominated by the service sector, and a hub of shopping, transport, and events for the surrounding catchment.
caption: Main Street, Portlaoise
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